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Can Can Dancers Logo
Can Can Dance Title

   There are Egyptian relief's that depict the fundamental Can-Can high kicking above the audiences heads. The Catatonians and Parisian women (French) also are depicted kicking the hats off of the gentlemen spectators. The "Triori " of 1549 from South Brittany was very similar to today's cancan, the women danced alone, lifting their dresses up in front and kicking their legs up to the ceiling. The dancers or "High-Kickers " as they were called, emerged over time and ended up in Paris, France. In the late 19th. Century Paris was still the dance center of the world.

   The Can-Can is a hybrid of the Polka and the Quadrille and was said to be first danced in 1822, and by 1830 was being outlawed for a number of years as immoral and indecent and prohibited by the police. It has been said that "Chicard " invented the Can-Can, but very doubtful (He more probably named it).

Suggested Video:
$1954 - French Can-Can

The Can-Can's first American public stage performance (not a saloon) was in the "Black Crook " at Niblo's Gardens in New York, September 12th., 1866, this production was a milestone in dance and theatre and helped to start Burlesque theatre (the Folies Bergere in France opened in 1869).

   Originally, the word Can-Can in French meant "Scandal, " or Edge , since they usually danced on the edge of the stage. The Can-Can is said to be the start of public nudity, because of the bare legs above the stockings to the frilly panties, which at the time was very indecent. Eventually the Can Can costume consisted of sporting fishnet stockings, high heels, bustiers, feathers and frilly skirts. The word Burlesque first came into use in the 16th. Century in an opera of the Italian Francesco Berni , who called his works burleschi. American stage burlesque (from 1865), often referred to as "burleycue or "leg show, began as a variety show, characterized by vulgar dialogue and broad comedy, and uninhibited behavior by performers and audience.

   Later the public tolerated the dance and it became very popular around 1830, mainly because the ladies would wear long black dresses and kick their legs up in the air, thus the men could see the knees and legs of the ladies (at the time was "Oo-La-La!). The Popularity lasted till around 1844, after this time the dance mainly was used in revues and musical comedies, especially in France.

   In 1845, La Princesse Celeste de Mogador (Morocco?), Introduced the Can-Can Eccentrique at the Bal Mabille, Bal Montesquieu, Bal de la Citb dAntin and the Bal Valentino. It was performed by all walks of life. By 1848, it was frowned upon by the police as being to risqué.

   In the 1890's the Can-Can was done to March and later Ragtime music. The Can-Can was originally a group (Line type) dance done by both sexes with the Tiller Girls and Rockettes as an off shoot of the Can-Can. Leading dancers would eventually perform the Can-Can for audiences. The ballet by Massine (b.1894) was an excellent example of the Can-Can, titled "Gaite' Parisienne " (1938), which later was made into a movie, "The Gay Parisian ".

--While both sexes originally danced the Can-Can, now however, the French Can-Can is now danced only by women. Most Americans are familiar with the Can-Can as portrayed in many Hollywood Westerns. Michael Jackson can be seen using a variation of the Can-Can in his dance routines (Lifting the Leg and circling it around).

   The characteristic movements include:
1) "Circling the Legs" (lifting one leg and rotating only the lower half, thus forcing the derriere to wobble)
2) The "Pigeon Wing " (bringing the bust into play by leaping forward, kicking high and throwing the shoulders back while "carrying on the arm" (holding one leg up against the cheek while hopping lightly on the other leg).
3) The grand finale (was the splits, generally done from a running start with a yell to the audience).

   The "Kicking Polka " (has a similarity to the Can-Can) was introduced in the "Queen of the Moulin Rouge " and was considered more provocative than the infamous Apache Dance.

As a side note:
a Guiness record of 8,005 high kicks were performed by Veronica Evans (-Steen), in 4 hours and 40
minutes in London , 1939.

Birth Place

Creation Date

Creator

Dance Type

Paris, France 1822 Chicard Risqué

Posters, Lobby Cards etc.

Sheet Music Covers

Music Titles

A La Cigale Review Celebrated cancan Dance (1868) Ta-Ra-Ra-Boom-De-Ay
Betty Boop - Can Can Ta-Ra-Ra-Boom-De-Ay! (1891) Celebrated Can Can Dance, the
Can Can 1 Yes We Can-Can (1970) $ Gaite Parisienne (Offenbach)
Can Can 2   La Boutique Fantasque
Casino de Paris (4)   $ Cole Porters Can-Can Soundtrack
Follies Bergere (6)   $ Moulin Rouge Soundtrack
French Can-Can   $ Moulin Rouge Soundtrack v.2
Moulin Rouge   $ Moulin Rouge: Music inspired by film
Moulin Rouge la revue   $ Original Moulin Rouge Soundtrack
Weiluc - Frou-Frou    
    ~ See: Full Can Can Music List
 

Night Clubs

Theaters

Locations

1846 - Bal de la Citb dAntin Shubert Theatre (1953) USA
1846 - Bal Mabille Minskoff Theatre (1981) Montmarte - France
1846 - Bal Montesquieu Coliseum Theatre (1954) New Orleans
1846 - Bal Valentino       New York
1866 - Niblo's Gardens (N.Y.)       1939 - New York World's Fair
1880s - Moulin Rouge (red windmill) (FR)            
1890s - Gaiety Theater            
1890s - Bird Cage Theatre (AZ)            
1938 - International Casino (N.Y.)            
1958 - Follies Bergere (Folies Legeres)            
1940s - Casino de Paris            
1950s - Latin Quarter (NY)            
1950s - Lido Club            
1950s - Moulin Rouge (Vegas)            
1950s - Golden Horseshoe (Disneyland)            
Prado's - ?            
             

