The players in Désirs

Ali Mahdavi, Artistic Director

Ali Mahdavi is talent personified... whether as a photographer of the world’s most legendary models, a designer for the top names in fashion, an illustrator, visual artist, or darling of the divas of showbiz. The multi-gifted young man with the enigmatic gaze transforms scenes of everyday life, creating new worlds of enchanting beauty.   

For all of these reasons, and because creativity has always been a keyword at the Crazy Horse, Ali Mahdavi is working alongside Philippe Decouflé, applying his creative spirit to the key role of Artistic Director of the Crazy’s new production, Désirs.

Ali Mahdavi is a disciplined perfectionist, obsessed by a simple question dear to the hearts of everyone at the Crazy Horse: “What would Alain Bernardin do today?”.  The result is a two-pronged approach: a dogged commitment to reaffirm the red-hot cabaret’s core identity and values – the severe, square-cut wigs, blood-red lipstick and high, high heels – while at the same time reviving Bernadin’s distinctive tradition of subversive, edgy creativity and impeccable taste.  

Ali Mahdavi orchestrates a subtle combination of charm and assurance, intelligence, finesse and creativity, to reinstate the archetype of the seductive, empowered woman – never submissive, always in control. A finely-judged paradox: Mahdavi works with his dancers to ensure that each member of the Crazy Horse’s “army of beauties” personifies – in her own way, reflecting her own personality and sensuality – the ultimate dream of the confident, fulfilled woman.  Deliberately bold and provocative, of course, but also triumphant, carnal, desirable, radiant. Because Ali Mahdavi’s work is a celebration of Woman, enshrined at the core of his artistic approach: an ever-changing mystery, a world of possibilities. Subliminated by the desire she inspires...

Ali Mahdavi’s approach highlights the means of seduction, working with the inherent emotionality of Philippe Decouflé’s tableaux to captivate his audience throughout the 90-minute show, keeping them in a state of emotional and artistic shock. With Mahdavi, the Crazy Horse is exploring, unconsciously, the intimate core of our being: the limits of our capacity to succomb...

His itinerary

Born in Tehran, and now living and working in Paris, Ali Mahdavi’s artistic career has taken him from the prestigious Ecole Boulle, to the Ecole Duperré, a spell as a designer for Thierry Mugler, the Royal College of Art in London, the Paris Beaux-Arts, and the San Francisco Art Institute …

An enigmatic, über-talented young man, Mahdavi’s work embraces art photography and commissions for advertising, fashion, and celebrities. His remarkable artworks have earned him a reputation as one of the most iconic artists of his generation, casting well-known personalities the better to translate the aesthetics of his time. His earlier work at the Crazy Horse includes productions for Arielle Dombasle and Dita Van Teese, for whom he produced a re-worked version of the tableau “Teese-ing”, in February 2009.

Al Mahdavi is  a natural choice for the Crazy Horse, working with Philippe Decouflé as Artistic Director of the new show, Désirs.