Our sparkly-eyed dancer, Bamby Splish Splash, has been fascinated by showing her artistic side in some form or other throughout her entire life. Allow us to introduce you!
How and why did you join the prestigious Crazy Horse Paris Girls troop?
I have wanted to go into drama for as long as I can remember! It was just something I knew from the day I was born. It’s more than just a fad, I’m driven. I have always loved Crazy Horse Paris due to its reputation as a luxury dance show. Crazy Horse Paris stands out from other cabaret halls, with its own unique, original and unusual style, the girls are really shown to their advantage.
It took me a while to become a Crazy Horse Paris Girl. I promised myself that when I reached the age of 18 I would try my luck, although I assumed I was unlikely to be selected. I have always taken drama and dance classes, however I don’t come from a traditional drama school, which meant that I wasn’t sure I had the right background. When I was 19, on January 1st, 2015, I finally sent my application in thinking, “I have nothing to lose”. I was lucky and a try out was organised in my home town on the next day, I took the date as a good sign and went… and I was selected! I started out with a tour in Seoul, which is a pretty unusual way to begin, before heading to the mythical Crazy Horse Paris stage for the first time about a year later.
How do you spend your time when you aren’t on stage?
I rapidly found another way to express myself, something I find essential. I had played the role of Disney princesses, and I discovered a whole new and fascinating world: pins! I started by buying some, and following pin designers on Instagram…I had a few ideas of my own, and wanted to bring them to life. I launched my own “Bamby Original” brand.
I then had the honor of designing a series of pins for Crazy Horse Paris: the iconic Crazy Girls wig in eight different colours. I started with black, blue, pink and yellow, and later added green and red, and the last two are now purple and orange.
Which is your favorite scene and why?
It is difficult to just pick one, I love Chain Gang and Lay Laser Lay. Both of these scenes give me plenty of freedom to play a role. They allow me to develop my artistry, express my inner self and the part of myself that I wish to share with the audience. The wild, almost beastly, sensuality of Lay Laser Lay is also a powerful feeling for me, something I love to merge with and express. I have only recently started to play this role, and I simply love it!
How would you describe a Crazy Girl?
I like to describe Crazy Girls using three Cs: classy, charismatic and curvy. But being a Crazy Girl is clearly much more than that! One other point is important for me, I feel that my “Crazy Girl” role and my “alter ego” are one and the same. Even though I play a role on stage, I still bring my background and my feelings to the show, I am not betraying myself in any way, this is really me. I also greatly admire women in general, particularly my aunty! She is so strong, I can but respect her… and my Crazy Girl colleagues!
Come discover our dancer Bamby Splish-Splash every evening at Crazy Horse Paris for the show “Totally Crazy!”
To celebrate the reopening, there will be an abundance of good cheer and festive surprises.
Before each performance, check out our Instagram account to find out all about the dancer’s background and talents. Then set off for the cabaret to admire her on stage throughout the Totally Crazy show. Be prepared, at the end of the show, as for the very first time, you will have the opportunity to ask her everything you always wanted to know about Crazy Horse Paris (but were afraid to ask)! In the meantime, you can learn more about our dancers and artist just here:
The 40 dancers and guest performers are impatient to be center stage once again and to reconnect with you, of course in compliance strict sanitary measures.
October is a special month for women: breast cancer screening and fundraising both feature in this annual campaign. Crazy Horse Paris, temple of womanhood, is making its own distinctive contribution to ensure Pink October is a big success.
Steadfast support for “Souffle de Violette”
A great story about women, a great initiative for women: it all started in 2011, as a collaboration between Crazy Horse Paris and the EREEL endowment fund. So the club has been involved for eight years, committed and supportive of this programme helping women affected by cancer to get their lives back on track.
Whether it’s makeup tutorials or special events, these experiences quietly shared by the Crazy Girls and the Violettes are moments stolen away from the illness, an affirmation of life. During these times together, femininity is restored, enhanced: a way of defying adversity with pride, happiness and confidence.
A “Crazy Curiosity” Pink October special
1 minute 43 seconds, that’s how long it takes Mika Do and Gloria Di Parma to laughingly choose between “Good girl or bad girl”, ”Touch or taste”… Crazy Curiosity, specially created in support of the “Souffle de Violette” programme for Pink October, is a fine way for the club to be involved that reflects its identity.
At Crazy Horse Paris, femininity, humour and sensuality are weapons of mass seduction. So the message to all women, whether or not they are fighting ill-health, is to cultivate their inner light as much as their outer glow. A great way of just being yourself.
1951 CRÉATION DU CRAZY HORSE
Alain Bernardin, artiste et amateur de femmes, fonde le Crazy Horse Saloon qui ouvre ses portes sur l'Avenue George V, en plein cœur du Triangle d'Or dans le quartier des grandes maisons de couture.
