cancan

American  

[kan-kan] / ˈkænˌkæn /

noun

1. a lively high kicking dance that came into vogue about 1830 in Paris and after 1844 was used as an exhibition dance.

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cancan British  

/ ˈkænˌkæn /

noun

1. a high-kicking dance performed by a female chorus, originating in the music halls of 19th-century Paris

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Etymology

Origin of cancan

1840–50; < French, repetitive compound (based on can ) said to be nursery variant of canard duck; see canard

Example Sentences

It built a reputation for hosting whirlwind nights and extravagant shows, and its dancers played a paramount role in bringing the frenzied style of the modern cancan dance to the mainstream.

From New York Times • Apr. 25, 2024

Exuberant cancan melodies from the film soundtracks filtered through the galleries, seeming to animate Lautrec’s imagery.

From Washington Post • Nov. 11, 2019

It gets increasingly crazy and ends with everyone doing Offenbach’s famous crazy cancan.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 12, 2019

With dizzying dances — encompassing music hall, ballet, hip-hop and, of course, the cancan — by Otto Pichler, the show is frantic and fabulous, a brilliant curatorial move on Mr. Hinterhäuser’s part.

From New York Times • Aug. 16, 2019

There was not the slightest suggestion of the cancan; but, by way of compensation, there was a distinct odor of patchouli.

From Fr?d?rique; vol. 1 by Kock, Charles Paul de