SPEECH BY
DIDIER BERNARDIN Thank you Min Yen. Good afternoon everyone. I’m Didier Bernardin, the managing director of Crazy Horse Paris. My father, Alain Bernardin, was the founder of Crazy Horse in Paris more than 50 years ago. My father was an artistic man. He was deeply involved in the Parisian modern art scene in the 1950s. He wanted to create a show that would capture the artistic spirit of the times. His vision was to create a show that would celebrate l’art du nu – a fusion of dance, music, art and performance. From this Crazy Horse was born. The concept was to paint women’s bodies with beautiful lighting and spectacular costumes and express a modern spirit through dance and music. When my father died, my family and I carried on his work. The show has continued to evolve so it remains modern and cool. But, Crazy Horse today remains true to my father’s original vision. So what will you see at the Crazy Horse Paris show? You will see beautiful dancers, each of them trained in classical ballet. You will see amazing lighting effects, with our dancers bathed with dramatic coloured lights. The dance routines are spectacular. Our choreographer devises each routine to match specially composed music. The costuming and lighting effects are then added to provide a dazzling spectacle. And you will see men and women having a fantastic night out on the town. Crazy Horse Paris is cool, modern and artistic. It is a sophisticated night out and the high quality of the entertainment means it appeals to men and women alike. Crazy Horse Paris is unique in the world. No other cabaret or nightclub entertainment compares. It has become a truly international brand. It is one of the top nightlife entertainment choices for tourists visiting Paris. The integrity of the Crazy Horse brand is very important to us. We worked hard to build the brand and it was almost 50 years before we decided to allow the brand to be used outside Paris. In 2001, we opened La Femme – a replica of Crazy Horse Paris at the MGM Grand casino in Las Vegas. La Femme has become one of the most popular nightlife attractions in one of the most competitive entertainment environments in the world. Our decision to open Crazy Horse Paris in Singapore was one we made after very careful consideration. A range of other parties had approached us, wanting to bring Crazy Horse to different cities in Asia. But we were particularly impressed by Singapore and the people from Eng Wah. Singapore is a modern and vibrant city. It is a very successful mix of Asian and European values but it has its own energy and identity. We believe it is a perfect location for Crazy Horse Paris. We were also impressed by the professionalism of Eng Wah’s bid. They were proactive and determined to succeed. Importantly for me, our companies share the same values and I know they believe in the integrity of the Crazy Horse brand. This is very much a partnership. Our agreement means that Crazy Horse Paris will have ongoing creative control of the cabaret in Singapore. We will design the shows, compose the music, choreograph the dances, and handle the lighting and costume design. These elements are all integral to the performances. We will also recruit and train the dancers, ensuring the Crazy Horse dancers reflect our high standards. A Crazy Horse dancer must be classically trained in ballet. She must be beautiful and conform to a very specific height and body shape criteria. She must also understand teamwork, have a sense of humour and be of excellent character. We will begin casting for the Singapore show soon. Most of our dancers will come from Europe, mainly France, but we hope to recruit a couple of dancers from Asia. We are very excited to be bringing Crazy Horse Paris to Singapore. Eng Wah’s plans for the cabaret are stunning and the new property offers even greater scope to stage a beautiful and amazing show. Together, we will bring an exciting new dimension to your nightlife and we look forward to entertaining you in the true Crazy Horse spirit. Thank you. |