Le Moulin Rouge

The Moulin Rouge  is a cabaret, restaurant and nightclub providing short programs of live entertainment, built in 1889 by Joseph Oller. Close to Montmartre in the Paris red-light district of Pigalle on Boulevard de Clichy in the 18th arrondissement, it is marked by the red windmill on its roof. The closest métro station is Blanche.

The Moulin Rouge is best known as the spiritual birthplace of the modern form of the can-can dance. Originally introduced as a seductive dance by the courtesans who operated from the site, the can-can dance revue evolved into a form of entertainment of its own and led to the introduction of cabarets across Europe.
The can-can was a respectable, working-class party dance, to entertain the male clientele. The dance was usually performed individually, with courtesans moving in an energetic and provocative way in order to seduce potential clients. It was common for them to lift their skirts and reveal their legs, underwear and occasionally the genitals, and as time progressed can-cans seen at the Moulin Rouge became increasingly vulgar and overtly erotic, causing much public outrage.

Today the Moulin Rouge is a tourist destination, offering musical dance entertainment for visitors from around the world. Much of the romance of turn-of-the-century France is still present in the club's decor.