Cancan is a “duck” dance that has become the hallmark of all cabarets. History of the Moulin Rouge

When it comes to cancan, the imagination immediately pictures spectacular girls raising their legs high. Today, this dance is firmly associated with the famous cabaret “Moulin Rouge”, but its origins originate from the usual quadrille.

Dancer. A. Toulouse-Lautrec. | Photo: colors.life.

One version of the name of the dance is associated with ducks. The French believe that their ducks quack “can-can.” As you know, one of the characteristic steps is the waddling movement of the dancers one after another.

Cancan. Natalya Papirna, 2011. | Photo: colors.life.

In general, the word “cancan” is translated from French as “noise, din.” Some claim that the classic cancan was performed at the Moulin Rouge in 1890, but this is not entirely true. The first semblance of cancan originated in the working-class neighborhoods of Paris back in the 1820s. He morphed from quadrilling to galloping. Leg swings were added to the dance by dancer and acrobat Charles Masurier. When stockings with garters came into fashion, they became an invariable attribute of cancan performers. The dance began to be considered completely obscene.

Cancan dancer. | Photo: colors.life.

Golden Cancan. Natalya Papirna, 2011 | Photo: colors.life.

The cancan melody belongs to the composer Offenbach. It was first performed in the operetta “Orpheus in Hell” in 1858.

Cancan. Natalia Papirna, 2010. | Photo: kulakov-papirna.com.ua.

At the famous Moulin Rouge, the cancan was performed for the first time at the opening of the cabaret by dancer Celeste Mogado. At first, not only women took part in the dance, but also men, who also raised their legs high.

Poster for the Moulin Rouge cabaret. A. Toulouse-Lautrec.

Modern cancan involves an 8-minute performance. The dance involves leg swings, jumps, splits and other movements that only accelerate with each passing minute. Everyone who finds themselves at the Moulin Rouge is simply obliged to see the famous fiery dance with their own eyes.

Rare photographs of can-can dancers from the Moulin Rouge

The Moulin Rouge was founded in 1889 by two partners - Joseph Oller and Charles Zidler. The cabaret was located near Montmartre, known as a place for entertainment, so a flow of visitors was guaranteed. The cabaret was located in the very center of the so-called red light district, and the name itself - Red Mill - emphasized that this neighborhood was not without reason.

The Hoffman Girls dancers before their performance. 1924

Dancer Edmonde Guydens performing a number at the Moulin Rouge. 1926

1890 - the original appearance of the Moulin Rouge cabaret.

In the beginning, performances at the Moulin Rouge were noisy parties where champagne flowed freely and the dancers were very close to the audience, sometimes even luring some of the inebriated guests directly onto the stage. The scenery quickly changed, dancers performed the famous cancan, and more and more often not only representatives of the middle class, but also artists, writers, poets and other famous personalities began to appear in this establishment. The secret of success was simple - you just need to give the guests the opportunity to have fun and forget about all the problems.

1895 Moulin Rouge in Paris.

The cabaret garden, whose main attraction was a huge elephant. 1900

American sailors visit the Moulin Rouge during World War I. About 1915

The dancers are preparing for the performance. 1930

Alcohol always flowed freely in the bar. 1929

The highest hill in Paris is Montmartre. Until the mid-19th century, it was known for its vineyards and mills. Nowadays there is only one left in Montmartre, but the most recognizable one is the Red Mill, translated as “Moulin Rouge”, a world-famous cabaret with an enchanting dance show and, of course, the famous traditional French cancan. The French say: “Who has been to Paris and not visited Moulin Rouge, he will not be able to fully understand what Paris is.” After all, the Moulin Rouge is also part of the history of Paris, it is more than a melodramatic story told in the film of the same name, it is a symbol. A symbol of fulfilled and unfulfilled hopes, broken and united hearts, creativity and vice, beauty and ugliness.

The Moulin Rouge became a place where entertainment brought together a variety of groups of people, mixing artists, drunkards, thieves, prostitutes, artists, the bourgeoisie and the aristocracy. Here the boundary between high and low, between art and show, between individual and collective was erased; here, a vulgar spectacle became an object of admiration and a symbol of refined taste. Let's find out more about the history of this seemingly immortal creation.

View of Montmantre

The date of birth of the Moulin Rouge was October 6, 1889, when Messrs. Oller and Zidler first opened the doors of the Moulin Rouge Ball cabaret. The brilliant idea - quadrille, which became an immortal creation, later nicknamed "French cancan" by the British, has since been identified with the famous red mill that crowns the theater building in the Montmartre area.

