Paris’s Moulin Rouge
Paris is a city of history and culture, and is one of the most popular travel destinations in the world. You don’t need a Parisian city guide to know its most famous attractions include the Moulin Rouge.
The unmissable windmill located at the foot of Montmartre Hill is home to the infamous Moulin Rouge. It was built in 1889 by Joseph Oller who managed it with Charles Zidler. The Moulin Rouge was a cabaret open to people from all walks of life. The rich, businessmen, artists, elegant women, travelers and the working class would visit the Moulin Rouge to enjoy the entertainment. The interior of the Moulin Rouge consisted mainly of a large auditorium that had all the nightly costumers mixed together and also was designed for quick décor changes. There was also a large elephant statue located in the garden.
During the mid-19th Century, Montmartre was a poor district popular with artists and musicians who settled because of cheap rents. Some of the artists included the greats like Vincent van Gogh, Henri Matisse, Edgar Degas, Salvador Dali, Claude Monet and Pablo Picasso. By the end of the century the area was known as the artistic center of Paris. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec also called Montmartre home during this time and was a nightly visitor to the Moulin Rouge. He was captivated by the dancers, customers and nightly events, and drew them from his table in the corner. One dancer in particular drew majority of his attention; La Goulue. She quickly became his muse, appearing in his drawings.
The can-can was a dance mostly danced at the Moulin Rouge. It was adapted from the original partner dance into a dance performed by individuals or in a chorus line. The dances throw their legs in the air to show their flexibility at a fast speed. At the Moulin Rouge dancers such as La Goulue and Jane Avril were famous highly paid dancers who perfected the dance while adding their own individual twist.
Today the Moulin Rouge is still operating, offering lunch and dinner with a show, or just a show on its own. The show now involves a large group of dancers performing elaborate dances, influenced from around the world; but of course the can-can is still performed and enjoyed by all.
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