The Can-can

[Cannotexplain]

I am unhappy with my 11 year old performing the Can-Can in a group at school. I cannot explain why. Is it anti feminist?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Can-can

Is it not enough that it is a ten year old being taught to flash her pants?
Who actually thinks this is appropiate?

Presumably the boys are doing the dance too?

I dont think its appropriate for school aged children. Im not sure its any more anti feminist than a lot of dance moves which in my eyes are highly sexualised.

Why is it happening? School play, pe lesson, playground game at lunchtime?

Part of a show to parents.

If they wear trousers, ok. If they’re showing their underwear absolutely not

@Cannotexplain I wouldn't be happy with this al all. I hate the sexualised dance routines that girls (and I say girls advisedly) often perform. I have put my foot down about one or two in the past.

Thank you. I wanted to check I wasn’t being OTT mentioning it to the school. It’s in skirts and it feels old fashioned and unnecessary. The girls won’t care if they do something else instead.

@Lurkingandlearning "If they wear trousers, ok. If they’re showing their underwear absolutely not"

I think it's wrong in principle, whatever they are wearing.

Name change as it might be used to jigsaw identify me (looks at Aston university).

I’ve studied and taught various vintage dance forms for the last 25 years (although my specific area is vernacular jazz dances from the 1910s to 1950s).

I don’t believe the cancan is intrinsically antifeminist in its historical context (it must’ve felt pretty liberating in the mid 1800s!) but the version of it performed at the Moulin Rouge in the late 1800s and popularised in film and TV in the 1950s and 60s is much more questionable and not appropriate for minors to perform, imo.

Perhaps you could suggest the teacher go back in time for inspiration and create a performance based on the precursor to the cancan, the quadrille? That way you could still have some big kicks whilst connected to another dancer but without all the sexy costume, stocking tops and knicker flashing?

It’s seems to me to be impossible to separate the identical-girls-in-a-line, Offenbach song version from it’s thoroughly imbedded cultural references to turn of the century debauchery, even if the kids all wore sweatpants?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AKsKew9-o6g

Having thought about it more, I agree with you.

The Can Can was mainly about seeing the dancers’ pants and that has no place in a children’s show. I was thinking that in trousers it isn’t really Can Can, more a sequence of high kicks etc. But you’re right if it’s presented as Can Can it shouldn’t be performed by children.

OPs last post makes it clear the teacher is including the knicker flashing rather than just the dance moves. I hope she does raise it with the school.

You’ve got me thinking about the roles children play in entertainment generally, including TV and films. I may be wrong but I think some child actors have suffered ongoing trauma from playing roles. It does raise questions why children should be made to do anything or even involved in anything that isn’t age inappropriate.

I hope more parents start addressing this.

So, @CurlewKate thank you for making me think a bit more

In fact as I understand it the dancers at the Moulin Rouge did wear lots of lacy frilly undergarments but NOT knickers!

Totally unsuitable...suggest "The Stripper" instead?

The Can Can is a bawdy, erotic dance. It's old, but not very old. Late 19th century. I think it is a part of period Parisian culture that can be discussed with children of that age, but I wouldn't want them performing it.

I think your reservations are sound, OP. I wouldn't want my kids doing the Can Can for an audience either.

As an aside, I think the 'galope infernal' by Jacque Offenbach is one of the most fabulous pieces of music ever written. We all know it well enough to predict every note but if you take time to listen to it once deliberately, it's sublime.

When I was in primary school we did a concert with the world being the theme.
We did the can can then. This was circa 1975-76. I loved my costume. Gutted I can't do the moves now...