Champagne with a Striptease
Crazy Horse Paris is a Burlesque show in France that has been active since 1951. Burlesque shows are a brand new thing to me. My previous understanding was a group of women dancing the Can Can while lifting their dresses to see their leggings.
At times I find certain cultural aspects of other countries difficult to comprehend. The whole burlesque thing is something foreign to me. Each burlesque offers something different but they have a few things in common. Burlesques offer audiences food, drinks, and exotic performances with nudity.
Outside Crazy Horse Paris
What’s a Burlesque Show?
The Crazy Horse show isn’t for children. Crazy Horse is not Cirque de Solei or the Nutcracker. Burlesque shows portray exotic performers dancing conceptually to songs. In most cases, females appear topless or begin to undress as the song progresses.
Performers appear naked but burlesque shows do not contain vulgarity or explicit sexual activity. Alcohol plays a component in the burlesque environment, but it is not a place to get drunk and become rowdy.
There is a very delicate line between being able to indulge in life’s pleasures without going overboard. The French feel much freer to experiment with other forms of artwork. Even though I find it bizarre, I am here to learn and appreciate French culture.
The Burlesque Experience Design
Get your tickets and then go to Crazy Horse. When you arrive, the exterior looks simple and clean. Once inside you’ll notice it’s bursting with passionate tones of red. Everything is organized and well-kept.
The look and feel of the interior design have been stylized. You’ll find no shortage of artistic expressions of the human body on floors, walls, and bathroom stalls.
You’ll be guided to your seats by an employee. Audience members will receive a bucket of ice and a bottle or more of champagne depending on the type of ticket purchase. There is a menu to purchase drinks and food.
The Crazy Horse burlesque show in Paris contains ring acrobatics, aerial skills, and choreographed dances. You’ll enjoy it more if that’s your interest.
You are not allowed to take pictures while the function is showing but I took as many pictures as I could anyways. Eventually, close to the very end, a waitress came up and told me to stop. I hope you enjoy the pictures I was able to take.
All the dancers have hourglass-shaped bodies. There are no dark-skinned women. Sometimes I felt like I was sharing a lap dance with the audience.
Criticism of Crazy Horse
Not everyone will enjoy these performances. To many people, it’s a group of naked women dancing. The first few dances are interesting and grab your attention, but after a few songs then the interest dies down.
Others may find it unattractive or downright disgusting. Not everyone wants to see nudity. You can feel the sexualization of women but it’s never going past the line. It’s not a vulgar place to be. Women aren’t splitting their legs open for everyone to see but they get risqué. People find burlesques to be misogynistic or sleazy.
You can sugarcoat that the dances are empowering, and artistically well performed. But at the end of the day, you’re drinking champagne while watching tits and ass. It’s understandable if it is not to everyone’s liking.
Closing Thoughts
I like the idea of going out in the city nicely dressed and seeing art, whether it be in a museum, theatre, or dance hall. I especially like the idea of arriving at my table and finding ice-cold champagne waiting for me.
The furniture is comfortable, the environment is clean, and the staff members are attentive. The choreography was well performed. I am not accustomed to the burlesque environment. It isn’t my interest but I had a delightful time.
My preconceived idea was dancing with story arcs like ballets. The aspect I didn’t enjoy was the lack of character development and proper storytelling through the dances. I had thought that there would be congruency between the transition of each dance.
I understand that it is not the main focus but maybe it should be. Crazy Horse is a place to go once or twice in your life. I’d go again. I mean there is only one Crazy Horse.
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