Red Light District - The Culture of French Passion and Night

Author: Xie Qiang Li Ping
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-03-01
Features: Can-can dance and Moulin Rouge, though not as prestigious as musicals and Broadway, are equally popular. Originating in France, Can-can dance was originally an entertainment form for working-class women like laundresses and seamstresses, who would sing and dance. In the 1830s, Can-can dance began to flourish at various balls in the Montmartre region, and by the 1950s, it had made its way into cabarets. Characterized by "lifting skirts and kicking legs," Can-can dance is lively and exuberant. The rise of Can-can dance is closely tied to the famous cabaret, Moulin Rouge. It not only gave birth to generations of burlesque stars but also nurtured renowned painter Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, talented stage designer Joseph Grimaldi, and inspired Colette, a legendary figure who rose from a dance star to an outstanding writer and president of the French Goncourt Academy. From the silent film "From Woman to Woman" made in the early 20th century to the 2001 Hollywood film "Moulin Rouge!," the screen presence of Can-can dance and Moulin Rouge has remained timeless. Can-can dance and Moulin Rouge represent not only a form of entertainment and visual culture but also a way of life. As the saying goes, "The big shows at Moulin Rouge are always wonderful, and life in Paris is always joyful." If someone were to write a history of the world's entertainment culture, then the Moulin Rouge in Paris and Can-can dance would certainly be immortalized. The Moulin Rouge is not only a symbol of Parisian nightlife and cabarets but also a venue for cultural exchange between nations, and it has always been a trendsetter for the global entertainment industry.
——Book authors
French Can-can dance has arrived! Life is so wonderful! —Renowned painter Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
Can-can dance is the embodiment of Parisian fantasy. It defies all rules. The soul of a Can-can dancer should be as extraordinary as her legs—she must be both joyful and melancholic, indifferent yet passionate. In short, she must dance Can-can—madly, with her legs. —Famous Can-can dancer Rigolboche