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Thecan-can (also spelledcancan as in the original French/kɑ̃kɑ̃/) is a high-energy, physically demanding dance that became a popularmusic-hall dance in the 1840s, continuing in popularity in Frenchcabaret to this day.[1] Originally danced by couples, it is now traditionally associated with achorus line of female dancers.[2] The main features of the dance are the vigorous manipulation of skirts and petticoats, along with high kicks,splits, andcartwheels.
The can-can is believed to have evolved from the final figure in thequadrille, a social dance for four or more couples.[3] The exact origin of the dance is obscure,[4] but the steps may have been inspired by a popular entertainer of the 1820s,Charles-François Mazurier (1798–1828), well known for hismime andacrobatic dance, including thegrand écart orjump splits—both popular features of the can-can; his greatest success was inJocko, or The Brazilian Ape (1825).[5]
The dance was considered scandalous, and for a while there were attempts to suppress it. This may have been partly because in the 19th century, women worepantalettes, which had an open crotch, and the high kicks were intentionally revealing. There is no evidence that can-can dancers wore special closed underwear, although it has been said that theMoulin Rouge management did not permit dancers to perform in "revealing undergarments".[6] Occasionally, people dancing the can-can were arrested, but there is no record of its being banned, as some accounts claim.[citation needed] Throughout the 1830s, it was often groups of men, particularly students, who danced the can-can at public dance-halls.[7]
As the dance became more popular, professional performers emerged, although it was still danced by individuals, not by a chorus line.[8] A few men became can-can stars in the 1840s to 1861 and an all-male group known as theQuadrille des Clodoches performed in London in 1870.[9] However, women performers were much more widely known.
By the 1890s, it was possible to earn a living as a full-time dancer and stars such asLa Goulue andJane Avril emerged, who were highly paid for their appearances at theMoulin Rouge and elsewhere.[10][11] The most prominent male can-can dancer of the time wasValentin le Désossé (Valentin the Boneless), a frequent partner of La Goulue. The professional dancers of theSecond Empire and thefin de siècle developed the can-can moves that were later incorporated by the choreographerPierre Sandrini in the spectacular "French Cancan", which he devised at the Moulin Rouge in the 1920s and presented at his ownBal Tabarin from 1928. This was a combination of the individual style of the Parisian dance-halls and the chorus-line style of British and American music halls.[12]
Outside France, the can-can achieved popularity in music halls, where it was danced by groups of women in choreographed routines. This style was imported back into France in the 1920s for the benefit of tourists,[citation needed] and the "French Cancan" was born—a highly choreographed routine lasting ten minutes or more, with the opportunity for individuals to display their "specialities". The main moves are thehigh kick orbattement, therond de jambe (quick rotary movement of lower leg with knee raised and skirt held up), theport d'armes (turning on one leg, while grasping the other leg by the ankle and holding it almost vertically), thecartwheel and the grand écart (the flying or jump splits). It has become common practice for dancers to scream and yelp while performing the can-can.
The can-can was introduced in America on 23 December 1867 byGiuseppina Morlacchi, dancing as a part ofThe Devil's Auction at theTheatre Comique in Boston. It was billed as "Grand Gallop Can-Can, composed and danced by Mlles. Morlacchi, Blasina, Diani, Ricci, Baretta ... accompanied with cymbals and triangles by thecoryphees andcorps de ballet." The new dance received an enthusiastic reception.
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By the 1890s the can-can was out of style in New York dance halls, having been replaced by thehoochie coochie.[13]
The can-can became popular inAlaska andYukon, Canada, where theatrical performances feature can-can dancers to the present day.[citation needed]
Many composers have written music for the can-can. The most famous is French composerJacques Offenbach'sGalop Infernal in his operettaOrphée aux Enfers (Orpheus in the Underworld) (1858).[14] However, thegalop is actually another sort of dance. Other examples occur inFranz Lehár's operettaThe Merry Widow (1905) andCole Porter's musical playCan-Can (1954), which formed the basis for the 1960 musical filmCan-Can starring Frank Sinatra and Shirley MacLaine. Some other songs that have become associated with the can-can include AramKhachaturian's "Sabre Dance" from his balletGayane (1938) and themusic hall standard "Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay". In 1955Jean Renoir's filmFrench Cancan, starringJean Gabin as the director of a music hall which features the can-can, was released.
The can-can has often appeared inballet, such as Léonide Massine'sLa Boutique fantasque (1919) andGaîté Parisienne (1938),[15] as well asThe Merry Widow. Another example is the climax of Jean Renoir's filmFrench Cancan.[16] A well-known can-can occurs at the finale of the "Dance of the Hours" from the operaLa Gioconda by Amilcare Ponchielli.
French painterHenri de Toulouse-Lautrec produced several paintings and a large number of posters of can-can dancers. Other painters of the can-can includedGeorges Seurat,Georges Rouault, andPablo Picasso.[17]
The can-can has appeared in numerous film and TV productions, such as the dance being featured prominently inBaz Luhrmann'sMoulin Rouge!. The 2009anime seriesFairy Tail featured the music as one of its themes, while a promotional advertisement forFoster's Home for Imaginary Friends featured one of its lead characters, Coco, performing the dance before destroying the set around her.
In all versions of theDisney Parks's boat rideIt's a Small World, there are some can-can dolls that dancing near theEiffel Tower to represent the origin country of can-can,France.
