CANCAN!
“David Price’s engrossing study (all in the best possible taste) ...” Classic FM Magazine
“...an informative book and a thoroughly good read...” History Today
“...a splendid book... and an ideal gift.” The Dancing Times
Published in 1998, this is the book for anyone interested in the naughty Parisian dance, which took shape in the mid-19th century and is still going strong today. Lavishly illustrated with photographs, paintings and cartoons, the book covers the social milieu in which the dance developed and the various personalities involved in popularizing it, including the glamorous Second Empire courtesans and the famous models of Toulouse-Lautrec, La Goulue and Jane Avril.
I also examined closely the position of women in 19th-century society, and the contemporary fashions (concentrating on underwear, naturally) that contributed to the cancan’s creation, development and success.
But above all, this book is a celebration of the cancan, which still has the power to electrify audiences in cabarets around the world.
Unfortunately, the book is now out of print – but I’m hoping to bring out a revised version soon. Watch this space!