The original venue was destroyed by fire in , reopening in after rebuilding. Moulin Rouge is southwest of Montmartre , in the Paris district of Pigalle on Boulevard de Clichy in the 18th arrondissement , and has a landmark red windmill on its roof. Moulin Rouge is best known as the 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.
Today, the Moulin Rouge is a tourist attraction , offering predominantly musical dance entertainment for visitors from around the world. Its creator Joseph Oller and his Manager Charles Zidler were formidable businessmen who understood the public's tastes. The aim was to attract wealthy individuals to experience the ambiance of the fashionable district of Montmartre , which was perceived as a form of slumming. The elaborate setting, featuring a garden adorned with a large elephant, provided an environment where individuals from various social strata could interact.
This included workers, local residents, artists, the middle class, businessmen, stylish women, and tourists passing through Paris. Key factors contributing to its success included: [ 1 ]. Concert-dances were organized daily at 10 pm. Between and , the comic duo Footit and Chocolat, comprising a white authoritarian clown and a black long-suffering Auguste , gained popularity and were frequently featured on Moulin Rouge posters.
On 19 April , the first revue, "Circassiens et Circassiennes," debuted. In , the " Bal des Quat'z'Arts " sparked scandal with its procession featuring a nude Cleopatra surrounded by young naked women. On 12 November , the Moulin Rouge closed for the first time to mourn the passing of its manager and co-founder, Charles Zidler.
Yvette Guilbert paid homage to him, saying, "You have the knack of creating popular pleasure, in the finest sense of the word, of entertaining crowds with subtlety, according to the status of those to be entertained. This led to the establishment of imitation "Moulin Rouges" and "Montmartres" in many other countries.
