October 24, 2020
Partnered CanCan and Tango
An afternoon of dynamic historical storytelling
with Richard Powers
2 - 4pm EDT
online via Zoom
About the Presentation
We’ll travel across the ocean to Paris and discover the Parisian social dance CanCan (danced by partnered couples, not the later stage one by chorines). This wild and crazy story of the outdoor dance gardens of Paris, Carnival time rule-breaking, and emerging women’s emancipation passes by quickly as one admires the sleuthing of Richard Powers and his dynamic lectures, illustrated with 400 images from that time, and a video.
Then we’ll stay in Paris at the beginning of the 20th century, when the Argentine tango is introduced to Paris, and meets Paris’ kindred spirit, the Apache dance. The Apache is truly one of the most bizarre partnered dances in history. The less said now, the better. You’ll be surprised!
About Richard
Richard Powers is a full-time instructor in dance history and contemporary social dance forms at Stanford University Dance Division, Department of Theater and Performance Studies. His principal focus since 1975 has been social dance forms, from the Renaissance to today. Specializations include 19th century American and European social dance, dances of the Ragtime Era and Jazz Ages, and currently evolving vernacular dance forms.