CANCAN

lively and risqu dance of French or Algerian origin, usually performed by four women. Known for its high kicks in unison that exposed both the petticoat and the leg, the cancan was popular in Parisian dance halls in the 1830s and appeared in variety shows and revues in the 1840s. The cancan is in a lively 2/4 time and was at first danced to quadrille or galop music. Specific cancans were composed by Jacques Offenbach and other composers after about 1840. Later, the dance appeared in such works as Franz Lehar's operetta Die lustige Witwe (1905; The Merry Widow) and Cole Porter's Can-can (1953).