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LOUISE WEBER. Part 1. Part 2. Part 3.

THE LEGACY OF LOUISE WEBER: LA GOULUE WAS A PARISIAN CAN CAN PIONEER...THE ORIGINAL CREATOR.

cancan02.jpgPhotos from L to R: #1. Poster of the film "CAN CAN", starring Frank Sinatra, Shirley Maclaine, Maurice Chevalier and Louis Jourdan. #2. Poster of the film "GIGI". #3. MacLaine and Jourdan in "Can Can".

 

What did she accomplish in the world of French Can Can? And why so many Parisians, French dancers and choreographers still remember her and revere her? Well, would it be enough to  say that Louise Weber created the French Can Can!? She invented the original Can Can routine, including the middle and high front kick copied by the New York's Rockets which later became their trade mark and dominant signature.  Also, she invented  the legendary high jump in the air and the floor slam (Grand Ecart) of the Parisian Can Can dancers. Such acrobatic maneuvers were  frequently copied by leading stars and world class dancers, including Shirley MacLain, Cyd Charisse, Sza Sza Gabor, Leslie Caron and especially Maria Felix in "CAN CAN". Louise Weber  was the first dancer-stripper to develop a systematic Can Can style and an assimilated dance routine.

 

 Photo, below: Le Moulin Rouge - La salle in 1898, where Louise Weber made her debut and took Paris by storm.

THE CREATION OF LOUISE WEBER

 Poster of the film “French Can Can” starring Jean Gabin and Maria Felix Berger “A Glorious homage to the music-hall”, New York Times.

FRENCH CAN CAN AND LA GOULUE'S QUADRILLE

THE QUADRILLE: MECHANISM, CHOREOGRAPHY, ARTISTIC ACROBATIC AND SOUL OF THE FRENCH CAN CAN DANCE .

Although, Louise Weber  was not an organized dancer and a bright woman, her talent and enormous vitality gave birth to a systematic Can Can. A truth constantly ignored or disregarded by cabaret historians. The Can Can steps and routines we enjoyed in the film of Jean Renoir were inspired by the movements and techniques of Louise Weber. La Quadrille was not her original creation,  however, the sequences of high jumps, "grand ecart"  and acrobatic floor-work slams which later defined the essence of "La Quadrille" were created by Louise Weber. And that is more than enough, to recognize Louise Weber as the authentic choreographer of the extravagant routines of French Can Can. But what is "La Quadrille"?

 

The Quadrille was  an innovative Can Can routine inherited from the genius of Chicart, Rose Pompom,  Mabille, Rigolboche and Céleste Mogador who developed it into a series of  various forms and « figures d'ensemble », and added to it the world’s first « Artist Solo » performance. Each dancer at her turn, during one segment of the collective performance performed alone (solo),  a set of complicated and acrobatic steps and jumps, thus, giving that particular performer, a prime spot, the moment, the momentum, the place and the opportunity to show a  personal artistic creativity, original fantasy and individual talent. However, the original "grand ecart" which was integrated in "La Quadrille" was originally invented by Louise Weber. One of the common fantasies of Jane Avril and Louise Weber was to come closer to a customer, kick high, as high as they could  and sweep away the client’s hat off his head. And everybody in the house cheered up for this crazy and acrobatic display. But those kicks embarrassed the management and the proprietors of the establishment. They were not considered "Tres Catholic", meaning proper and decent. So, Zidler, the proprietor  had to do something about it. And he did! He separated the girls from the customers which made them furious! Reportedly, one of the customers got so mad, so mad to a point where he confronted Zidler and broke two bottles of wine over his head!

Louise Weber in 1891.

Grille d'Égout, one of the public’s favorite stars, Camélia nicknamed « Trompe-la-Mort », La Glue, Galipette, Cri-Cri, Muguet la Limonière, Lili-Jambes-en-l'air,Vol-au-Vent, Nini-Pattes-en-l'air, Môme Fromage, Églantine, Vénus de Bastringue, Rayon d'or, Demi-Siphon (who died on stage while spreading wide her legs in order to perform the "grand écar",  (A form required in Can Can),  Jeanne Faes who died on stage for the same reason, Cascadienne, Jane Avril (The Can Can Queen, who one day will dethrone Louise Weber), Sauterelle (The Intellectual), Cléôpatre, Cha-U-Kaomicknamed the “clownesse”, Pâquerette, Torpille and  Gavrochinette defended Louise Weber and threatened Zidler to quit is he gets rough with Louis Weber. So the "scandalous" and sometimes called "shameful" routine of Louise Weber remained a vital part of the nightly show, to the great enchantment and pleasure of the audience.

