For my recent birthday trip to Paris, we marked the occasion with a fabulous evening at Paris’ legendary cabaret, Crazy Horse Paris.
I’ve always been intrigued by Crazy Horse Paris, but it was Dita von Teese’s guest residency there that really drew me to the glamour of the iconic Paris nightspot. By day she was holding court at the elegant Hotel Lutetia and her nights were spent dancing at Le Crazy Horse amid a flurry of feathers, lace, Louboutins and oversized Martini glasses.
It seemed impossibly glamorous and a step back in time to Paris’ golden era when exotic beauties such as Josephine Baker ruled the city by night.
Two years ago, Crazy Horse Paris came to London, bringing its special show Forever Crazy to the sumptuous pop-up Spiegeltent on the South Bank. We were treated to a selection of vignettes from Philippe Decouflé’s hit show Désirs, which has been running in the Paris cabaret since.
Désirs is more avant-garde and erotic than Dita’s retro burlesque-style show and it is complemented by experimental music and artistic lighting.
We hurried down the Champs-Élysées and Avenue George V in an epic rainstorm, but it did nothing to dampen our spirits nor the glamour of the evening. After being shown to our seats in the bijou gold and red velvet-covered theatre, we were kindly offered a drink – the tipple of choice on almost every table was a half bottle of special Crazy Horse Champagne.
It’s not unusual to rub shoulders with celebrities such as Beyonce & Jay-Z, Rihanna and Cara Delevingne when they’re in town. Le Crazy Horse also plays host to some of Paris’ most fabulous parties, including the recent launch of Rouge Louboutin, the first nail lacquer by Christian Louboutin Beauté.
The show began with God Save our Bareskin, where the dancers marched sternly in unison, dressed in revealing Royal Horse Guards uniforms. This dance was choreographed by a British lieutenant and has opened every show since 1989.
One of the most captivating vignettes was Final Fantasy, choreographed and performed by the talented Psykko Tico. She effortlessly contorted and twisted her body in a spectacular aerial act inspired by Japanese rope bondage. It was sensuous yet sinister with moody red lighting and a frenetic industrial sound track.
Another highlight was ‘Spoutnik’, the hyper-sexual, futuristic act where two dancers spun seductively on a spacecraft. ‘Crisis What Crisis’ was all about a Wall Street executive letting off steam in the office while ‘Upside Down’ was a surrealist-inspired mirror dance set to a sultry, slowed-down version of Britney Spears’ Toxic by singer-songwriter Yael Naim.
In between the acts, a coquettish French maid dusted the stage set, getting more and more ‘drunk’ on Champagne as the evening wore on. The perky Candy St Louis drew the show to a close with her excellent rendition of ‘But…I am a Good Girl’. She flirted and high-kicked her way through the uptown girl act decked in pearls.
The music at Crazy Horse Paris is fun and inventive and the creative lighting bathes the dancers in vibrant colours and patterns.
Fashion fans will be dazzled by the stunning costumes and lingerie designed by French luminaries such as Poupie Cadolle, Fifi Chachnil, Alexandre Vauthier, Stefano Canulli and Antoine Kruk.
The dancers’ feet are decorated with some of the most covetable, sexy heels by long-time collaborator Christian Louboutin. There was even an act dedicated to the fetish of his signature red soles called ‘Red Shoes’, where the glow from the dancers’ red shoes flash across the stage.
Crazy Horse Paris is a decadent, stylish night out with a big dose of ‘ooh la la’ that Paris is famed for. While popular with tourists, it’s also a firm favourite among well-heeled Parisians. No one can resist the charms of the Crazy Horse girls.
For more information and to book online, visit: www.lecrazyhorseparis.com
Chérie City was a guest of Le Crazy Horse Paris
All photos by Antoine Poupel
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