Monthly Archives: August 2020

Although women of Paris played an integral role in the French Revolution, once the dust Laundresses were among the first cancan dancers, long before it was on the stage. settled they were given a stern message by the new men … Continue reading →

On June 20, 1819 the composer who was destined to pen the cancan theme song was born.  His name was Jacques Offenbach.  Born in Cologne, Germany, he grew to be a virtuoso cellist.  At 14 he was accepted into the … Continue reading →

In her book “DANCING” Lilly Grove describes the invention of the chahut which evolved into the cancan.   “About 1830, a stage dancer called Mazarie played the part of a monkey in the Theatre de la Porte St. Martin.  He … Continue reading →

Although the cancan made its North American debut with Offenbach’s opera Orpheus of the Underworld in 1861, it wasn’t until it appeared in the first American musical that the cancan became a true phenomenon in North America. In 1866 Henry C. Jarrett … Continue reading →

Appearing nightly in vaudeville, burlesque, ballets and operas, on tiny rustic stages of the Wild West mining camps and in the frontier theatres of the Pacific Coast, by the 1870s the cancan was in North America to stay. When the … Continue reading →

During the 1890s, the United States was a melting pot of entertainment – and vaudeville became the perfect vehicle to showcase this wealth of diversity. From New York to Victoria, B.C., vaudeville reigned supreme as the most popular entertainment in … Continue reading →

On November 28, 1891, the New York Sun dedicated a full page to the cancan. Titled “Eccentric Paris Dance,” the article highlights Paris cancan stars of the day who describe intricate cancan dance moves. After the two decades of being attacked in … Continue reading →

The cancan that began as an 1830s dance craze in Paris was a direct revolt against the rules imposed by men, society, press, clergy and narrow-minded citizens. From the beginning the cancan was a statement, and it became a symbolic … Continue reading →

Playing on the Edge Playing on the Edge with Natalia “Saw Lady” Paruz, without doubt, one of the worlds most prolific virtuosos of the musical saw as-well-as the most knowledgeable authorities of its history. Join host Grant Simpson in discussion … Continue reading →

You can listen to Episode 67 Online Here: 100 Years ago today in Winnipeg Vaudeville two of the greatest vaudevillians stepped onto center stage at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Winnipeg. They were Bert Williams and J. Rosamond Johnson. Not … Continue reading →