Moulin Rouge

Le Moulin Rouge is a traditional cabaret, built in 1889 by Joseph Oller. It is situated in the red-light district of Pigalle on Boulevard de Clichy in the 18th arrondissement, near Montmartre, in Paris.


The main feature of an evening at the Moulin Rouge is the nightly performance. The Moulin Rouge is famous internationally as the 'spiritual home' of the traditional French Can-Can, which is still performed there today. Whilst the dance of the can-can had existed for many years as a respectable, working-class party dance, it was in the early days of the Moulin Rouge when courtesans first adapted the dance to entertain the male clientele. It was usually performed individually, with the courtesan moving in an increasingly energetic and provocative way in an attempt to seduce a potential client.