How did you get your stage name?

My name hails back to my oriental ancestry, “Laïla” meaning night in Arabic. “Liberty” refers to the fact that I think and do as I choose. It’s also a tribute to women’s freedom, especially in the Arab world.

How did you get into dancing?

I was born and raised in Lebanon, where from a very young age I divided my life between two passions: dance and horseback riding. I practiced both very intensively, with the same discipline and high standards. At thirteen, I had the opportunity to go on an international tour, to Beijing, Bahrain, and Milan, with a prestigious Lebanese dance company. This experience was foundational: it was there that I discovered the adrenaline of the stage, the magic of touring, and above all realized that dance would become much more than a passion. That tour sparked a deep desire in me to make it my profession. At fourteen, I became the Lebanese show jumping championship. After winning that title, I chose to devote myself entirely to dance. In Lebanon, pursuing a professional career in this field remained challenging, so I decided to move to Paris to follow this dream. I joined the Académie Internationale de la Danse, where I continued my training and discovered heels dance, a discipline that profoundly transformed the way I embody movement. It was there, alongside Nadine Timas, an exceptional woman and teacher that the path gradually took shape, leading me to Crazy Horse Paris.

What do you remember from when you started out at the Crazy Horse?

In 2017, I went to see the Crazy Horse Paris show with my mother. One of the first acts we saw was Crisis? What Crisis?! I remember turning to her, fascinated, and saying: “One day, I want to do that.” Her reaction was immediate: she was surprised, and a little worried too, as it is a bold, powerful, and striking act. But she never stopped me from following my instincts, quite the opposite, she supported me and encouraged me to follow my heart. I auditioned, I was selected, and in June 2018 I performed my debut on that iconic stage. What is extraordinary is that my very first solo was Crisis? What Crisis?!, the very act that had made me fall in love with Crazy Horse Paris. It felt like destiny coming full circle.

Something amazing about yourself?

I’m multilingual! I fluently speak Arabic, Italian, French and English.

As a woman and dancer, what is your relationship with your own body?

Like many dancers, I long had a complex relationship with my body. When I joined Crazy Horse Paris, I was very young, nineteen at the time of my debut, and at that age, it is natural to still be building your relationship with yourself. Crazy Horse Paris helped me immensely to embrace my body and be proud of it. This stage taught me to see my body differently: no longer as something to judge, but as a strength, a tool of expression, an artistic presence. Seeing my image enhanced by light, costumes, choreography, and staging allowed me to transform what I sometimes perceived as a weakness into an empowered strength.

As a cabaret dancer, what values would you like to defend?

Beyond cabaret, what matters to me is what my presence represents. Being on the stage of Crazy Horse Paris, both in Paris and on tour, is in itself a powerful form of resistance against the oppression that so many women still face. Through my journey, I have created a space for Arab women where it was once thought they could not exist. I want to show that one can come from a different cultural background, carry a different story, and still fully claim one’s place in a universe as iconic as this one. When I return to Lebanon, I organize classes and workshops. I am also very active in the media and on social networks, where I often speak out on these topics. This commitment to self-assertion is deeply important to me: encouraging women to believe in themselves, to support one another, and to fully claim their place. No matter where we come from, anything is possible as long as we believe in ourselves.

Which act of the Totally Crazy ! Show is dearest to your heart?

Without hesitation: Crisis? What Crisis?! It is my first solo and holds a very special place in my heart. It symbolizes both my beginnings at Crazy Horse Paris and the exact moment I fell in love with this world. I love this act for its energy, theatricality, and elegant madness. It portrays a sophisticated businesswoman who gradually releases all the tension accumulated throughout her day. That build-up is exhilarating to perform. It is a completely “crazy” number and that is precisely what makes it so thrilling.

Discover Laïla Liberty in video : 

Photos: Pauline Anna Gudet
Vidéo: Paul-Henri Pesquet