This joyous and spirited dance, immortalised in the paintings of Toulouse-Lautrec and in films from France or Hollywood, is an integral part of the legends of Parisian cabarets and nightlife. Nearly 150 years on, with its profusion of frilly petticoats, its famous high kicks and rousing music, the infectious gaiety of the French cancan continues to delight audiences from all over the world.
Cancan stars
Among the imaginatively-named cancan dancers of the Belle Epoque, a chosen few have been preserved for posterity in the annals of Paris by night: La Goulue, Nini Patte-en-l'air, la Môme Fromage and Jane Avril, known as Jane la Folle by her fellow-dancers… Nini Patte-en-l'air could be considered to be a veritable founder of the French cancan, inspired by the quadrille invented in 1850 by Céleste Mogador, lead dancer of the Bal Mabille, once to be found on the Champs-Elysées. The steps of the French cancan developed gradually, by word of mouth in the first instance, with the older dancers teaching the new arrivals. At the time, the only way to learn this dance was through the lessons given by the school of Nini Patte-en-l'air. As well as the high kick or the cartwheel, the main figures have evocative names, often of military inspiration, like “port d'arme” (literally to shoulder arms: turning on one leg while grasping the other leg by the ankle and holding it almost vertically), “mitraillette” (machine-gun fire) and “pas de charge” (at the double), not forgetting the leapfrog and the flying or jump splits. It wasn’t long before the men got hold of this traditionally female dance and joined the ladies on the stage, to show off their acrobatic prowess. Valentin le Désossé, also known as the “Homme du Quadrille”, is the most famous of them all.
This joyous and spirited dance, immortalised in the paintings of Toulouse-Lautrec and in films from France or Hollywood, is an integral part of the legends of Parisian cabarets and nightlife. Nearly 150 years on, with its profusion of frilly petticoats, its famous high kicks and rousing music, the infectious gaiety of the French cancan continues to delight audiences from all over the world.
Among the imaginatively-named cancan dancers of the Belle Epoque, a chosen few have been preserved for posterity in the annals of Paris by night: La Goulue, Nini Patte-en-l'air, la Môme Fromage and Jane Avril, known as Jane la Folle by her fellow-dancers… Nini Patte-en-l'air could be considered to be a veritable founder of the French cancan, inspired by the quadrille invented in 1850 by Céleste Mogador, lead dancer of the Bal Mabille, once to be found on the Champs-Elysées. The steps of the French cancan developed gradually, by word of mouth in the first instance, with the older dancers teaching the new arrivals. At the time, the only way to learn this dance was through the lessons given by the school of Nini Patte-en-l'air. As well as the high kick or the cartwheel, the main figures have evocative names, often of military inspiration, like “port d'arme” (literally to shoulder arms: turning on one leg while grasping the other leg by the ankle and holding it almost vertically), “mitraillette” (machine-gun fire) and “pas de charge” (at the double), not forgetting the leapfrog and the flying or jump splits. It wasn’t long before the men got hold of this traditionally female dance and joined the ladies on the stage, to show off their acrobatic prowess. Valentin le Désossé, also known as the “Homme du Quadrille”, is the most famous of them all.