Ballet Montparnasse

The Ballet Montparnasse was a British cancan troupe formed in the late forties by choreographer Marie De Vere following a visit to post-war France. Determining to bring the "excitement and colorful glory" of Paris to the heart of London, she employed a group of professional dancers, training them for several months until they made their first public appearance in 1950. Over the next decade, they became known as Britain's premier cancan act, starting out in cabarets and variety shows before touring the continent, where they performed in France, Germany Sweden, Spain, Italy and elsewhere.

The group is credited with at least two film appearances, the first being Jimmy Sangster's Jack the Ripper (1959), followed by Syd James' Carry On Cowboy (1965). The company usually comprised six dancers, though extras were added during the 1959 filming to allow walk-on starlets Jane Taylor and Barbara Burke speaking roles in the Music Hall sequence.