On the tips of their toes

“Red Shoes” is an artistic, aesthetic and dreamlike number that invites you to a moment of absolute pleasure.

Philippe Decouflé, director of the show “Désirs”, wanted an “en pointe” ballet number in the show as a tribute to all ballerinas.

In particular, he was inspired by the dancers who make up the Crazy Girls cast, most of whom come from a classical ballet training.

Once they pass the Crazy Horse casting, new recruits undergo extensive training of two to three months during which “we deconstruct the classical dancer to rebuild the Crazy dancer”, explains Stage and Production Director Svetlana Konstantinova.

The red shoes

“Red Shoes” is inspired by the famous tale by the same name by the Dane Hans Christian Andersen, whose story was also included in the eponymous film directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger and released in 1948.

A woman wearing red shoes and passionately in love with dance, is carried away by her shoes, which want to continue to dance to until the young woman dies from exhaustion.

This lyrical number thus represents a metaphor for the obsession dancers have for their art.

For Chief Creative Officer Andrée Deissenberg, the scene the “Red Shoes” could equally refer to Alain Bernardin, the founder of the Crazy Horse, and his obsession for artistic creation down to his very last breath.

Costumes created by Cadolle

The “Red Shoes” costumes were created by Poupie Cadolle, heir to the famous lingerie house Cadolle founded by Eugénie Herminie Cadolle, creator of the first “modern” bra in 1889.

Synonymous with seduction and refinement, the Cadolle maison is renowned for its must-have corsets.

Lighting effects for this scene were created by Begoña Garcia Navas.

The choreographer Philippe Decouflé also created the introductory video for this moving scene –wearing pointe ballet shoes.