I remember that a few years ago, during a conversation with a French friend of mine, he told me: “If you want to visit a cabaret where you can find French people and not just tourists, you must visit Crazy Horse.”
This advice has remained deeply etched in my memory, but unfortunately, until recently, I never got to visit the Crazy Horse Club, mainly due to a chronic lack of time and my love of spending the evening in bed with a good book, so that I could get up early in the morning and run to discover the streets of Paris that had not yet woken up (a great pleasure, especially in the fall).
However, since owning a blog about French culture and tourism is a must, I knew it was time to visit the great cabarets of Paris. And so in 2018, I had the pleasure of visiting the Moulin Rouge and in 2019, I visited the slightly lesser-known cabaret, La Pradi Latin, with my friend Ronen Sass.
All that was left for me to do to complete the series of articles on the great cabarets of Paris was to visit Crazy Horse, and I planned to do so during 2020. But then Corona arrived and disrupted all my plans… until now!
In September 2022, I showed up, along with my dear friend and excellent guide Shuki Spector (you can read about him in the article The Complete Guide to Tour Guides in Paris ), at the gates of the Crazy Horse on Avenue Georges V. We went down the stairs and were respectfully led to our place.
On the way, I noticed that almost the entire audience was made up of couples and that a significant portion of them actually spoke French (compared to the Moulin Rouge, where I saw mostly tourists). When we got to our table, the champagne was already waiting for us. The host, who was walking around the audience, had just finished singing and there was a silence, after which the hall went dark and the curtain went up…
What happened immediately afterwards? Was it really pornography disguised as art? And did we enjoy the show? I'll tell you about all of this in a moment. Before that, let me (as usual) go back in time a little and tell you about the history of the place and its dancers, because what I watched was part of a legacy that is more than seventy years old.
The history of Crazy Horse
The year is 1951, and promoter and businessman Alain Bernardin (1916-1994) has a vision: to create a cabaret that, on the one hand, will be a kind of strip show, but on the other hand, will not feel like something cheap, but rather like an erotic artistic performance.
That is why the location chosen was a respectable Haussmannian building, located just off the Pont de l'Alma, in the heart of the respectable and respectable heart of Paris (in the 8th arrondissement on the border of the 16th arrondissement ). This building had a very big advantage, beyond location: it had a huge wine cellar (actually, seven wine cellars), which he transformed into a huge hall.
Because American Westerns were very popular at the time, Alan Bernardin decided to name the place after “Crazy Horse,” the nickname of one of the Native American leaders in 19th century North America (who lived between 1840 and 1877). Another decision of the owner was to give a stage name to each of the dancers who performed at his place, and these names have remained to this day.
Among others, you can still find names that have become legends, such as Rosa Furmetto, Polly Underground, and of course Lova Moor.
The last on the list had a publicized affair with Alain Delon and ultimately, through her charms, managed to win the heart of Bernardin, the owner of Crazy Horse, and marry him in 1985. She even tried her luck in the field of singing, but she was less successful there and all that remains of her career are a few rather forgettable songs, like this one.
Over the years, quite a few famous choreographers began to create show segments, some of which became classics (like the segment in which the Crazy Horse dancers are dressed as the Queen of England's Guard). Another thing that became one of the characteristics of the place were the high heels, with very high and thin heels, which made the dance challenging on the one hand, but erotic and impressive on the other.
Also, alongside the dancers, quite a few famous artists also performed. Perhaps the most famous of them was Charles Aznavour , who appeared at Crazy Horse early in his career (as far as I know, he was actually asked to keep his clothes on during the show :-)).
Over the years, Crazy Horse became a very successful brand and even opened a branch in Las Vegas, but in 1994, disaster struck the Crazy Horse club when its owner decided to commit suicide. Management of the club passed to his children, who continued the work until 2006, when the place was sold to Belgian businessman Philippe Lhomme.
During this period, the Crazy Horse Club began bringing in “enhancers” from the United States, such as burlesque artist Heather Renée Sweet, better known as Dita Von Teese, who performed there in 2006, 2008, and 2016.