 

 

CLICK ON PHOTO TO START THE VIDEO.

 

This is the only short footage we have on Louise Weber. Here she is,  performing a belly dancing routine in the street, outside her modest joint. She is no longer the sophisticated and agile super dancer she used to be in her prime at "Le Moulin Rouge".

 

 

 

Le Moulin Rouge was not always a clean place. The stage, the mezzanine and the passages between seats, where the dancers used to perform and where the public was dispersed became filthy, muggy and greasy. After a few acrobatic maneuvers of the dancers, their “jupons” (skirts) became dirty and stained, some were ripped off to the great delight of the public. So between the delightful madness of Louise Weber, the ripped off clothes of the girls, champagne floating everywhere, In 1900,  the joint became a human zoo. Everything thing remained the same, until the departure of Louise Weber.And Le Moulin Rouge calmed down, soon to exclusively become  tourists attraction. The famous « Quadrille » of Louise Weber  and Jane Avril  was no longer performed at "Le Moulin Rouge". It moved to other numerous joints and  famous places like "Tabarin", "Au Divan Japonais", "Ambassadeurs"  and  "Jardin de Paris".  In 1914, at the beginning of world war one, Le Moulin Rouge closed its doors. In 1921, it reopened under a new management and under a new format with a different style and décor.

 

 

 

 

The Great Louise Weber by Toulouse-Lautrec.

 

 

Photos from L to R: #1. Toulouse-Lautrec, Louise Weber, Jane Avril, Aristide Bruant, proprietor of "Le Chat Noire"

Mixed articles were written about her. But the majority of reviews and articles were positive. Here is one of the less flattering ones. Judge for yourself.

"Louise Weber gained the name La Goulue because of her huge appetite. She would drink the glasses from tables she happened to pass. She wasn't a friendly person and didn't care what the audience thought of her. She was a foul-mouthed, arrogant bully. The audience liked her because she was a break from all the continuous smiling women. In her private life, she was sexually drawn to women. She was a excellent dancer who showed confidence and strength. Her complexion was admirable, but nothing else about her physical appearance was beautiful. She had a small hooked nose, a tiny red mouth, and cold blue eyes, which combined to create an ugly women. La Goulue wasn't known for her looks; she was known for her dancing abilities. She possessed an ingrain sense of rhythm. It appeared as if she felt the music, and she danced with complete passion. The audience enjoyed her, and Toulouse-Lautrec was entranced by her. He wanted to use her as a model, but she wouldn't let him. She danced with a man named Jacques Renaudin.  Jacques Renaudin was nicknamed Valentin le Desosse. La Goulue's success was owed to him. He met her when she was young and was inspired by her, so he directed, taught, and performed with her. He could perform difficult contortions with incredible grace almost as if he was boneless. He would move from position to position with astonishing beauty. Interestingly, Renaudin was never paid for dancing because he loved to do it and refused pay. "

 

THE FIRST SUPER STARS OF THE FRENCH CAN CAN ORIGINAL CAST OF MONTMARTRE

 

                                      Grille d'Égout                                                                    Lili Jambes-en-l'Air

 

                                        Jane Avril                                                                Nini Pattes-en-l'Air

Louise Weber executing a belly dancing routine outside her modest joint.

 

A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

LA GOULUE FRENCH CAN CAN  INFLUENCED ZIEGFELD FOLLIES AND RADIO CITY ROCKETTES.  

