Tortoises in Ra-Ra Skirts. Who Could Ask For More?

I shall have to readily admit that this particular cartoon is obscure to the point of opacity. So what's going on? Why have I drawn a row of tortoises wearing fishnet stockings and dancing the Can-can? Allow me to explain.
This is part of a project that I set myself in the hopes that I would get it published in a rather niche publication. The rather niche publication was very nice about my efforts, but decided against using my material. Fair enough. So, what is actually going on here? The composer Camille Saint-Saens (you shall just have to accept that the umlaut is a given, because I refuse to go fossicking about this computer looking for one) created a piece ostensibly for children called The Carnival of Animals (Le Carnaval des Animaux, for our more edumacated readers). Apparently it is full of musical jokes, one being the fact that he has set one piece, called Tortoises (Tortues - look, do your own translations!) to the tune of Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld but   slowed   it   right   down.
All I did was show the tortoises reaction.
I have more of these and they all need a lengthy explanation. I bet you can't wait, can you?