Starting in 2017, Crazy Horse has been featuring the show Totally Crazy, the work of Andrée Deissenberg and Stéphane Jarny. This is also the show that Shuki and I saw in 2022, and I would love to write a few words about it.
So what awaits you at Crazy Horse?
Note before we begin : Everything I write is relevant to the Totally Crazy show, which I saw in 2022. It is very possible that the next show will be slightly different, but, as Shuki, who saw the show during the 1980s, told me, the classic parts of the show do not change.
I would broadly divide Crazy Horse's show into three parts.
The first part is the introduction itself, and it begins even before the dancers take the stage. The evening was hosted by a man with the stage name Georges Bangable, who claimed that his stage name came from his admiration for the actor Clark Gable (hence his thin mustache).
As you will see, the host is not only an entertainer, but also a singer, and unlike the dancers on stage, Georges walks around in the audience and sings. Personally, I really liked his presentation and his performance, and you are invited to watch the following video and be impressed by them for yourself:
The second part of the show, which I would like to talk about before we get to the “main course,” is a tap dance performance by a pair of dancers named Roman & Slava. In my opinion, this performance was one of the highlights of the evening thanks to the great talent of the two dancers and their versatility. You are welcome to take a look at the video below and see exactly what I am talking about.
And finally, let's talk about the girls themselves, who are the highlight of the evening (or should we call them the “heel of the evening”?). For about ninety minutes, they will dance in front of you in a variety of different choreographies. True, they will often dance in minimal to no clothing, which will make the show unsuitable for children, but if you are expecting an erotic show in the style of strip clubs, you may be disappointed.
The eroticism here is very, very artistic and my feeling, while watching the show, was as if the marble statues I saw in the Louvre a few hours ago, suddenly came to life and started dancing. Hence, just as there is nothing sexual in the marble statue of those from Greek mythology (at least to me), there is nothing sexual in these dancers. What there is is a body created as a result of a strict diet regime, and of course, immense talent.
Here is a video of one of their most famous dances:
So how would I summarize my very subjective experience?
I liked:
- The champagne was excellent (in a place like this you expect nothing less than Moët & Chandon and that's exactly what we got).
- The host and the mid-performance by the two tap dancers were excellent in my opinion.
- Some of the dancing feels like Poetry in Motion, because there is something very impressive about watching people with precise bodies without an ounce of unnecessary fat, dancing as one on stage.
I liked it a little less:
- The show felt a little too long and a little repetitive, with dance after dance. Personally, I would have preferred if they had inserted more acrobatics, tap, magic, etc., between each dance segment.
- It is difficult to impossible to photograph the stage with a cell phone. This is of course not the fault of the show's creators, but of the cell phone manufacturers, who have not yet figured out how to create a camera that can handle the very challenging lighting of the venue. Maybe in a few years it will be possible, and then I will have a good reason to return.
Crazy Horse – Useful Information
If you decide to go to this show, here is all the information you need:
How do we get there?
The cabaret address is: 12 Av. George V.
The easiest way to get there is by metro line 9 (get off at Alma Marceau station), which is a few minutes' walk away.
How do I buy tickets?
You are welcome to buy tickets for the show using this link . It is recommended to buy the slightly more expensive ticket (the one that includes champagne), because then you will get a better seat. Is it worth buying the ticket that includes a meal along with the show? I admit that I haven't tried it and it's hard for me to say, but my instinct says that for sixty euros (the difference between the price of the ticket with a glass of champagne and the ticket with the meal), you can have an excellent dinner somewhere else (if you are looking for recommendations, you can find them in this article ).
What times does the show take place?
From Sunday to Friday the show takes place at 20:00 PM and 22:30 PM. On Saturday the show takes place at 19:00 PM and 21:30 PM.
What time is it recommended to arrive?
It is recommended to arrive about 45 minutes before the start of the show itself, in order to enjoy the pre-show by the excellent host.
What is the dress code?
True, no one will throw you out if you show up in a T-shirt and Crocs (probably), but do yourself a favor and come dressed like a human being (a button-down shirt and jacket are welcome).
Looking to see another show?
You are invited to enter the article Recommendations for Shows in Paris and Cabaret and receive information about additional recommended shows.
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