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

Arquette talks about the Apple TV+ comedy series in which she plays a former addict and cancan dancer who decides to become a private investigator.

From Los Angeles Times • May 11, 2023

It is relatively quiet — Picasso would also paint cancan dancers, but not now — a suave, sophisticated crowd painted by an artist who understood its fashions, body language and interpersonal connections perfectly.

From New York Times • May 11, 2023

Nor is Kosky so experimental that he can resist a classic cancan during the climactic “Galop Infernal.”

From New York Times • Oct. 1, 2020

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

From Washington Post • Nov. 11, 2019

After supper dancing was resumed with increased animation, and the ball terminated with a cha�ne diabolique and a cancan d'enfer at seven in the morning.

From Harvard Classics Volume 28 Essays English and American by Eliot, Charles William