1953 PREMIER NUMÉRO DE NU PARTIEL
Le Crazy Horse crée son premier numéro de nu partiel. Les bénéfices sont reversés à la Fondation Abbé Pierre, qui lutte contre toutes les formes de mal-logement, l’un des grands maux de l’Hexagone après-guerre.
LE BAIN, VERSION ORIGINALE
Miss Candida prend son bain sur la scène du Crazy Horse plus de 500 fois quelques 50 années avant que Dita Von Teese ne lui rende hommage dans un numéro de reprise intitulé "Le Bain".
Every night, the Crazy Horse Paris show combines wonder and glamor. But behind the show, grace and femininity are the fruits of demanding work.
That is what Svetlana Konstantinova, stage director and keeper of the legend that is the Crazy Girls troupe, has been passionately carrying out for more than a decade.
Svetlana Konstantinova is an attentive and caring presence working in the shadows so the Crazy Girls can shine in the spotlight. Read her interview below.
What is your role at Crazy Horse Paris?
I started classical dance and stage training at the age of eight and joined the management of the Crazy Horse Paris troupe in 2007. I then became show manager in 2009, and now I am the Stage and Production Director. That means that I’m in charge of the Crazy Horse troupe in Paris and on tour. I guarantee the quality of the shows night after night, and I train and rehearse with the Crazy Girls.
What is special about your work?
At Crazy Horse Paris, each show is unique, but it always uses the same choreographic language, which is specific to our House and unrivalled in the whole world. That is what really sets our shows apart. The arched back, the lighting effects, the graphic projections, the bobbed wigs, the high heels and the scarlet red lips, the specific size of our scene – all these elements contribute to creating our unique show.
The solo dancers are different each night, which allows every Crazy Girl to continue to progress and not get stuck in a routine. In addition, you really have to think about the size and personality of each dancer for the group numbers. The visual effect must be perfect. To assist me, I appoint captains, who are my “right-hand women” during the show. They are dancers with experience and character who have a sense of responsibility and organization.
What kind of dancer is a Crazy Girl?
I believe our dancers are artists who do not limit themselves to performing a choreography, but who work on their interpretation. Every Crazy Girl is different, with her own personality and with something special to offer. That’s what makes the magic work! She must be capable of captivating the audience on her own, and that comes from what her body expresses as well as her state of mind. A Crazy Girl feels and shares emotions, and that is the focus of all our work. Moreover, the dancers now take theater classes to cultivate this presence. When they express their feelings, cultivate them and offer them to the audience, we are able to witness emotional moments, and that’s what we’re looking for.
Is it complicated to become a Crazy Girl?
The audition is very short (one and a half minutes) and the applicant has to improvise to a random piece of music. What makes someone stand out is quite subtle. The ability to capture the light, or some special little thing that lights up the audition, sometimes for just an instant, but that shows all her potential. Having so little time to win the jury over also helps us assess how the applicant will manage stress, which is very important for joining the Crazy Horse Paris troupe.
How are they trained once they succeed at their audition?
We require great discipline because we aim for excellence and the beauty of harmony.
From the tips of their nails to the ends of their hair, every detail counts and contributes to creating this vision of the height of proud femininity that is showcased on the Crazy Horse Paris stage every night.
Moreover, many Crazy Girls come from a classical dance background, so they have to leave that academic rigor behind and give their curves and sensuality the freedom to express themselves.
Essentially, they have to relearn how to dance! The best example is working on developing an arched back, which is one of the signatures of Crazy Horse Paris. But it’s also important to acquire the “Crazy attitude” – a stage presence, the Crazy Girl stride, look, etc. It can take years before a new recruit becomes a “real” Crazy Girl: a free, strong and confident woman.
When Crazy Horse Paris works with creators and guests, how do you fit into that?
The creators bring their ideas, they are present during the rehearsals – we spend a lot of time together. They become a bit like part of the family, they belong to the House. The entire collaboration takes place in a spirit of exchange because it is necessary to find the common ground between their vision and that of Crazy Horse Paris with its internationally unique vocabulary and image. With that in mind, I make sure that everything goes smoothly, with an approach combining the staging and the choreography.
What are your tips for aspiring Crazy Girls?
First of all, you have to have a real passion for the profession and for the stage. A Crazy Girl continues to work, search and progress as an artist. She must like to show herself on a stage and have self-confidence – that takes courage and a certain openness.
Of course, she also knows how to take care of herself and cultivate her beauty! But the dream must also be part of her life. She seeks to achieve her dreams by setting goals and loving what she does with all her heart.