Joseph Oller

Only a few months have passed since the music hall received its first visitors, but all of Paris was soon talking about what it was like to “visit the Moulin Rouge”

Solving the all-important personnel issue and recruiting staff to carry out simple show business tasks was not a difficult task - the boring provinces regularly supplied live goods to the City of Svetoch, so a wide choice and healthy competition flourished - you can still appreciate the fairness of the prices of that time !

To look at stunning, extraordinary dancers with such expressive names as La Goulue (literally translated - “glutton”), Rayon d'Or (Golden Ray), Nini-Pat-en-l'Ere (Nini-paws up"), guests from all over the world came here. One of them, La Goulue (a native of Alsace, Louise Weber) became a true decoration of the Moulin Rouge. She was destined to become one of the most famous dancers of her time

She made her cabaret debut at the age of 19 in 1890. Very soon she becomes the brightest star of the Moulin Rouge, its vicious and attractive symbol. According to the tradition of the Montmartre balls, she received the nickname La Goulue - The Glutton. Because she loved to sit down at the tables of the cabaret visitors, eat deliciously and drink at their expense. La Goulue enjoyed resounding success, she was vulgar, sensual and piquant.

Her cancan shook the stage and the auditorium. It seemed like another second and everything would collapse from the frantic beat of her strong, strong legs. During her cancan, her contemporaries heard gun shots. It was not a dance, but a battle. Louise turned out to be not only a strong performer, but also a dancer with some imagination. She came up with her own version of the cancan. While spinning in the dance, Louise would move her leg to the side, then take it by the foot and lift it above her head. And then, with a heartbreaking cry, she fell into the splits.

La Goulue, Louise Weber

But the famous Grand Chahut (French Grand Chahut) in Moulin Rouge

Few people already remember that the same catchy melody to which “for 10 hryvnia you can jump like a fool” appeared long before the opening of the Moulin Rouge, and not at all in connection with these horse races... October twenty-first, 1858 in Paris at the Bouffe Parisien theater On the Champs Elysees, the premiere of the operetta performance “Orphee in Hell” (French: Orphee aux enfers) took place, the music for which was written by Monsieur the theater director, a German Jew with the newfangled surname Jacques Offenbach, born in Cologne and died in Paris - long before the birth of that cabaret, where, by the will of fate, this melody of his, these chords of the final scene from the play, where Orpheus and the nymphs dance a quadrille, were pioneered by the enterprising management for the musical accompaniment of the Moulin-Rouge Galdezh. The talented composer was buried in the Montmartre cemetery...

Jacques Offenbach

By the way, with Bach ((German: Jóhann Sebástian Bach), he, Offenbach, and at the same time many other representatives of Bohemia, are related by a common musical homeland - Allemagne!

Jeanne Avril

Another star of “Moulin Rouge” was Jane Avril, whom the public nicknamed Melinite - Dynamite, and critics called the embodiment of dance. Behind this woman’s sickly appearance hid an incredible energy that amazed visitors to the Moulin Rouge. Another famous character from “Moulin Rouge” and La Goulue’s partner was Valentin Renaudin, nicknamed Le Desosset - the Boneless. In the mornings he worked as a servant in a small cafe, and in the evenings he became a cabaret hero. Unsociable in life, Valentin was transformed on stage. His gloominess disappeared, and he became a sparkling dancer, striking with the plasticity of a snake and the sophistication of his manners.

The Moulin Rouge quickly gained a reputation as a place where men could look at young Parisian women whose unique and amazing movements were as flexible as their morals. Thanks to the famous cancan, the popularity of cabaret grew. At that time, this dance was considered vulgar, which sometimes angered spectators. From that time on, the artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec took the establishment under his patronage, who painted many paintings with scenes from the life of the music hall.

Dance, Toulouse-Lautrec

There is a legend that when in 1890 His Highness the Prince of Gaul, the future King Edward VII, was passing through Paris on private business, he did not fail to book himself a table at the Moulin Rouge to see what kind of quadrille it was, a rumor about which swept far across the English Channel. La Goulue, dancing the French cancan, throwing her legs high and lifting her petticoats right up to her head, recognized the prince and without any hesitation shouted to His Highness, greeting: “Oh, Galsky, champagne for you!”

