Hi,

I really love the Cancan, and would like to learn it. However, it seems to be a bit of a minority taste - there are almost no places, certainly none near me, offering cancan classes even if they have burlesque classes.

I emailed Cancan Boheme a while back for advice on teaching myself, and Michelle from CCB replied; however she felt that trying to instruct me by email when she hadn't met me and so didn't know anything about my level of fitness/injuries, especially given how demanding the cancan is, would be a very bad idea.

For various reasons I wasn't able to follow this up for a while; mainly because I was spending a lot of time on the PhD I'd just started - I didn't feel I'd exactly hit the ground running and seemed to be spending a lot of time trying to keep up. However, as I'm starting to be able to get a schedule outside work together again, I think I should be able to attend a dance lesson at least once a week, so I'm looking for classes in other, more common, styles of dance which would be helpful to me in learning or performing the cancan at a later stage.

Can anyone who's got any cancan experience suggest any?

Amy.

Try speaking to Viva Misadventure. She has been a cancan girl and occasionally teaches cancan workshops. I'd love to take a weekly cancan class but they are deeply exhausting (in addition to being unavailable).

Sundae

Yeah, try Viva Misadventure!
I could do the cancan when I was younger - ballet and modern dancing and energy and flexibility helped - and copying the cancan dancers!

Hi!

Polestars are now offering can-can classes! Have a look at our website for dates and locations: Polestars - Polestars - Pole Dancing & Burlesque Lessons and Parties

Polestars's lessons I did NOT know about!...

(goes on website, has a look)

...I think I'm still going to have to stick to lessons in other styles, though, because I'm pre-op transgendered and so can't really attend a women-only class.

Thanks for the style suggestions Kitten, I know somewhere that does beginners' ballet and contemporary (is that the same as modern?) and will join them when the new classes start.

I haven't contacted Viva Misadventure yet, but I will.

Thanks everyone!

Amy.

The CanCan is harder than it looks, believe me! Even a lot of professional dancers from various backgrounds have problems with it since it's one of the liveliest dances done on heels (or not on heels, if you prefer!) I know I certainly can't do it! Though I know Miss Kandie Cane uses the CanCan and she studied jazz dance and contemporary/modern ballet.

Woah - that dance looks so hard anyway! Well, some routines more than others - it varies depending on how good you are and which moves you've incorporated, believe me I wasn't going to try too much of it too soon!!

I've never heard of Miss Kandie Cane - does she have a website?

Gorgeous Kandie is like me, just starting out really ^___^ Hopefully I'll be able to co-burlesque with her a la Dita & Catherine. I only keep in touch with her via the old messenger since I met her once and then she skipped town to move to Surrey! I don't know of a website for her, but I'll ask her if she has a Myspace for you doll. I'd give you her email address, but I don't want it being picked up by spambots and the like (plus I always get quite irritable when people give away MY email address)! Call it safety net. I haven't been in contact with Viva Misadventure before, but I've heard good things about her so I would contact her (meanwhile I'll pester Ms Cane for you)!

Oh, and I'll have a scout our for multi-gender lessons etc. You might be able to buy a tutorial DVD or something of the like to get you started.

I'd think that classical ballet is probably the closest dance form to gain the specifics of the Cancan. It is certainly a dance which demonstrates great strength, poise and felixbility not to mention specific moves found in ballet such as 'grand jetes'etc - in the choreography.

Viva is definately your gal on this one!

__________________
Kittie Klaw - The Ministry Of Burlesque
"Together We CanCan".

Find out more at.
www.kittieklaw.com
www.ministryofburlesque.com

I was waiting for a reply from Viva before I posted again so I could put up any tips she gave me, but I've delayed replying a bit too long so;

first of all a big thank you to everyone who advised me, especially Kittie, Kitten and Charisma for pointing me towards ballet! second I've found some drop-in ballet lessons locally on Monday nights and I'm going to start attending them starting this Monday. still wondering how I'll be able to take what I've learned and adapt it into doing cancan but for now I shouldn't be trying to run before I can walk - I'm just starting off starting off after all