le cancan bijou
October 10, 2016 - New Season, New Changes!
Le Cancan Bijou is excited to announce its new directors!
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After over 15 years of serving the troupe, Monique chose to retire from her duties as director this past April and named Cindy and Meredith as the new Co-Directors. Cindy has been a member of Le Cancan Bijou since 2008 and brings her strong, level-headed leadership skills to this dynamic duo. Meredith joined the troupe in the Fall of 2013, and has been a committed and passionate member ever since. Together, they are honored to have been entrusted with the troupe’s success and have big plans for its future.
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Cindy and Meredith jumped in feet first to ready the troupe for the 2016 season of the Great Dickens Christmas Fair and Victorian Holiday Party opening on November 19 at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. You can find Le Cancan Bijou kicking up their heels as part of the new music hall show on Mad Sal's stage as well as scandalizing the ladies of the Royal Opera Gala on the Victoria & Albert Stage. Make sure you visit the event's website at www.dickensfair.com for more information and to purchase tickets.
We're looking forward to seeing you in London!
October 2, 2014 - Dickens Rehearsals Are Upon Us
Yesterday we officially began rehearsals for this season of Dickens Fair. This year promises to be an amazing year, filled with new routines and new dancers! It's hard to believe we are less than a month away from Workshops beginning. We're working hard polishing up our new routines and adding some variety to those you may already know.
We've been gifted with such great talent in the form of 3 new dancers: Amy Gray, Tara Roberts, and Amber Steele join us this season, and their energy is just what Bijou has been looking for in a dancer. They each bring their own unique style and grace to the stage, along with beautiful smiles and high kicks. We've already had the opportunity to show Amber and Tara around Old Sacramento during one of our Time Travel weekends, and we can't wait to show them around Victorian London as well! This will be their first time in our version of Jolly Ol' England, and it's going to be a blast from the past, indeed.
Speaking of the Time Travel Weekends - What an excellent run we had joining up with The Ballet Russe at Old Sacramento's Time Travel Weekends this summer. We learned new dances, got our comedy on, and shook the floorboards with our usual high-kicking gusto. If you missed us, be sure to keep an eye out for the event next summer. If you did happen to catch it, head over to the website for the event and let them know what a great time you had! http://www.historicoldsac.org/programs/programs-street-theatre.asp
Tickets are now on sale for Dickens Fair's 2015 season. We highly recommend attending the first couple weekends, as it can get a wee bit crowded in town as the run progresses. You can find us at Mad Sal's as usual, and also for the opening performance by the Opera Gala at the Victoria & Albert Theatre.
More updates to come!
April 21, 2014 - AUDITIONS on April 30th!
It's that time again!
Le Cancan Bijou is holding auditions for new dancers! Ladies or Gents - If you learn choreography quickly, work incredibly well as a team, have dance training/experience, and want to be part of an excellent troupe of ladies and gentlemen who perform both traditional and modern cancan at a variety of events year-round, we invite you to audition.
Audition Time: 8pm Wedneday, April 30th, 2014
Location: Danzhaus, 1275 Connecticut St (between 26th St & Cesar Chavez St), San Francisco, CA 94107
Details: Warmups, basic technique & kicklines. Please wear clothes you can move in, and dance-related shoes if you have them (barefoot/socks are also ok). You're welcome to watch the rest of rehearsal from 9pm-10pm if you'd like.
Rehearsal requirements: Wednesdays in San Francisco from 8-10pm.
Please Note: Costumes are custom-made & must be fully approvable by Bijou's Director. Many troupe members make their own costumes. Cost will likely be upward of $500 for costume & boots (Ladies: Capezio or Grisko Can-Can Boot in black). Costumes are a bit less expensive for the Gents.
Please contact lecancanbijoubookings@gmail.com if you're thinking of joining us.
We look forward to dancing with you!
January 22, 2014 - Breaktime!
Thank you to everyone who made it out to see us at San Francisco's Edwardian Ball last weekend! What a wonderful weekend of art and music. We are blessed to be a part of such a brilliant community. By many accounts this was the most fun we've had at the Ball, and much of that was due to our fantastic fans and all the creative spirit that explodes all over the Regency Ballroom those two incredible nights. We hope you enjoyed watching our new routine as much as we loved performing it!
We're finally taking a 2-week break from rehearsing to allow our dancers to relax and get their lives back to normal after 3 months of performance with Dickens, Edwardian, and various other events including Salle Pianos, a birthday party, The Claremont's Holiday Gala, and more. We're excited to start on more new material in February, and are scheming on new costumes to accompany our new moves.
​Please contact us if you hear of an event that would benefit from our special brand of flourish and ruffle. 2014 is going to be a spectacular year. See you soon!
January 7, 2014 - Edwardian Ball
Happy New Year to our fantastic fans!
With Dickens Fair behind us, Bijou is in the process of working on new material and new costume bits for 2014. The lovely Meredith and dashing Christophe have joined the troupe full-time, and we cannot be happier starting out the new year. You may have caught them at the fair in December. If you didn't, they are both performing at our next event.
We're getting prepped for San Francisco's upcoming Edwardian Ball. This has become one of our favorite annual events to dance at, both on stage and on the ballroom floor. We've been in the process of prepping a new routine, giving us a 3-song run for our performances, which will include a kickline of at least 10 dancers!
Edwardian Ball runs Friday, January 17th, and Saturday, January 18th, 2014. Come out and enjoy the music, costumes, wares, and a performance each night by our wonderful dancers. We can't wait to see you!