The Englishman at the Moulin Rouge, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

“To dance the cancan, you need to have a very special temperament, an exceptional spirit; here you cannot limit yourself to reproducing a figure composed according to the rules. Here you need to invent, create. Cancan is a madness of legs. When I dance, a kind of insanity takes possession of me: I forget everything... The music shrinks in my chest, rushes into my head like the vapor of champagne. At the last note of the ritornello, I am intoxicated. Then the frenzy becomes unprecedented. My arms are crazy, my legs too. I need movement, noise, sodom; it’s a kind of shock that flows from your feet to your head. Everything around me is agitated - decorations, furniture, candles. You could say that all this conspired to transmit music to me. At that moment, if the wall stood in front of me, it seems that I would have walked through it. I love applause. When I dance, I would like thunder to roar and houses to be crushed! I would like such chatter that terrifies even the bravest: the incessant strikes of the great bell of Notre Dame, an earthquake, the last judgment!..”

Crazy nights at the Moulin Rouge continued until the outbreak of the First World War. Having closed in 1915, the cabaret was reopened only in 1921, becoming a temple of music hall. Famous artists - from La Goulue to Mistinguette, from Edith Piaf to Josephine Becker, from Maurice Chevalier to Yves Montand - considered it an honor to perform here.

With the advent of money among the public, and the subsequent appearance of it (the moneyed public!) in the cabaret, the cabaret owners, in turn, had a natural thought about updating both the interiors and the exterior—the appearance of the Moulin Rouge. It was then that a simple canopy in the courtyard of a former mill, under which budget prostitutes played, turned into the same, most respectable cabaret that we know. Take a look at these unique photos! Pay attention, my friends, to the general appearance of the entrance to the Moulin Rouge, and two important details - this mini-castle with turrets on the left and the annex to the right of the mill. This is what it looked like during the day -

In 1925, a black star, Josephine Baker, appeared on the music hall horizon of Paris. She was born in America, in St. Louis, in a poor black family, since childhood she dreamed of becoming an artist, performed in Broadway music halls, and then, as part of the black revue “Black Birds,” she came to Paris and conquered this most capricious city in the world. She shone at the Folies Bergere theater in Paris and performed at the Moulin Rouge.

Her performances were stunning with amazing spontaneity. Josephine sang, danced, spun, tumbled, grimaced, reminiscent of a fairy-tale imp. So, in the finale of her act, she ran away on all fours, with her butt raised above her head, like a young giraffe. And despite this comedy, she was unusually erotic. Flexible as a snake, with singing hands, a hot sparkle in her eyes and skin the color of café au lait, she attracted the attention of the entire room.

And how Josephine danced the Charleston! Nobody danced like that. It seemed as if a cheerful demon had settled at her feet and was directing her dance. One critic, describing Baker's performance, exclaimed: “This is not a woman, this is not a dancer - this is something incomprehensible, as delightful as the music itself.”

Josephine appeared on stage almost naked. She was so pretty that she didn't need any jewelry - she just wore a feather boa, a string of pearls and her famous bunch of bananas on her hips

Many people consider the Moulin Rouge to be the place where striptease was born, but there was no striptease as such in the Moulin Rouge. Women danced there, but at the same time they showed the audience only the remaining uncovered parts of their bodies between their panties and stockings, that is, just a little. The rest, the men sitting in the hall, fantasized themselves, relying mainly on their own desires and experience. And yet, it was the Moulin Rouge that became the place where striptease was born.

In the summer of 1893, a traditional ball for art school students took place here. And so, in the midst of it, two girls, flushed with champagne, suddenly jumped onto the table and, to the sounds of music, began to slowly undress until they were left in what their mother gave birth to. History has preserved their names: Manon Laville and Sarah Brown. Yes, let me clarify that they earned their living by posing for aspiring artists and sculptors, which means they were well acquainted with the majority of those who gathered at the Moulin Rouge that evening.

Considering the puritanical morals that reigned at that time even in Paris, it is not surprising that the police opened a case against the participants of this ball, and the court sentenced some of its participants to various fines. This caused terrible indignation among Parisian students. Things even escalated into clashes with the police, during which one student was killed. But, as it has now turned out, it was not in vain that young Parisians went to their death then - the taboo on striptease was lifted!

Those who came to the Moulin Rouge during the opening years were, first of all, stunned by the interior - bizarre combinations of ancient and antique with modern and surrealism, oriental with European. The Moulin Rouge embodied the credo of life in Paris at that time that was in the air - “the right to be lazy.” Here you could do everything - cry and laugh, dance the night away and sleep, sitting down on one of the sofas. Art and fraud intertwined and created a special atmosphere of the Moulin Rouge: somewhere they played cards, somewhere plans were made to conquer the city, and in some of the halls the funny little artist Lautrec perpetuated this “carnival of life.” In many ways, it was Thanks to the art of Toulouse-Lautrec, who captured the eccentric dance on his posters and drawings, the Moulin Rouge owes its glory and fame. Toulouse-Lautrec was a descendant of an ancient aristocratic family - his ancestors once led the Crusades and entered into family ties with the kings of France.

