The sexy and bubbly Franch Cancan!
The cancan first appeared in the working-class ballrooms of Montparnasse in Paris in around 1830. The can-can is regarded today primarily as a physically demanding 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.
As performers of the cancan became more skilled and adventurous, it gradually developed a parallel existence as entertainment alongside the participatory form. The cancan is danced in 2/4 time, and is now usually performed on stage in chorus-line style. Women performers were much more widely known. The main features of the dance are the lifting up and manipulation of the skirts, with high kicking and suggestive, provocative body movements. Additionally, performance practice of the can-can almost always includes the dancers screaming, yelling, cat-calling and trilling while dancing.
|
