Crazy Horse (cabaret)

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 and the next. Its owners have helped to create related cabaret and burlesque shows in other cities.[1] Unrelated businesses have used the phrase "Crazy Horse" in their names.

Street view of the club in November 2008

The Paris Crazy Horse occupies former wine cellars (12 in all which have been knocked together) of an impressive Haussmanian building at 12 Avenue George-V (from the British 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.[1] Many of the original waiters (their names stitched in large letters onto the backs of their waistcoats) were also substantial shareholders in the original company. The enterprise remained a family business, in the hands of Bernardin's three children, until 2005, when it changed hands. By this time the name "Le Crazy Horse de Paris" was used for the original venue 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."[2]

Under new shareholders and new management from 2005, Crazy Horse started featuring famous or prestigious artists stripping for a limited number of shows, including Dita Von Teese, Carmen Electra, Aria Cascaval, Arielle Dombasle or Pamela Anderson.[3][4] They also hired Philippe Decouflé as choreographer[5] Kelly Brook appeared in the fall of 2012.[6] Also in 2012, the dancers went on strike for higher pay. Before the strike, which caused the cancellation of a high-profile revue for one day but generated a fantastic buzz for the cabaret, some sources mentioned a salary of €2,000 per month. Other sources said that settlement yielded a 15 percent pay raise.[7] These numbers were denied by the management of the cabaret.

The Paradiso Girls have named their album Crazy Horse after the club, as one of their members Aria Cascaval worked there. The club is referenced in the song "Live with Me" by The Rolling Stones in 1969, and also mentioned in the 1987 Mötley Crüe song ""Girls, Girls, Girls"."