Moulin Rouge, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

He was born in the southern French city of Albi and at the age of fourteen, due to broken legs caused by a congenital bone disease, he was forever crippled. This tragic circumstance prompted his desire to devote himself entirely to the passion for art that manifested itself in childhood. In 1885, Lautrec settled in the very center of Montmartre, and from now on his entire creative life was inextricably linked with this area of ​​Paris, which at that time still retained the features of a semi-rural suburb.

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

In the 80s and 90s, cabarets opened here one after another - "Elisée-Montmartre", "Merliton", "Moulin de la Galette", "Japanese Divan" and of course "Moulin Rouge" - where the public could dance or, sitting at cafe tables, watch professional dancers and listen to songs by fashionable singers. It was the cabaret actors and their audience, consisting of artistic bohemia, ordinary people and representatives of the very bottom of the big city, who became the main characters of Lautrec. From 1889 to 1892, the artist created a series of paintings in which the life of the Montmartre cabarets seemed to be recorded from different angles.

The most typical painting in this regard is “At the Moulin Rouge” (1892). Before us is an image of part of the cabaret, separated from the dance hall by a balustrade. Dynamic diagonal constructions seem to take the composition outward, beyond the boundaries of the canvas, while elements of reverse perspective turn it towards the viewer - techniques that Lautrec resorted to to one degree or another in almost every one of his works. A group of the artist’s friends, critics and artists, sitting at the table, are relegated to the background, and in the foreground there is a framed figure of a girl, existing as if outside of time and space, with a bizarre silhouette and a mask-like face, colored by the reflections of gas jets. Unusual angles and interpretation of figures, color and light contrasts - everything here is subordinated to the task of conveying the elements of cabaret and night Montmartre.

At the Moulin Rouge, Henri Toulouse-Lautrec

If in “Moulin Rouge” the dancer La Goulue was depicted in the background, then in a number of other paintings of the early 90s Lautrec shows the “stars” of the cabaret in close-up, without, however, removing them from their “habitat”. Such, for example, is the canvas on which La Goulue enters a cabaret hand in hand with her sister and a young debutante. The dancer is dressed in a defiantly open dress, painted with transparent strokes of blue and green tones, contrasting with the dull gray, black and green shades of the clothes of the other two women and the red color of wall panels. In the sharp bend of La Goulue’s body and the expression of her face there is a mixture of vulgarity and artistry, arrogance and bitterness. Everything in the picture is full of movement and at the same time hieratic immobility, emphasized by the frozen profile of the girl on the right.

Toulouse-Lautrec. La Goulue at the entrance to the Moulin Rouge, 1892

In 1891, the artist created the first lithographic poster for the Moulin Rouge. This work, which was essentially one of the first posters in the history of modern art, was followed by other posters, easel lithographs, color and black and white; album series (“Yvette Guilbert”, “They”), theater programs and book illustrations. In his lithographs, Lautrec immortalized the bright but ephemeral stars of Montmartre, grotesquely sharpening the essence of their creative individuality, conveying the rhythms of their dances and songs

And then in 1915 there was a huge fire in the Moulin Rouge, and a little later - there was a huge fire all over the world - the First and then the Second World War began... The wings of the Moulin Rouge drooped sadly and they, it would seem, always cheerful Parisians, somehow suddenly there was no time for dancing... The Moulin Rouge fell into decline... During the Second World War and the German occupation, the Moulin Rouge was closed again, but shortly before the liberation of Paris, in 1944, artists - the famous Yves Montand ) and Edith Piaf.

In 1937, Robert Harman transforms the Moulin Rouge into a nightclub, making it even more fashionable and modern.

Opened in 1959, the new hall allows the organization of a well-equipped kitchen to offer clients coming here from all over the world a “dinner-show” with a large selection of dishes and, of course, a concert, which already had a high world reputation at that time

The famous wings of the Red Mill reopened in 1951, when the cabaret changed ownership and underwent a complete restoration. And in 1957, choreographer Doris Haug and her four Doris Girls signed a contract with the Moulin Rouge for two months... and remained a choreographer and director for 40 years, until 1997. During this time, Doris not only increased its contract, but also expanded its troupe - today there are already more than 80 girls in Doris Girls.