 

The French Can Can which was created and nourished with the talent of Louise Weber has been immortalized by Toulouse-Lautrec in his paintings, posters and drawings, by Jean Renoir in his elaborate productions and stage sets and by Jean Gabin and Maria Felix Berger in their movies. It took the French 40 years to transform Can Can  into a choreographic perfection and a visual delight. In 1850, Can Can became an institution and  a shrine to cabaret dancers. At its dawn, it was accepted at face value as a pure French artistic innovation and a Parisian invention. It did not evolve into an international art platform until Celeste Mogador took it to the second level by incorporating the “Quadrille” and Rosa Pompom by adding more human substance to its feminine acrobatic forms and figures. The colorful character of Pompom who was known to the French as the self-proclaimed legal heir and illegitimate daughter of King Charles X gave a big boost to Can Can, for in addition to its artistic attributes, Pompom’s notoriety paved the way to Can Can’s  grand entrance to  the vast landscape of gossips, newspapers columns, “potins”  and social “rubriques”. As soon as it was introduced to the Brits by Charles Morton (Father of the modern Music-hall) and performed for the first time in London in 1861, Can Can became an international sensation. However, it did not take long, before Great Britain banned it in England under the pretext that it was too risqué and immoral. This ban of course fueled the flame of success of this delightful French madness and added more mysteries and gossips to its mystique.  American businessmen saw it differently. American showbiz tycoons found in Can Can a gold mine. The first to copy the French Can Can, metamorphosed  it into a showbiz enterprise were of course,  the Americans. They brought it to the United States, made it look like a new French-American Follies, added more “Salt N Pepa” and extravaganza to it, Et Voila a Vaudeville-Burlesque-Great Gatsby-Follies-Ziegfeld Bonanza was created.

Photo, below: The Radio City Rockettes

 

 

 

 

Photo: Louise Weber.

One day, Can Can will deeply influence America’s Rockettes and “Ziegfeld Follies” and change the geography and choreography of American Cabaret theater landscape. This is when, why and how the term “Follies” entered the welcoming world of American Cabaret, Burlesques, Cabaret theatrical Music, American Cabaret acts, Broadway Musicals, shows on steam boat sailing the Mississippi, New Orleans foggy Cabarets, night clubs and strip tease joints on Bourbon Street, and of course , later on inspire “Ziegfeld follies. After all, “Follies” is French. It is the plural of “La Follie” meaning madness. And part of its universal madness was “La Folie de Jeanne Avril and Louise Weber”, co-queens of the original Can Can.

 

 

Missouri Rockets

Photos, from L to R: #1. Poster of the film "Moulin Rouge", starring Jose Ferrer and Zsa Zsa Gabor. #2. Poster of the film "French Can Can", starring Jean Gabin, Francoise Arnoul, Maria Felix and Jean Renoir. Both films rotated around Louise Weber and Jane Avril Can Can.

The group first came to life in 1925 as the "Missouri Rockets" and made their grand show business debut in St. Louis,  Missouri; the materialization of a "life-time dream" of  Russell Markert, the creator of the  original Rockets. "I had seen the Moulin Rouge Can Can dancers and the John Tiller girls in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1922," Markert once reminisced. "If I ever got a chance to get a group of American girls who would be taller and have longer legs and could do really complicated tap routines and eye-high kicks... they'd knock your socks off!" At Radio City's opening night, on December 27, 1932, they did just that. The Rockettes were discovered and brought to New York by consummate showman S.L. (Roxy) Rothafel who first dubbed them the "Roxyettes," . The Rockets shared the stage with 17 diverse acts, among them the Flying Wallendas, Ray Bolger and Martha Graham.

 

 

Photos from L to R: #1. Famous French actor, Jean Gabin who had a lot of compassion and admiration  for Louise Weber. From  "La bête humaine" by Jean Renoir (1938). Gabin was the lover of Marlene Dietrich for many years. #2. Mexican French Cinema Beauty, Maria Felix who immortalized Louise Weber's   and Jane Avril's French Can Can.

Can Can got another national/international boost when it was visually re-created by Jean Renoir in his backstage musicals. Renoir’s early stage sets depicting the golden days of the Moulin Rouge which began  with its street girls and virgin peasants from the French province became the backdrops for beautiful, striking high-kicking chorus girls and their swirling petticoats movies set and theatrical productions. The most famous picture on Can Can was the 1955 “French Can Can” starring Jean Gabin, the lover of Marilyn Dietrich and  the iconic beauty Maria Felix Berger  who immortalized Can Can with her beauty, music, esthetic elegance and acting. (Maria de Los Angeles Felix Guerena,  one of 16 children of a wealthy family was born in Alamos, on April 8, 1914 and died at the age of 88 on April 8, 2002). A stunning, mesmerizing, super talented star of Mexican and European films. She was the reigning beauty and female star of the French and Spanish speaking cinema for three decades.

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