ECO PLAIDOYER

What is the story behind your stage name?

Eco Plaidoyer refers to my environmental commitment and the way I have always expressed my convictions loudly and proudly. From a very young age, I knew what I stood for. For example, I grew up in Texas without eating meat, having understood early on that fighting for the planet was not optional. I also love the fact that “Eco” evokes an echo, because I believe my passion and commitment resonate through my dancing. I also like its mysterious connotation.

What is your story with dance?

My story with dance is unconventional. I grew up in Austin in a family of dedicated athletes. As a child, I played football, volleyball, and softball, and took ballet classes, although dance was not my priority.

Then one day, I had to choose between a football match and a ballet performance taking place at the same time. I chose dance, and that decision shaped everything that followed. I fell in love with the discipline. I loved its grace, power, and rigor.

Every summer, I attended intensive programs at prestigious schools such as the American Ballet Theatre in New York. I thought I would become a ballerina, but part of me felt constrained by the classical world.

I then discovered music hall, and I felt my personality break free and explode on stage. It was as though I had found a superpower. After that, I turned to burlesque, drawn to its elegant and subtly sexy style.

Then a friend sent me an announcement for a Crazy Horse Paris audition in New York. I became one of the five finalists, several of whom are now members of the company. There was a very particular atmosphere in the room. We were united by the same dizzying feeling that our destinies were about to change. But it was not yet my time.

Three years later, I decided to cross the Atlantic to audition in Paris, and here I am.

It is the craziest thing I have ever done. And the best.

What kind of woman are you when you are on the Crazy Horse Paris stage?

There is a kind of alter ego within me who becomes completely free on the Crazy Horse Paris stage. Here, I feel more powerful, magnetic, and deeply connected than ever to my body, my dancing, and the intention guiding them.

I am also very playful on stage. I may appear close to you and seductive, yet I remain inaccessible. It is a game of seduction that I want to be both entertaining and thought provoking, particularly in relation to the way women are perceived and regarded.

What did you discover about yourself when you became a Crazy Horse Paris dancer?

I learned to be proud of myself again. After years of ballet, during which I exhausted myself trying to achieve perfection, I had lost the ability to recognize my own accomplishments.

Here, by doing something so deeply rooted within me, I rediscovered that ability. I have a thousand reasons to be proud of myself, and that makes me happy. I have reached a point in my life where I feel like a fulfilled woman. Crazy Horse Paris accelerated and amplified that process.

How would you define femininity?

Brave. Resilient. Eternal. Free. Wild. Fierce.

Femininity is not delicacy or sensuality, which are stereotypes. Femininity is the most authentic expression of who you are. Every woman has her own way of embodying it. That fire exists within every one of us.

In your opinion, what has created the magic of Crazy Horse Paris for the past seventy five years?

Crazy Horse Paris is timeless because women never go out of style. It is as simple as that.

Every dancer brings something entirely unique. This is not a corps de ballet made up of interchangeable performers. It is a constellation of women who know exactly who they are and share it truthfully and authentically on stage, while preserving a profound sense of mystery.

What attracts you so deeply to this profession?

I believe dance is the most direct and emotionally powerful form of expression, and therefore the most compelling. I do not need words to move you, communicate a message, or convince you to look at me.

What do you want to convey to the audience when you dance on the Crazy Horse Paris stage?

As women, we are living through an especially difficult period. Across the world, our fundamental rights are being questioned, particularly in my home country.

Being on the Crazy Horse Paris stage and presenting the image of a woman who is free to move as she chooses and to express her thoughts and emotions if she wishes feels like a powerful message today. When a woman leaves the show feeling strong and proud to be a woman, then I have contributed to the magic of Crazy Horse Paris.

As a dancer, how would you describe your relationship with your body?

My body is my vessel. It is the most precious thing I possess as a dancer. For a long time, I had a difficult relationship with it before realising that treating it with so little care made no sense.

The moment I began giving my body love, I felt more connected to myself, my musicality improved, and I became a better dancer. Today, I am proud of my body and of the journey we have travelled together, a journey that brought me to Crazy Horse Paris to embody femininity.

Which female icons inspire you?

Every woman I have encountered in my life has inspired me in her own way, but I will choose two.

First and foremost, my mother. We are very different in our beliefs and lifestyles, but fundamentally very similar. One evening at dinner, while our views were clashing, my family sided with her. She immediately defended me and said, “No. You will love her unconditionally.” That support and unconditional love allowed me to become who I am.

I would also choose Lady Gaga. She is an artist and a woman who has inspired me enormously. The most important lesson I took from encountering her work is that no one should ever have to apologize for being themselves.

Which act in The Dubai Edition amazes you the most?

As a huge fan of the film Burlesque, I have always loved But I’m a Good Girl. I dreamed of performing this solo because it is joyful, playful, sexy, and full of life. And it was the very first solo I was assigned.

I must also say that Rougir de Désir is the most intense act for me. It is highly original and fascinating. The dancer appears only as a silhouette, so we cannot see her facial expressions, yet we can still feel them through the sheer power of the act.