How did you get your stage name?

Liza is a reference to Liza Minnelli, the American actress, singer and dancer who has always been my inspiration. I am proud and honored to go on stage with her name. Stardust is a reference to Las Vegas’ famous Stardust Showgirls. Stardust taken literally has a poetic dimension that really appeals to me – and touches me personally.

How did you get into dance?

I was born in Australia to a dancer mother and musician father. Dance has been part of my life since I was in the cradle. By the time I was eighteen weeks old, I was already registered with a talent agency. My school career was the same as other children my age, but at the same time I was also an actress, model and dancer.

My mother and aunt gave me dance lessons from the age of two. When I was ten years old, I saw West Side Story on Broadway, I knew I wanted a career on stage. From then on, I had only one goal in mind: improve every aspect of my dancing in every possible way. Eight years later, when I was studying dance at university, I heard about the Crazy Horse for the first time, when they were touring Australia. All the dancers I knew went to see the show. On their way out, they all said: “Absolutely amazing!”.

Ever since I was a little girl, I heard people say that I would be a show girl in Paris. All this started to take shape in my head, and I started to think that maybe one day… I would be a Crazy Girl!

We would love to be a fly on the wall at a Crazy Horse audition, can you tell us about yours?

I’ve been over-trained for auditions since I was little. But an audition at the Crazy Horse is total improvisation! You go on stage without any idea of the music, what you’re going to do and what is expected of you. Which is stressful but at the same time, it’s exhilarating. You just have to enjoy yourself, dance and be yourself. All the dancers who come here are exceptional. What makes the difference is your personality and how you use it to dance.

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

The first word that comes to mind is “strong”; and terribly feminine too. I’m only twenty-three, so I think my dancing and femininity will evolve a lot on this stage. In this world, ‘femininity’ and ‘strength’ are rarely combined, yet they are almost synonyms!

Who are your biggest dance inspirations?

My biggest inspirations are my mother and my aunt, who have had amazing careers as dancers and who trained me since I was two. They also shaped my artistic culture. Early on, they showed me the shows of Bob Fosse, the great American choreographer and musical director. Liza Minnelli quickly became my ultimate reference. Like Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe, the artists of that generation created Hollywood classics. They are icons. I built my vision of dance from these icons.

What is the craziest thing you’ve done in your life?

Travelling across the world just to go to an audition is crazy; but not doing so would have been equally crazy. It might seem unreasonable to fly so far; but for me, it would have been pure madness not to have taken the flight. I think it’s important to be a little bit crazy in life, especially when you need to take some amount of risk to achieve your goals. This is what makes us grow.

Do you have a trick for stage fright?

I always carry a little angel with me. My mother gave it to me before I left on the cruise ship. It has a message that says, “may your wishes come true”. I feel that it protects me and it’s becoming my good luck charm.

As a woman and a cabaret dancer, what is your relationship to your body?

Our bodies deserve to be loved unconditionally, as a mother loves her child. I treat my body as I would like to be treated. Life is too short to suffer negative thoughts about yourself. Our body is our vessel, it is how we live and does so much for us… It deserves to be taken care of and respected.

Which of the Totally Crazy! group acts is your favorite?

I really like Scanner. There is a lot of improvisation and every night I feel like I’m performing a new choreography. To do this act, you have to let go and give a lot of yourself. We need to showcase our skills as dancers, but also as women. For some, it will be their hair, for others, an impeccable leg line. Every evening, depending on who’s dancing, Scanner shows a different face.

Discover Liza Stardust in video : 

Photos : Paul-Henri Pesquet, Antoine Poupel, François Goizé

Video : Paul-Henri Pesquet