In 1962, the legendary Jacki Clérico became the manager of the cabaret and with his name a “new era” began in the history of the Moulin Rouge. Jacqui offers this new formula for the reviving cabaret - dinner + show, which then spread everywhere. Perhaps Jacqui picked up this concept in one of the many restaurants in what was then still the Red Light District? And nowadays in Paris you can find the following menus:

Pyotr Ustinov, Charles Aznavour, and Jerry Lewis performed at the gala concert dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the Red Mill.

With the arrival of Jackie Clerico, a new era of the Moulin Rouge began - an expansion of the hall, a giant aquarium and the first water ballet with nude dancers.

The new Fru-Fru program, which opened in 1963, created an indescribable sensation. The performance was a huge success. Superstitious Jackie now chooses names for his programs that begin only with the letter “F” (“Frou-Frou” (Rustle), “Frisson” (Shudder), “Fascination” (Charm), “Fantastic” (Fantastic), “Festival” ( Festival), "Follement", "Frenesie", "Femmes, Femmes, Femmes", "Formidable". "Feerie"

In the show "Extravaganza" a girl swims in an aquarium with real snakes.

In 1964, a giant “aquarium” was built on the stage in which naked dancers swam/performed.

And, of course, every program has a special place for the legendary French cancan.

And only once, on one November evening in 1981, the Moulin Rouge closed its doors. The Moulin Rouge troupe was given the great honor of being invited to London to perform for Her Highness Queen Elizabeth II.

For 112 years, the most legendary cabaret hall in the world has welcomed millions of spectators who have come to enjoy famous performances! Of course, now the Moulin Rouge has ceased to be the place where the bohemians of Paris gathered, where they sipped absinthe, which was forbidden everywhere, in the smoky halls, and where a dancer from the corps de ballet you liked could be invited to your home. In those days, there were no backstage or rehearsals at the Moulin Rouge at all: the stage and life merged in a noisy, cheerful celebration, with courtship and love stories.

On October 6, 1889, almost immediately after the completion of the Eiffel Tower, entrepreneurs Joseph Oller and Charles Zidler opened the doors of the Moulin Rouge cabaret for the first time near the Parisian red-light district of Pigalle. The optimal location for the establishment was chosen - lovers of famous nightlife had no difficulty walking a few steps from Place Pigalle to the cabaret, and decent Parisians did not consider it shameful to visit the area, which, being close to the red light district, still did not enjoy such a bad reputation. The highlight of any evening show at the Moulin Rouge was the energetic cancan dance performed by half-naked (though not always) girls. It is thanks to the cancan that the cabaret has not yet lost its popularity and remains a favorite place to visit for tourists, as well as the Parisians themselves.

(Total 15 photos)

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1. February 19, 1924. The Hoffman Girls are preparing to take the stage at the Moulin Rouge in Paris

The Hoffman Girls dance group is the brainchild of dancer and choreographer Gertrude Hoffman. The numbers staged by Hoffman, including on the stage of the Moulin Rouge, often not only aroused the interest of the public, but also shocked - as a rule, due to eroticism and sensuality, which at the beginning of the 20th century was definitely assessed with disapproval.

2. January 1930. A special expert evaluates and measures the legs of potential Moulin Rouge dancers

The selection criteria for any Moulin Rouge show are very strict. They were established more than 60 years ago and have been strictly observed since then. Only candidates with height from 168 to 172 cm, athletic build, and perfect skin are considered. For a certain number, all the girls’ parameters must be the same - the length of the legs and arms, even the distance between the breasts. The viewer gets the feeling that in front of him is the same girl, and the rest are a play of light and shadows.

3. Around 1930. Preparing for the performance

The face and body are the working tools of artists, and the administration treats this strictly. For example, once a week all dancers weigh themselves (“rainy day”). If a girl has gained more than one extra kilogram, she is not allowed to participate in the show until she gets into shape.

4. 1989 Dancers in the dressing room of the Moulin Rouge

The managers of the Moulin Rouge carefully monitor the intimate integrity of their dancers. After each show, the girls go outside through a secret passage, where drivers pick them up and take them home. If the artist herself committed inappropriate behavior, she will be fired without discussion.

5. 1989 The show features 50 dancers selected according to special criteria.

Some shows take a year or more to prepare - every element of the performance must be honed to perfection. That is why choreographers all over the world look up to the dance numbers at the Moulin Rouge, and celebrities often invite the show’s participants for their concerts. Cabaret dancers, for example, performed with Christina Aguilera, Dita Von Teese and Carmen Electra.

