“Memories return to me in fragments: (...) Rita Cadillac’s white corset with green polka dots, which she unlaced with her hands clad in black tulle gloves, with such mastery and deliberation that, rather than the whistles that normally greet such performances, a deep silence fell across the theatre.”
RĂ©gine Deforges
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Crazy Horse Paris opened its doors in 1951, but its most defining aspect arrived in 1953: the troupe. Unlike traditional cabarets built around a single star, Crazy Horse Paris was conceived as a collective. No hierarchy, just an ensemble of showgirls sharing the spotlight.
Among that first generation was Rita Cadillac, daughter of a Russian father and a French mother. Her plan was to be a fashion designer. After attending art school, she arrived at Folies Bergère cabaret with her portfolio. But she was hired as a nude model. Lost in a large cast, unnoticed by most. Except Mr. Bernardin, who brought her to Crazy Horse Paris.
Described by him as “tall, slender like a thoroughbred, with a body of warm amber color, long hair with red highlights, and green eyes with a strange lilac gaze,” he created her first solo: a satin dress slowly coming apart beneath fur coat. To a fast modern rhythm, she emerges from a lingerie set. She leaves the stage as a white fox slides along her body. That performance made her a sensation across Paris.
There was already tension between cabarets. Bernardin had taken a showgirl named Fortunia from the Folies, which didn’t sit well with its director, Paul Derval. In response, he tried to lure Rita, unaware she had been part of his cast just months earlier. She accepted, but on her terms: no exclusivity. She would perform wherever she wanted.
At Folies she alternated with the star, Yvonne MĂ©nard. But her brief time at Crazy Horse Paris had already turned her into a nightlife sensation. Soon, she replaced her. At her peak, Rita Cadillac was performing in up to four venues in a single night. A true celebrity, she recorded music, appeared in films, toured internationally, and remained tied to Crazy Horse Paris for nearly a decade.
Bernardin later recalled one of her early departures: shortly after he created her first solo, she learned it and left to work independently in Brazil. For six months, she performed in a cabaret in Copacabana. She caused a stir walking, not on the beach, but through the streets of Rio, in the tiniest bikini. Police had to intervene; she was dismissed from her contract and eventually returned to Crazy Horse Paris.
Photo credits : All images from Crazy Horse Paris Archives