How did you get your stage name?
Frida was obvious for me because the artist Frida Kahlo is my greatest inspiration. She embodies a strong, combative and creative woman who reminds me that it is important to defend your values, freedom and dreams. Whirlwind refers to my energy on stage.
How did you get into dance?
I grew up in the countryside in Australia. I started ballet at the age of three and immediately felt that it resonated with me. At fourteen, I moved to the city of Brisbane to join a ballet school full time. During the day I danced, and in the evening I studied.
At seventeen, I left Australia to attend the International Ballet School of Brussels. That year, I began to suffer from injuries that were a sign that I could not physically endure the career of a professional ballerina It was difficult to accept. I was very young, alone on the other side of the world, and had to say goodbye to the career of my dreams. But I was determined to respect my body and instead focus on contemporary dance. But ballet will always remain number one in my heart,
At eighteen, I joined the Milano Contemporary Ballet and started touring, then Covid came along. During this period, I realized that I wanted to enjoy my youth, to be on stage every night and smile, perform and have a blast! A little later, I was hired by a cruise company where I met Parisian cabaret dancers. You have to know that in Australia, cabaret doesn’t exist. I had heard about the Moulin Rouge which I found interesting, of course… But when I found out about the Crazy Horse, I was stunned! I said to myself, “That’s crazy! It’s perfect for me! But it’ll never happen…”. Without believing for one second that I would be selected, I sent an email to request a private audition. By chance, they accepted. In the space of one week, I passed two auditions and was hired. When Andrée Deissenberg told me, I was so stunned that I burst into tears. After that, I went back to Australia to get my things in order for my new life, then came back to Paris two days before starting work as a Crazy Girl.
What kind of woman are you when you’re on stage at the Crazy Horse?
A free woman. Only the stage has this magical power over me. It liberates me from everything, whatever feelings I may have had backstage a few seconds before the show.
What do you love about this passionate job?
I have a love-hate relationship with dance. I have so much love for the discipline that I could never give it up, but the search for perfection can be painful. It is a pretty cerebral relationship, like an addictive game that I play with myself. Plus, dance is my way of expressing myself: it is the one I’m best at.
Part femme fatale, part oriental vestal, is a talent for acting innate in a Crazy Girl?
I don’t know if it’s innate, but personally speaking, it’s probably my strength. Another girl will stand out for her exceptional flexibility, but for me it’s playing a part. At the moment, all my solos require acting, and I love that.
Do you feel naked on stage?
Not at all. At my premiere, it was only when I went home after the show that I realized that I had danced naked in front of all these people! When I undress backstage before the show, I put on my best outfit: my self-confidence.
Which act of the Totally Crazy! show do you love the most?
I didn’t think I would like Rougir de Désir because it was everyone’s favorite act; not wanting to follow the herd, I had secretly decided that it wouldn’t be mine. But the truth is that when I saw it for the first time, I cried. I also love Champain, a small iconic Crazy Horse solo. I enjoy this act so much, that the hardest thing is to leave the stage! I also really like Take My Love! It’s my favorite trio!
Discover Frida Whirlwind in video:
Photos : Paul-Henri Pesquet, François Goizé
Video: Paul-Henri Pesquet