6. 1989 Dancers backstage before going on stage

All the girls at Moulin Rouge work under pseudonyms. Nobody knows their real names. The choice of a pseudonym is the prerogative of top managers of the cabaret; the dancer can only refuse the proposed option once; the second time she will somehow have to accept a new name, which will remain with her until the end of her work at the Moulin Rouge.

7. 1989 Acrobats warm up before going on stage to perform music hall routines

Acrobatic performances and pole dancing are permanent elements of the show at the Moulin Rouge.

8. 2001 Artists relax backstage at the Moulin Rouge

The administration of the Moulin Rouge tried many different theatrical and musical genres. Operettas and revues were staged on the cabaret stage, sometimes even films were shown, but today, as always, spectators come to the Moulin Rouge to see the signature French cancan dance.

9. 2001 What is not visible on the stage of the Moulin Rouge

Six full-length films have been made about the cabaret. The last of these, released in 2001, restored the Moulin Rouge to its former glory. The film itself revived the film-musical genre, and under its influence the film “Chicago” appeared, which received the most positive reviews from the public.

10. 2001. A dancer warms up before a performance

The “calling card” of the Moulin Rouge cabaret is the fiery cancan, which mainly attracted visitors. “To dance the cancan, you need to have a very special temperament, an exceptional spirit; you cannot limit yourself to reproducing a figure composed according to the rules. Here you need to invent, create. Cancan is a madness of legs. When I dance, a kind of insanity takes possession of me: I forget everything... Music contracts in my chest, rushes into my head like champagne fumes,” one of the most famous dancers of the Moulin Rouge, Margarita Rigolbosh, recalled about her work.

11. 2002. In the dressing room of the Moulin Rouge, dancers apply makeup

The competition between cabaret dancers is huge. Ruining a suit or slipping smaller shoes to your opponent just before the performance is in the order of things.

12. 2002. Ball of red feathers

Contrary to popular belief, striptease has never been performed and is not performed at the Moulin Rouge. Although there is a legend that it originated here, when two slightly tipsy guests climbed onto the tables and undressed to the music until they were left completely naked. Since then, striptease began its triumphal march around the world, eclipsing the signature French cancan.

The Moulin Rouge artistic troupe holds six world records. For example, a group of cancan dancers were awarded for the most leg swings during their performance.

A headache or feeling unwell is not a reason to refuse to perform. In any condition, girls should go on stage smiling.

The costumes in the Moulin Rouge cabaret are worked on just as carefully as the musical numbers themselves. Each show is not just a dance, but a vibrant theatrical performance, and stage costumes are very important.

It is 126 years since the opening of the Parisian cabaret Moulin Rouge.

The year was 1889. The World Exhibition was about to open in Paris - the same one for which the Eiffel Tower was erected, as it was then supposed, temporarily. At the same time, Joseph Oller and Charles Zidler were preparing to open their cabaret. Already on October 6, the partners invited the townspeople to an official presentation. The new establishment, which appeared far from the popular cabaret Elise-Montmartre, seemed to expand the boundaries of the entertainment and entertainment district of Montmartre.

Moulin Rouge, 1890

The establishment was called "Moulin Rouge", which translated means "Red Mill". What does the mill have to do with it, you ask? Why red? The wooden mill with red wings was created by cabaret decorator Leon-Adolphe Villette, clearly hinting at the red light district located next door. According to another version, the blood-colored mill crowns the tomb of the Parisian miller Debreuil, who was brutally dealt with by soldiers of the Russian army that entered Paris in 1814 in retaliation for his murder of his officer. They allegedly divided the miller's body into four parts and tied the remains to the wings of the mill. This fact, they say, prompted the young companions to open a cabaret and give it that name.

The Red Mill was open to everyone. Representatives of not only the middle strata of society, but also aristocratic persons, cultural and artistic figures loved to come here. If modern fans of Oscar Wilde and Pablo Picasso could travel to the Moulin Rouge of the 19th century, they would definitely meet their idols among the visitors and together enjoy the famous cancan - the “calling card” of this cabaret. By the way, this dance, which is also called “natural square dance,” was invented by Celeste Mogado in 1850, and the British Charles Morton called it cancan. Very accurate, isn't it? After all, the word is translated from French as “noise, din.”

Dance at the Moulin Rouge . Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, 1889

The French post-impressionist artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, who painted not only paintings, but also posters for the Moulin Rouge, immortalized the cancan in his works. At the same time, the stars who danced it. The painter came to the cabaret almost every evening.

