The can-can ( also spelled cancan or Can Can ) is a music hall dance , performed by a chorus line of female dancers who wear costumes with long skirts , petticoats , and black stockings , like the fashions of the 1890s . The can-can ( more correctly not hyphenated , as in the original French : cancan ; ) is a high-energy and physically demanding music hall dance , traditionally performed by a chorus line of female dancers who wear costumes with long skirts , petticoats , and black stockings .