Films / Movies

Publications

Stage

1898 - Can-Can (Mlle. Fraidora) 1900s - Le Frou Frou Magzaine 1868/09 - The Black Crook
1898 - French Can-Can 11/28/1938 - Life Magazine 1890 - The Creole Show
1899 - Cancan in the Klondike 7/1953 - Music Views Vol. XI, No. 7 1919 - Boutique Fantasque
1902 - Impromptu Girls Dancing
Can-Can
7/1959 - The Dude, v3.n6 1937 - Barn Dance
      1938 - Ballet Russe Monte Carlo
1938 - Zaza Video Games (with the Can-Can) 1938 - Gaite Parisienne
$1939 - Destry Rides Again $ Crazy Taxi 3 (Sega XBOX) 1938 - Three Waltzes
1939 - Montmarte Madness (Short)       1930s - Peek-A-Boo Revue
1939 - Zasa       1953 - Can Can
1941 - The Gay Parisian       1954 - Can Can (London)
1948 - Del Can-Can al Mambo       1981 - Can Can Revival
$1952 - Moulin Rouge       1999 - Paris Paradise (Italy)
$1953 - A Bedroom Fantasy (Burlesque)       Chita Rivera's Can Can (Rockettes)
$1953 - House Of Wax      
$1953 - Ma and Pa Kettle: On Vacation        
1954 - Can-Can Follies (Burlesque)        
$1954 - French Can-Can        
$1954 - The Gaite Parisian
(real dancers)
       
$1954 - Varietease (Wallens) [DVD]        
$1959 - Jack the Ripper        
$1960 - Can-Can        
$1965 - Carry On Cowboy        
$1982 - Victor Victoria        
$1990 - Mr. & Mrs. Bridge?        
$1995 - Victor Victoria (broadway)        
$2001 - Moulin Rouge[DVD] [Espanol)        

Associated Dances ...

Apache Danse du Ventre Pistolets Stride Dancers
Ballet De Jambe Polka Swing Can Can (1938-Daniels)
Buck and Wing Kick and Tap Quadrille Triori
Burlesque March Risqué      
Can-Can Eccentrique Peek A Boo rond de Jambe en l'air      
Chahut Pigeon Wing Sardana      

Can Can Dancers, Choreographers etc.

1822 - Chicard 1943 - Nina Popova-Orloff Grille d'Egout
1845 - Celeste de Mogador 1942 - Gertruda Svobodina-Tyven Hermes Pan
1850 - Morlacchi & Bartholomew 1951 - Madame Avila's Can Can Girls Juliet Prowse
1875 - Le Goulue (revived Can-Can) 1953 - Gwen Verdon La Balucheuse
1890s - Miss Sylvia Gray 1953 - Michael Kidd Jane Avril
1898 - Mlle. Fraidora 1954 - Gillian Lynne (Can-Can Play) Lydia Thompson
1919 - Leonide Massine Dancers Claudette Colbert Miss Florence Levy
1919 - Alexandra Danilova Shirley MacLaine Nini Pattes - en-l'air
1919 - Tamara Karsavina Billy Daniels Rigol Boche
1925 - Vera Nemtchinova Dorothy Dayton Rose Ponpon
1938 - Lubov Roundenko Finette Sharet Twinnie Wallens (Stripper)
1939 - Veronica Evens - Steen   Valentin le Desosse
     

Cole Porter's - 1953 Can Can Musical dancers...

1953 - Gwen Verdon Ralph Beaumont Michael De Marco
Meredith Baylis Socrates Birsky Shelah Hackett
Ina Hahn Dania Krupska Al Lanti
Vera Lee Bert May Tom Panko
Arthur Partington Eddie Phillips Michael Scrittorale
Beverly Tassoni Pat Turner Ruth Vernon
Deedee Wood    

Books, Magazine Articles on the dance...

Title

Author

Date Published

Publisher

Dance Encyclopedia Chujoy, Antone 1949 A.S. Barnes
The Innocents Abroad Twain, Mark 1911 Grosset & Duynlap
Madern Dancing and Dancers Flitch, J. E. Crawford 1912 J. B. Lippincott Company
                     

 

Writers / Musicians

Artists

Song Writers

Henry Sayers (1891) Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec 2/1/1851- International magazine of literature, art, & science - V. 2, I-3
$ Jacques Offenbach (1819-1880) Weiluc (1900)
J. Knight     5/13/1893 - Truth Magazine
          2/1938 - Stage Magazine
          3/1953- Dance Magazine

Misc. Research Words that may be related ... to help your searches

Aurrescu Catatonians Fin-desiecle Moulin Rouge
Can-Can Parfume by Caron Corp.!-1938 Danse du Ventre High Kickers Sardana
     

Other...

August 1, 2006
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