- Crazy Horse (cabaret)
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- This article is about the Parisian nightclub. For other uses, please see Crazy Horse (disambiguation).
Street view of the club
Le Crazy Horse Saloon or Le Crazy Horse de Paris is a Parisian cabaret known for its stage shows performed by nude female dancers and for the diverse range of magic and variety 'turns' between each nude show. Its owners have helped to create related shows in other cities, and unrelated businesses have used the phrase "Crazy Horse" in their names.
The Paris Crazy Horse occupies former wine cellars (12 in all - knocked together) of an impressive Haussmanian building at 12 Avenue George V (from King George V, in French "George Cinq").
Alain Bernardin opened it in 1951 and personally operated it for decades until his death by suicide in 1994. Many of the original waiters (their names stitched in large letters onto the back of their waistcoats) were also substantial shareholders in the original company.
The dancers are deliberately chosen to be indistinguishable on stage in height and in breast size and shape. As of 2008[update], the enterprise remains a family business, now in the hands of Bernardin's three now grown-up children. Using the name "Le Crazy Horse de Paris" for the original, "Le Crazy Horse de Singapore" for a similar but now-defunct show in that city, and Crazy Horse Paris for one in Las Vegas (formerly La Femme) at the MGM Grand.
Along with its dancers, the Crazy Horse has also been a popular venue for many other artists, including magicians, jugglers, and mimes. Bernardin explained that he loved magic because it corresponded with his vision: "[Magic] is a dream. There is no show that is more dreamlike than a magic show. And what we do with the girls is magic, too, because they aren't as beautiful as you see them onstage. It's the magic of lights and costumes. These are my dreams and fascinations that I put onstage." [1]
Under new management, Crazy Horse has recently started featuring famous or prestigious artists stripping for a limited number of shows, such as Dita Von Teese, Carmen Electra, Aria Cascaval, Arielle Dombasle or Pamela Anderson[2][3]. They have also hired Philippe Decouflé as choreographer[4]
The Paradiso Girls have named their album Crazy Horse after the club, as one of their members Aria Cascaval worked here. It is also mentioned in the Motley Crue song "Girls, Girls, Girls".
Contents
History
A branch opened in Clarke Quay, Singapore in December 2005, but closed in February 2007 due to poor business.
Film history
In 1977, the club created and appeared in a documentary film, known as Crazy-Horse, Paris-France, or Crazy Horse de Paris .
Crazy Horse-Le Show.A 2004 documentary on DVD format.
Crazy Horse,Paris.A 2009 documentary on DVD format. The video features Dita von Teese.
Other clubs
Other entertainments with varying degrees of resemblance and similar names, but unaffiliated with the original, include:
- The Crazy Horse, Beirut, Lebanon
- Crazy Horse Too, Las Vegas
- Crazy Horse, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
- Crazy Horse Gentlemen's Club, San Francisco
- Crazy Horse, Adelaide, Australia
- Crazy Horse, Gold Coast, Australia
- Crazy Horse, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
- Crazy Horse, Akron, Ohio
- Crazy Horse, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
- Crazy Horse Too, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Crazy Horse Cabaret, Bronx, New York
References
- ^ "Kevin James at the New Crazy Horse", September 1992, Magic Magazine
- ^ Pamela Anderson at Paris' Crazy Horse cabaret for Valentine's Day AFP
- ^ Pamela Anderson to perform at nude revue Reuters
- ^ Découflé’s ‘Désirs’ at Crazy Horse, Artistik Rezo (in French). 2010-03-04. Article and video.
External links
Categories:- Cabarets in Paris
- Strip clubs
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