Paris - Ile De France
Moulin Rouge Cabaret Montmartre - History
Moulin Rouge, the 1st cabaret to produce French can-can
The cabaret’s red stylised windmill Moulin Rouge has become one of the iconic images of Montmartre.
Joseph Oller founded the Moulin Rouge in 1889 and enjoyed immediate success. Le Tout Paris indeed flocked to dance the famous quadrille that the Englishman Charles Morton soon called French Cancan.
The first strip-teasers, French Can-Can and semi nude dancers appeared on stage in 1893 and earned the Moulin Rouge its worldwide reputation.
Their legendary names are forever attached to the cabaret’s history; La Goulue, la Môme Fromage or Nini Pattes en l'air... Toulouse-Lautrec immortalised them in his many drawings and paintings.
The high-minded society of the time obviously condemned French Cancan, as they judged the dance provocative, vulgar and sometimes obscene.
However, this didn't deter the Moulin Rouge to be one of the most popular entertainment halls of Paris throughout the decades!
The Doris Girls
That said, the shows evolved over time. Vulgarity has therefore given way to eroticism, a style that appeals to a wider public.
Doris Haug founded the iconic dance troupe, Doris Girls, in 1957. The 60 dancers come from 14 different nationalities and selection is harsh. They must all be graduates of classical dance and be at least 1.75 m.
The 20 Doris Boys, who dance with them on stage, must be at least 1.85 m.
Moulin Rouge shows
The Moulin Rouge produces also a dozen artists such as acrobats and jugglers.
Over the decades, many artists such as Mistinguett, Edith Piaf, Maurice Chevalier, Yves Montand, Liza Minelli, Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra performed on stage for gala evenings. La Toya Jackson even performed there briefly in the 1990s.
The Moulin Rouge today entertains 600,000 spectators per year. Half are foreigners, mainly Chinese, Russians and Americans.
The cabaret boasts a fill rate of 97% every night of the year and employs about 450 people.
The building was updated through the decades, but has retained most of its Belle Epoque decoration.
Boulevard de Clichy
The Moulin Rouge is located on Boulevard de Clichy.
In the early 1900s, Montmartre split into two districts to accommodate its ever-increasing population.
The old village, on the hill and around the Place du Tertre, retained its rusticity until WWI.
A new community settled down-hill, on Place de Clichy, Place Blanche, Place Pigalle and Boulevards de Clichy and Rochechouart. These squares indeed replaced the toll-gates or barrières of the Mur des Fermiers Généraux, a fiscal wall that was pulled down at the French Revolution.
Countless open-air cafes, music halls, popular ball-rooms, theatres, cabarets, inns and restaurants indeed opened in their vicinity in the late 18th century.
Place de la Barrière Blanche was renamed Place Blanche in 1864. This unattractive square, however, comes to life at night time, once the lights are on and the crowds start appearing on the boulevards.
A district to discover at night!
Directions: 18th district - no82 Boulevard de Clichy on Place Blanche
Metro: Blanche on Line 2
Coordinates: Lat 48.884069 - Long 2.332224
Discover more on Montmartre
Montmartre Village Place du Tertre - Petit Cimetiere du Calvaire - Saint-Pierre-de-Montmartre Church - Saint-Jean-de-Montmartre Church - Sacre-Coeur Basilica - Montmartre Abbey Sanctum Martyrium Crypt - Montmartre - Montmartre Cemetery - Saint-Vincent Cemetery - Le Passe Muraille sculpture - Mur des Je t'Aime - Abbesses Art Nouveau Metro station - Bateau Lavoir - Montmartre grape harvest festival
Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Cabaret in 1900
Chateau de Raray, the setting for Cocteau’s Beauty and the Beast movie
Saint-Blaise-des-Simples Chapel, Jean Cocteau’s burial-place
Sorbonne Chapel and Cardinal de Richelieu tomb
Villa Seurat, a showcase of Modernist architecture
Sign up to our newsletter
Travel France Online will use the information you provide on this form to keep in touch with you and to provide updates via our newsletter. By selecting the boxes on the form you confirm your acceptance to receive our newsletter.
You can change your mind at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in the footer of any email you receive from us, or by Contacting Us
We will treat your information with respect. For more information please visit our privacy policy page