Pardon my French, and I mean that quite literally, but often dancers yell "shit” at each other. If you’re a dancer and confused, maybe you are familiar with the term "merde." Merde is the French word for sh*t and it’s often used in English before performances. Dancers often use it in exchange for “good luck” or “break a leg” due to the superstition that saying good luck could actually cause bad luck.
If merde literally means sh*t, then why do we always say it to each other? There are a few reasons why.
In 19 century Paris, audience members would take horse-drawn carriages to see ballet performances. The more horse carriages, the fuller the house. Also, the more horses, the more “merde” there would be. Dancers would joke that the bigger the pile, the more successful the show. It is thought that dancers and audience members would yell merde to each other to prevent stepping in the pile.
Another theory is that often animals were used on stage. Audience members would yell to the dancers merde, warning them that the animal has relieved itself on stage and to watch out. This is just another way of saying, “watch your step!”
It is similar in a theater, actors will tell each other to “break a leg.” There are several theories of where this originated as well. One theory is that break a leg refers to bowing. With one leg crossed behind the other and bending at the knee, this causes a break in the line of the leg. Telling someone to break a leg, would be telling them to bow a lot, which in a performance is always good.
Another theory is that it came from the murder of Abraham Lincoln. John Wilkes Booth, once an actor, claims in his diary that he broke his leg after the murder of Lincoln trying to escape. Booth is not known for his acting roles, so saying “break a leg” is like saying make a memorable performance.
There are many more superstitions in theater, opera and dance, as well as different terms that can be used to wish someone good luck. Opera singers often say "toi toi toi" to ward of a spell. In Australia, the word "chookas" is used to say they had a successful show with a full house. In Italy, the words "en boca al lupo" which means, "in the mouth of the wolf" are used, with the response "crepe el lupo" which means, "may the wolf die."
Next time you watch a performance, make sure not to say "good luck."
