Why is the cancan dance actually called the cancan?

Question:

Why is the cancan dance actually called the cancan?

It was composed by a french composer Jacques Offenbach...and originally danced to by french people...but why the english name? or if it is a french translation, (can means edge in english)...then why edge edge?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: throughout most of the 19th century in France, the dance was also known as the chahut. Both words are French, cancan meaning "tittle-tattle" or "scandal", hence a scandalous dance, while chahut meant "noise" or "uproar".