“We had to adapt to customs and requirements”: Crazy Horse is exported to Dubai with a less naked show

On the stage of the theater of a luxury hotel in Dubai, dancers from Crazy Horse rehearse scenes from the famous Parisian cabaret, which is about to make its debut in the Gulf emirate. In the room, waiters and technicians are putting the final touches to the preparations for the opening scheduled for November 12, in the shadow of the war in the Middle East.

The “Dubai Edition” retains the codes of the emblematic cabaret, created in 1951 by Alain Bernardin and laying the foundations of “nude chic” with the idea of ​​“dressing” the bodies with projections of patterns (zebra stripes, polka dots, etc.) to differentiate itself from the large “feathered” cabarets like the Lido or the Moulin Rouge.

There too, spectators will be treated to suggestive choreographies and subtle work of light. In the darkness, we can see the silhouettes of the dancers, bare shoulders and legs, but the representation has been adapted to the expectations of the local clientele.

Scarlet red decor

“In Paris, they are dressed by the lights. Here, they have more costumes, with the same lighting,” explains Andrée Deissenberg, general creative and brand director of the Crazy Horse group. Another special feature is that the show will include an aerial number for the first time in its history.

If the decor is scarlet red as it should be, the atmosphere is less intimate than in the Parisian basement where Crazy Horse was born. The larger room is located in a hotel on the artificial island Palm Jumeirah in the shape of a palm tree, a symbol of the emirate's opulence.

These adjustments don't faze Brio Mindset, one of the troupe's 18 dancers. This 28-year-old Frenchwoman, who had already worked in Dubai, says she was first “intrigued” then won over by the project, and praises the work of the teams who created nearly 500 pieces of costumes for this edition. “We had to adapt to the customs and requirements of Dubai, which we did with great elegance and chic,” she explains, wearing stiletto heels and a red bathrobe like her lips.

Dog-eared image

After the closure several years ago of its versions in Las Vegas and Singapore, Crazy Horse chose Dubai for its only permanent international show. The project was born from a partnership, concluded in early 2025, with a French entrepreneur based in the emirate. With nearly 20 million visitors per year, a population made up of 90% expatriates and a rare effort to open up in the Arab world, the tourist showcase of the United Arab Emirates seemed to offer an ideal setting.

Meanwhile, the war, triggered by the strikes by the United States and Israel against Iran on February 28, has seriously damaged the country's image as a safe haven and led to a decline in tourism. At the height of the retaliatory attacks carried out by Tehran against its Gulf neighbors, including the Emirates, “there was a brief moment of hesitation”, says the manager of Crazy Horse.

But the local partner remains “very confident (...) that Dubai will regain its dynamism”, underlines Andrée Deissenberg, despite the persistent tensions in the region and the new threat of a resumption of hostilities in recent weeks.