La Goulue and Valentin Beskostny on the Moulin Rouge poster. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, 1891

The main attraction of the Moulin Rouge was the cancan.

He had a lot to be inspired by! Here, Yvette Guilbert, Jeanne Avril, and La Goulue, who had transferred from the neighboring Elise-Montmartre, were enthusiastically applauded. Dancer Valentin Beskostny and clown Sha-U-Kao were also popular.

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec at work, 1890

In 1890, the heir to the British throne, the future King Edward, honored the Red Mill with his presence. VII. Prince of Wales I was passing through Paris on private business and did not fail to book a table at the famous cabaret to see what kind of square dance it was, rumors of which had spread far beyond the English Channel. La Goulue, dancing the French cancan, throwing her legs high and lifting her petticoats right up to her head, recognized the crowned lady and without any hesitation shouted to him, greeting: “Oh, Gaelic, champagne for you!”

Star of the Moulin Rouge La Goulue, 1890

Just two years after its opening, the Moulin Rouge became the most popular entertainment venue in Paris. Largely thanks to outdoor advertising, which magnetically attracted more and more regulars.

The first striptease was performed at the Moulin Rouge

In 1893 two girls, Manon Laville and Sarah Brown,created a real sensation. For the first time not only in the Red Mill, but in history in general, a striptease was performed. Ladies, inflamed with alcoholic drinks,climbed onto the table and began to slowly undress to the music. Both were models. True, thisNot everyone accepted the impromptu, even the police were called. The girls were not judged, but since then there has been a strict taboo on striptease at the Moulin Rouge.

Dressing room "Moulin Rouge", 1924

Crazy nights at the Red Mill continued until the outbreak of the First World War. Having closed due to a fire in 1915, the cabaret was reopened only in 1921, becoming a music hall temple. Famous artists - from Edith Piaf to Josephine Becker, from Maurice Chevalier to Yves Montand - considered it an honor to perform at the Moulin Rouge.

A special expert evaluates and measures the legs of potential Moulin Rouge dancers, 1930

In 1937, Robert Harman turned the Red Mill hall into a nightclub, ultra-modern for those times. The program has also been updated. In addition to the traditional cancan and other dances, performances by illusionists, attractions, and entertainment numbers were added. In 1959, the cabaret expanded - another hall appeared here. Thanks to this, the stay in the establishment became more comfortable, since the owners were able to open a kitchen there. It turned out to be something like a performance with dinner. Or dinner with a performance.

Famous artists considered it an honor to perform at the Moulin Rouge

Since 1962, when Jackie Clerico took over the management of the Moulin Rouge, world stars, while passing through Paris, considered it almost obligatory for themselves to perform on the stage of this cabaret. Liza Minnelli, Frank Sinatra, Elton John, Ginger Rogers... Peter Ustinov, Charles Aznavour, Jerry Lee Lewis performed at the gala concert dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the Red Mill.

Charles Trenet and Charles Aznavour dance the French cancan at the Moulin Rouge, 1955

With the arrival of Clerico, a new era of the Moulin Rouge began - an expansion of the hall, a giant aquarium and the first water ballet with naked dancers.

Water ballet "Moulin Rouge", 1964

In 1963, a new program “Fru-Fru” appeared, which was a resounding success. Since then, the name of each new show at the Moulin Rouge superstitiously begins with the letter “F”: “Frou-Frou” (rustle), “Frisson” (shiver), “Fascination” (charm), “Fantastic” (fantasy), “Festival” (festival), “Follement” (madness), “Frenesie” (fury), “Femmes, Femmes, Femmes” (women, women, women), “Formidable” (magnificent). And, of course, in each show a special place is given to the legendary French cancan.

Elizabeth II welcomes the dancers of the Moulin Rouge, 1981

Only once, on one November evening in 1981, the Red Mill closed its doors. The troupe were invited to London to perform for Her Majesty the Queen.

The Moulin Rouge cabaret, the cradle of French cancan, celebrates its 125th anniversary. Over the years, fiery dancers shone on the stage of this entertainment establishment, captivating the audience with their sexuality, awakening in men the fire of desire and enjoyment of the action. Today, in honor of this memorable date, I propose to get acquainted with the 6 stars of the Moulin Rouge.

