Can-can (original) (raw)

The can-can is a music hall dance that is known for its high kicking and suggestive body movements.

Origins

The word is French, meaning "tittle-tattle" or "scandal", hence a scandalous dance. This is thought to proceed from the Latin, "quam-quam", a word meaning "although".

The dance is derived from the quadrille, but the high kicks are borrowed from the polka-piquee. It became popular in the music halls of Paris c.1840, and was performed in saloons of the western U.S. during the late 1800s.

Performance

The can-can is danced in two-quarter time, and is usually performed much like a line dance.

In Art

French composer Jacques Offenbach wrote a well-known can-can melody for Orpheus in the Underworld (1858).

French painter Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec painted several paintings of can-can dancers.