Poster of the film “French Can Can” starring Jean Gabin and Maria Felix Berger “A Glorious homage to the music-hall”, New York Times.

FRENCH CAN CAN AND LA QUADRILLE

THE QUADRILLE: MECHANISM, CHOREOGRAPHY, ARTISTIC ACROBATY AND SOUL OF THE FRENCH CAN CAN DANCE .

Although, La Goulue was not an organized dancer and a bright woman, her talent and enormous vitality gave birth to a systematic Can Can. A truth constantly ignored or disregarded by cabaret historians. The Can Can steps and routines we enjoyed in the film of Jean Renoir were inspired by the movements and techniques of La Goulue. La Quadrille was not the creation of La Goulue. However, the high jumps and acrobatic floor-work were created by La Goulue.

The Quadrille was  an innovative Can Can routine inherited from the genius of Chicart, Rose Pompom,  Mabille, Rigolboche and Céleste Mogador who developed it into a series of  various forms and « figures d'ensemble », and added to it the world’s first « Artist Solo » performance, for each dancer at her turn, during one segment of the collective performance performed alone (solo), thus, giving her the spot, the moment, the place and the opportunity to show her personal artistic creativity, original fantasy and individual talent. One of the common fantasies of Jane Avril and La Goulue was to come closer to a customer, kick high, as high as they can  and sweep away the client’s hat off his head. And everybody in the house cheered up for this crazy and acrobatic display. All these acts and maneuvers were executed in cabarets and joints which were not totally safe nor “fervent Catholic” as they were described by living witnesses of the era. Fist fights, prostitution, sex, alcohol and wild visual and vocal participation of the mad public rendered the place dangerous and gave it a very bad name. The place became a circus, a wild human zoo.