The first major canvas Lautrec dedicated to the Moulin Rouge, which opened in October 1889. Cabaret founders Joseph Oller and Charles Zidler acquired the painting shortly after completion to display directly above the main bar. The center depicts dancer Valentin le Désossé ("Valentin the Boneless") instructing La Goulue (Louise Weber) in the steps of the can-can. The composition employs radical spatial cropping and truncated perspective derived from Japanese ukiyo-e prints and Edgar Degas' contemporary genre scenes.