D'AMOUR
How did you get your stage name?
My first name “Etta” comes from Etta James, my favorite female singer of all times. And as for “D’Amour”, I think it speaks for itself!
When and how did you get into dancing?
As a little girl I was already very athletic! I played football, did gymnastics, went surfing and deep-sea diving. When I was twelve I went to see a ballet and after it I realized, I want to become a dancer! Age sixteen I left my home on the Sunshine Coast for a dance school on the Gold Coast. There they trained us hard: dancing from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and in the evenings I’d study for my higher school certificate through distance learning. Later, I was hired as a dancer on a cruise ship and just as I was about to sign my contract, I received an email from Crazy Horse Paris inviting me to an audition. A few months later, I packed my whole life into an enormous suitcase and flew off to Paris.
The atmosphere backstage before the curtains are drawn, Totally Crazy or totally focused?
Some evenings there’s a truly electric vibe, a completely insane energy pulsing through the dressing rooms and then again on others, each girl is in her own little bubble, concentrating on her role.
What’s the most important thing in life?
This might sound a bit simplistic, but the most important thing for me is to do what I love to do and be surrounded by the people I love. And laughter! Isn’t the goal in life to enjoy good times and laugh?
Coming all the way from Australia, why is it the Crazy Horse you chose to work for?
It all started with the Burlesque (2010) movie I watched hundreds of times when I was a teenager. Just like the protagonist, played by Christina Aguilera, my dream was to become a dancer in a magnificent cabaret. So when I was old enough to work, I started looking into how to make this dream come true, knowing that in Australia cabarets aren’t really part of the cultural fabric. That’s when I heard talk of Crazy Horse Paris. It started to become an obsession, my number one goal in life.
Do you ever feel like you’re truly naked when you’re on stage at the Crazy Horse?
My concept of nudity is actually quite paradoxical. For example, I wouldn’t consider going topless on a beach, way too shy for that, but here on stage, I’ve got two hundred pairs of eyes turned on me and it doesn’t bother me in the least. It’s both strange, yet easy to understand. Here, nudity is something else, it’s art.
How does one deal with their own love life, when one embodies an international fantasy?
This is not a problem for me, as my love affair with the Crazy is intimately tied to my personal love story. Two months after arriving in Paris, my boyfriend from Australia decided to come live here and was almost immediately hired to work for the Crazy. James Fenwick, the talented guest artist who’s now part of the show! Working and living together has made us stronger, since, when we miss our country and families, we understand and support each other.
Which scene of the Totally Crazy! show do you think is the most amazing?
Lay Laser Lay is by far my favorite! The night before my audition, I watched the show for the very first time and it really took my breath away. I love everything about it. It’s real, deep and so artistic that it just can’t leave anyone indifferent. It’s the first solo performance I was ever entrusted with. I feel different when I’m on stage, as if I’ve found my place in the world.
Photos : RĂ©mi Desclaux
