Can-can

The Can-can (also spelt Cancan, Can Can) is regarded today primarily as a music hall dance, performed by a chorus line of female dancers who wear costumes with long skirts, petticoats, and black stockings, harking back to the fashions of the 1890s. The main features of the dance are the lifting up and manipulation of the skirts, with high kicking and suggestive, provocative body movements.

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The cancan first appeared in the working-class ballrooms of Montparnasse in Paris in around 1830. It was a more lively version of the galop, a dance in quick 2/4 time, which often featured as the final figure in the quadrille. The cancan was, therefore, originally a dance for couples, who indulged in high kicks and other gestures with arms and legs. It is thought that they were influenced by the antics of a popular entertainer of the 1820s, Charles Mazurier, who was well known for his acrobatic performances, which included the grand ?cart or jump splits - later a popular feature of the cancan. At this time, and throughout most of the 19th century in France, the dance was also known as the chahut. Both words are French, cancan meaning "tittle-tattle" or "scandal", hence a scandalous dance, while chahut meant "noise" or "uproar".

Music hall: Music Hall is a form of British theatrical entertainment which reached its peak of popularity between 1850 and 1960. The term can refer to:...

Chorus line: A chorus line is a substantial group of dancers who perform choreographed routines together as a body of one, also singing if required, usually in musical theatre....

Petticoat: A petticoat (also known as underskirt in the UK or slip in the US) is an article of clothing for women; specifically an undergarment to be worn under a skirt, dress or saree. The petticoat is a separate garment hanging from the waist (unlike the chemise)....

Can-can related Images and Photos (experimental)

Can-Can	Can Can 1960	Can-Can Dancer on Roulette Wheel	Can-Can Dancer on Roulette Wheel
Can Can Dancer Held Up in the Air by a Performing Gentleman at the Paris Show	Can-Can Dancers Getting into Costume Backstage at the Moulin Rouge	Can Opener	You Can Fly
Can It Be Love	Can You Play?	Heaven Can Wait	Can You Resist