November 25, 2013 - Dickens Fair 2013
It seems like only yesterday we were auditioning new dancers, and already our opening weekend is behind us at The Great Dickens Christmas Fair & Victorian Holiday Party 2013. Time flies when you're rehearsing and sewing new costumes.
What a fantastic opening weekend! Attendence was higher than any of us might have expected, and our shows with both The Royal English Opera Gala and Theee Broadside Music Hall had audiences laughing, clapping and singing along with gusto. We even got to add some spice to the Ballet Russe performances, and of course enjoyed lovely views from atop the bar at Mad Sal's. join us once again next weekend for your Thanksgiving Holiday after-party. Dickens Fair runs Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10-7pm (this weekend only, and then returns to Sat/Sun 10-7pm), and some of your favorite Bijou dancers will be on hand all three days with high kicks and ruffles galore. Say hello to old friends and meet our two newest dancers, Meredith & Christophe!
​Congratulations to our very own Keegan Tyler for having a most successful weekend in her new role with Theee Broadside Music Hall! We're so proud of you, and thankful for your unparalleled dedication to both Bijou and Broadside. You continue to stun us all with your incredible talent.
Also be sure to check out this charming article about our very own Cindy Lu, who also happens to have been crowned by the Art Deco Preservation Society as this year's "Miss Art Deco." If you can't find her at Mad Sal's or the Victoria & Albert Theatre, be sure to check the windows of Dark Garden Corsetry while you're at the fair.
Thank you to all those who made it out to support our new early opening. We really couldn't do this without you. Le Cancan Bijou is looking forward to bringing you all the holiday cheer you need for the next four weekends. Please join us!
- LCCB
September 24, 2013 - Auditions!
Le Cancan Bijou is looking for new dancers!
If you learn choreography quickly, work incredibly well as a team, have dance training/experience, and want to be part of an excellent troupe of ladies and gentlemen who perform both traditional and modern cancan at a variety of events year-round, we invite you to audition. Yes, we are seeking both women and men!
Audition Time: 8pm Wedneday, October 2nd, 2013
Locatin: Danzhaus, 1275 Connecticut St (between 26th St & Cesar Chavez St), San Francisco, CA 94107
Details: Warmups, basic technique & kicklines. Please wear clothes you can move in, and dance-related shoes if you have them (barefoot/socks are also ok). You're welcome to watch the rest of rehearsal from 9pm-10pm if you'd like.
Rehearsal requirements: Wednesdays starting Oct. 9th in San Francisco from 8-10pm, and Workshops Saturdays for Dickens Fair.
Please Note: Costumes are custom-made & must be fully approvable by Bijou's Director & Dickens the Fair Costumes Director. Many troupe members make their own costumes, but we also have several connections within the community for having your costume custom-made. Cost will likely be upward of $500 for costume & boots.
Please contact lecancanbijoubookings@gmail.com if you're thinking of joining us. We look forward to dancing with you!
- LCCB
May 7, 2013 - Spring Is In the Air
Bonjour!
Yet again we find ourselves in the midst of a glorious San Francisco spring. Bijou just wrapped a performance with Nova Albion's "Steampunks In Space," complete with new petticoats and music by Steampunk minstrels Abney Park. A wonderful time was had by all, and we hope to perform with them again next year.
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Spring means we're ramping up for another season of Old Sacramento's Time Travel Weekends, which will be starting up in early July, and running through the weekend prior to Labor Day weekend. With several sewing days under our belts so far this year, we've got a full cast of Old West costumes ready to liven up the streets of Old Sacramento. Should be a great summer - we hope you'll join us for all the wonderful shows Red Barn will be bringing your way free of charge. It's a great way to introduce the young ones to some history, as well as perhaps learn a little more about California's capital city yourself!
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2013 has also brought a few changes in the team to assist our director, Monique, in keeping the troupe on track with extending our performance range. Marnie, Elizabeth, and Stefani will be assisting in all facets of bringing you more Bijou year round. This means we have a greater potential for new choreography, new costumes, and new events that may be coming to a town near you! We're excited for what's in store, and can't wait to kick up our heels for our fantastic audience.
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We may likely be holding auditions for new dancers soon - especially men - so if you know someone who might be interested, please contact us and we'll keep you informed on audition dates when they happen. Add us on Facebook, and you'll be sure to hear about anything coming up in the near future.​
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Merci beaucoup to our community for all of your continued support, and we'll see you at our next event!
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- LCCB
January 16, 2013 - 1-2-3-4-5-6-SEVEN!
Bonjour, mes amis!
After about a week of hard work and countless hours poring over biographies and headshot selections by the entire troupe, our website is live! Finally we have something that represents the magnificence that is Le Cancan Bijou. C'est magnifique, n'est-pas?
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We had quite a whirlwind year at The Great Dickens Christmas Fair & Victorian Holiday Party this past holiday season - 5 full weekends on two stages! If you made it out to see us, thank you so much for your support. We are always grateful for the energy we get from our audiences, especially those who hoot and holler and clap along with the music. If you weren't able to catch us at this annual engagement, never fear! We have a lot in store for you this year as we embark on our second turn of year-round high-kicking entertainment.
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San Francisco's Edwardian Ball is on the plate this weekend, and we're excited to take the floor once again with two back-to-back dance routines. Get ready to don your best Edward Gorey-esque Edwardian-era finery and glide around the floor in style with us.​​
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We are, of course, always looking for new events to perform for, and with our new management team, we plan to work on even more costumes, choreography, and music selections to wow every audience. Here's looking forward to a spectacular 2013!
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- LCCB