Art Society Teme Valley: Strong Liquors and High Kickers

These events provide welcoming places to meet like-minded people, and to hear expert lecturers share their specialist knowledge from across a broad array of subjects.

Visitors are very welcome, paying £8 on the door or free for members.

Strong Liquors and High Kickers, presented by Jonathan Conlin

Wednesday 16th September

The invention of the French can-can, 1830-1950, has long been synonymous with the ‘gay pah-ree’ of the Moulin Rouge immortalised by Parisian artists such as Henri de Toulouse -Lautrec. While researching the history of the can-can, Jonathan Conlin was surprised to discover that this famous French dance, owed its origin to London as much as Paris. In this talk Jonathan Conlin reveals how an unlikely Anglo-British, cross Channel exchange of artists, impresarios and tourists led to the creation of the can-can: a fusion of revolutionary Parisian dance (the chahut) and London’s rather more coy skirt dancing.

Jonathan Conlin is Professor of Modern History at the University of Southampton.