Historians have traced the origins of the can-can dance back to the music halls of France in the 1840s. However, the exact etymology of its name remains a subject of debate. One theory suggests that it may have derived from the verb cancaner, which meant “to quack” and was also associated with “noise” or “disturbance”. Another possibility is that it originated from the French word for “duck”, canard, expressed as a child would say it as can. Interestingly, a more intriguing hypothesis proposes that the term could have its roots in a heated disagreement among Latin scholars at the Collège de France during the sixteenth century. The argument revolved around the pronunciation of Latin words, particularly the term quamquam, which the French pronounced as cancan instead of the correct kwamkwam. This linguistic dispute allegedly led to the word cancan acquiring a new connotation of “scandalous performance”, eventually evolving into the provocative dance form known today. If proven true, this narrative offers a fascinating insight into the historical development of the can-can dance.