Her dance was inspired, daring, defiant. This was a great turn on for the audience. There, one of the founders of the Moulin Rouge, Charles Zidler, noticed her and invited her to work in his establishment. At that time, Louise was 23 years old, she had a lot of enthusiasm and sparkle. The trick of the young girl’s dance was to sharply throw her legs up and do the splits with a heartbreaking scream. Men found her charming. Louise was a huge success, and the Moulin Rouge cabaret turned into a place where it became fashionable to visit. The public gathered in droves to see her dance. The girl, who has a good stretch, was nicknamed La Gulya for her ability to quietly take a client’s glass and drink it while dancing between the tables. And her signature number formed the basis of the main show “Moulin Rouge”. She had unbridled temperament, imagination, artistry and arrogance.

Louise became the highest paid cancan performer in Paris. Having turned into “vicious and charming, frenzied and carnivorous” La Goulya, as contemporaries wrote about her, she quickly got used to fame, big money and the hungry eyes of men who accompanied her everywhere. By 1895, Louise had become wealthy enough to leave the cabaret and open her own business. She invested all the money she earned in a booth at the fairgrounds. The artist, a regular at the cabaret Lautrec, kindly agreed to paint the scenery, and the establishment opened. The dancer was reputed to be the shameless queen of Montmartre, and the audience, accustomed to the cabaret atmosphere, was not at all drawn to the booth. And although Louise tried to make her establishment spectacular: she performed “Arabic” belly dancing, participated in French wrestling matches, and acted as a predator tamer, she went bankrupt. Louise began to drown her depression in alcohol.

Chaotic life and alcohol did not spare the cancan star. And the birth of a stillborn child completely accelerated her decline. She was no longer the same weightless swallow that fluttered around the stage: hormonal changes in the body had done their vile work - the dancer gained a lot of weight, became blurry, and had to leave the Moulin Rouge.
La Goulue, at whose feet the whole of Paris once lay, remained destitute. She tried herself as an actress, but this activity was not successful either. Out of habit, she sometimes went to the Moulin Rouge and gave autographs. But the new generation no longer paid any attention to it. Louise slowly slipped to the bottom. In front of the entrance to the Moulin Rouge, unrecognized by anyone, looking like a hippopotamus, she was selling flowers and cigarettes. She died in 1929 as a street beggar. On her deathbed, a gray-haired, toothless old woman tortured the parish priest to see if God would forgive her.

In Zhanna's life everything was not so easy and cloudless. From an early age she experienced street life, hunger and cold, and illness. Suffering from chorea (impaired motor function), the girl could only open up in dance. Sudden movements - a consequence of the disease - became the highlight of her style. Zhanna amazed the audience with the contrast of appearance and temperament: in the fragile little girl with the sad face of a “depraved angel” there was hidden a vamp woman, fire, a volcano. Cabaret patrons immediately dubbed her La Melinite (dynamite). Zhanna danced without a partner, completely surrendering to the power of music and rhythm. Her cancan showed the tragic dissonance of a depressed state of mind and euphoria from the emotion of dance.

Being illegitimate, Jeanne was a real aristocrat, a refined person, she was friends with writers, and was well versed not only in literature, but also in art. Jeanne had patrons, but she never sold herself and only had affairs with those she liked. Avril remained the “star” of the Moulin Rouge for a long time, and even the birth of her son did not affect her figure in any way. At the age of 42, Zhanna married the graphic artist Maurice Biais, a womanizer and a goulena. After his death, the former cancan star lived out his life in poverty. 75-year-old Jeanne Avril died in a nursing home in 1943.

In her later years, Yvette Guilbert was involved in theatrical enterprise, chronicled in newspapers and magazines, spoke on the radio, taught and directed, wrote several books, and acted in films. She died at 79 years old.

Baker continued to amaze her contemporaries off stage. During World War II, she became involved in the French Resistance movement, working for intelligence in her new homeland. And after the victory, she traveled to the United States more than once with rallies in support of the civil rights movement. Protesting against racism, Baker adopted twelve children of different nationalities and religions.
Despite her fame in the Parisian capital, Josephine was not accepted for a long time in her native America. Only in 1990, that is, 15 years after her death, in her native St. Louis, the name Baker appeared on the city Walk of Fame.

Vladlena Krasilnikova changes clothes up to 15 times. The mass of feathers on a thick wire frame, which the girl puts on herself like a backpack, weigh from eight to two dozen kilograms. It’s not easy to dance in them, and it’s even harder to smile. It’s not for nothing that topless performers are plagued by professional injuries: displaced spinal discs, shoulders and collarbones worn to the point of bleeding.
In Krasilnikov’s Moulin Rouge she held the “position” of prima for almost ten years. She had to leave due to an occupational illness - it turns out that for several years in a row Vlada performed with a crushed bone in her foot.