PARIS, France — During the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympics in Paris, performers were doing a lot of dancing, including the Can-Can, which started in Paris more than 100 years ago at one of the city's most iconic spots: the Moulin Rouge.
Performers at the Moulin Rouge, like Joanh Wilkins, spend a lot of time perfecting the dance.
"We do the Can-Can 12 times a week, and that’s year-round," he said.
The dance originated here 130 years ago and has become one of the most well-known dances on the planet. Fanny Rabasse, with the Moulin Rouge, said the Can-Can was created during the French revolution.
"It was a way for the women of the people to say we are not happy about our condition," she said. "We want to fight the government, we want to fight the army, we want to fight the church."
Back then, even posters at the Moulin Rouge became a scandal as they depicted women showing their knickers. So this dance really turned heads, with variations added over the years to tease the French Army.
All these years later, the Can-Can is still being performed on this stage.
"The dancers are proud to continue the tradition of the Can-Can, because at that time it was a way for the women to show stretch to liberate themselves," Rabasse said.
It's a big part of the Moulin Rouge tradition, performed by dancers who Rabasse said will keep doing the Can-Can and keep French history kicking.
