PETITPAS
If the Crazy Horse hadn’t gotten involved, Pia Petitpas might still be strutting her stuff in French army boots, instead of Crazy Girl stilettos. After fifteen years of a love affair with classical dance and at age eighteen, she completely and unexpectedly enrolls in an elite preperatory school that makes her admissible to enter the officer’s military school in Saint-Cyr. But then at twenty “Eyes right!”, her passion for dancing gets the better of her and she becomes part of the elite Crazy Horse dance troupe. Every evening she dons the uniform and marches in step, but for the opening scene of the mythical Crazy Horse Paris show!
How did you get your stage name?
“Pia” because of my Corsican ancestry. “Petitpas” is a refence to both the choreopgrapher and classical dancer Marius Petipa and to the detours I took to get into the dance troupe. Four auditions later and here I am!
Tell us about your first steps on the Crazy Horse stage?
I was the happiest girl alive when I became a part of Crazy Horse dance troupe. But it was very difficult getting in. I got here when I was twenty, hardly an adult, thinking that I’d at last become a woman and that I’d succeeded in taking my place in the world. But in fact, nowhere near, everything still needed to be done! I was asked to dig into myself to find things that I didn’t even know were there, like my “femme fatale” side, or my ability to look the audience straight into the eye. Only now, three years in, am I feeling more confident and like I’ve earned my place here.
What has your experience at the Crazy Horse taught you?
I’ve learnt to take my time with things, to let them grow and ripen. I was impatient and intolerant with myself. Now, I’m trying to aim higher while still being content with small, everyday accomplishments. Small steps is what it takes!
What is it that still keeps your heart thumping when you come to work at the Crazy Horse?
Le Crazy is one-of-a-kind, its aesthetic signature speaks to my heart. I love the art of the nude, whether in paintings, in pictures or on stage. I believe the human body to be truly a wonder of nature and the Crazy Horse is able to transcend it by making the many facets of femininity shine in all their glory. At Crazy Horse Paris, the dancers are nude on stage, but that’s not what the audience sees! It’s magical!
What woman inspires you most?
My greatest inspiration will always be my classical dance teacher, Magdalena, who’s accompanied me ever since I was a little girl. She’s a woman imbued with natural garce and incredible stance, who’s always impressed and supported me. She’s been my shining light on the road to dancing, she’s transmitted passion, rigour and the desire to dedicate my entire life to the art.
Do you have a trick to help you overcome stage-fright?
Against stage-fright only one thing helps. Don’t leave anything to chance, be as prepared as you can be: perfect makeup, hair, warm-up, knowing my choreography by heart.
Which scene of the Totally Crazy! show do you think is the most amazing?
Without a doubt, Attitude ! Being my first solo performance, it has that peculiar feel of the first time and is the result of a collaboration between me and Psykko Tico, who trained me. Makes me think of a music box, the dancer performing inside a rotating hula hoop on the tiny Crazy Horse stage amidst an array of mirrors. It produces a magical and mystertious atmosphere, the very expression of grace and fluidity in one.
Photos : Victor Point
