Crazy Horse (cabaret)
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
|
Related e |
|
Wikipedia
Featured:  Illustration: Portrait fantaisiste du marquis de Sade (1866) by H. Biberstein |
Le Crazy Horse Saloon or Le Crazy Horse de Paris is a French cabaret based in Paris, known for its stage show performed by nude female dancers. Its owners have participated in creating related shows in other cities, and unrelated businesses have used the phrase "Crazy Horse" in their names.
The Paris Crazy Horse occupies a portion of a traditional Parisian building at 12 Avenue George V (with the Roman numeral "V" spoken in French as "Cinq"). It was opened by Alain Bernardin in 1951 and personally operated by him for decades until his death by suicide in 1994. The dancers are chosen to be indistinguishable in the size and shape of their breasts and in their height on stage. As of 2005, the enterprise remains a family business in the hands of Bernardin's three children, using the name "Le Crazy Horse de Paris" for the original, "Le Crazy Horse de Singapore" of a similar show in that city, and Crazy Horse Paris for one in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand.
Along with its dancers, the Crazy Horse has also been a popular venue for other types of acts, 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."
Stripteaseuses active in the 1960s and 1970s included Dodo d'Hambourg, Bertha von Paraboum, Lilly Niagara, Ursula Regenshirm, Rita Cadillac, Rita Renoir and Kiki Tamtam.
- [Le] Crazy Horse Saloon is a training ground for stars. From first to last the strippers all have names which are likely to crop up in the movies or Parisian social life: Yoko Tani, Rita Renoir, Rita Cadillac, Dodo d'Hambourg, Bertha von Paraboum, etc.
See also
- Il sexy, Italian film genre.
