In those years, the Paris Crazy Dance Troupe that flourished in Macau｜Submission #05

Author: Jianye

The popular "yellow" tide

When talking about the representative tourist attractions in Macau, many people may think of luxury casinos and Portuguese-style monuments at the first time.

Back in the 1970s, the "Paris Crazy Dance Troupe" under the Macau Tourism and Entertainment Co., Ltd. (Macao Entertainment, the only company operating casinos in Macau at that time) was once the main entertainment program of Macau Entertainment, and it was also the official tourism promotion publication. Endorsed "Popular Must-Visit Attractions".

It is a pity that "Paris Crazy Dance Troupe" announced on social media after its performance on the evening of April 6, 2022 that it was defeated by the epidemic and closed. The "ace show" that was once the gambling king Ho Hongshen has now withdrawn sadly, although it is closely related to the impact of the epidemic on Macau: under the SAR government's "dynamic clearing" anti-epidemic policy, and the central government's tightening of the Hong Kong and Macau tourist visa policies, As a result, the number of mainland Chinese tourists visiting Macau has decreased significantly, and the "Crazy Dance Troupe in Paris" has also been unable to continue to operate due to the sharp decrease in the number of tourists.

Although we can no longer witness the splendid performance of the dance troupe in person, but through the reports of the old newspapers, we can also glimpse the prosperous history of "Paris Crazy Dance Troupe" in Macau, and cherish this unknown old scenery.

When Yanwu becomes Macau's "Life Sign"

The history of "Paris Crazy Dance Troupe" in Macau can be traced back to the 1960s. Beginning in April 1969, the Dance Troupe was performed on the Macau ferry by the "Shun Tak Shipping Company", which operated the ferry service between Hong Kong and Macau at that time. In the 1970s, in order to attract tourists from Hong Kong and all over the world to visit Macau, Macau Entertainment spent millions of Hong Kong dollars to organize the "Paris Crazy Dance Troupe" in Macau.

But when it comes to dancing, of course it's not a show for everyone. It is said that at that time, on July 19, 1979, the screening committee of the Macao public screening participated in a rehearsal of the Paris Crazy Dancing Company. Eight-year-old viewing is prohibited.

After passing through the Portuguese government of Macau, "Paris Crazy Dance Troupe" began to hype. A rehearsal was arranged at 4 pm the next day to entertain journalists from Hong Kong and Macau. At the same time, Macau Entertainment also published Paris Crazy Glamour in many newspapers in Hong Kong and Macau, such as Macau "Overseas Chinese Daily", Macau "Citizen Daily", Hong Kong "Overseas Chinese Daily", etc. An advertisement for pre-sale tickets for the dance company.

As listed in the advertisement, in addition to pre-purchasing tickets for the Yanwu troupe in many places in Hong Kong and Macau, the number of performers invited by it is also numerous. From the promotion, preparation and play, it can be seen that the gambling king He Hongshen was very interested in Yanwu. full of confidence in the team's potential.

Wonderful drama, famous girl

After all preparations, Paris Crazy Dance Troupe officially premiered at Macau Gangding Cinema at 9:00 pm on July 21st. The program schedule of the first night includes: (1) Prologue, (2) Mermaid in the Magic Sea, (3) Dance of Love, (4) Journey to the 21st Century, (5) Four in One, (6) Spider Girl Lang, (7) Midnight Madness, (8) Tieqi Jiaobao, (9) Magical Love Day, (10) Goodbye Macau. Later, "Mermaid in the Sea", "French Kencan Dance" and "Flying Dance" also became long-term performances, and the performances often introduced different new elements.

When it comes to the most famous dance stars of the show troupe, there are "Zida" and "Victoria" from France at first. They are the stars of the famous Paris nightclub "Danma", and another Zhu Qiqi Liwei, who is from France. It is from another famous nightclub in Paris, "The Shepherdess".

In addition to the French "Taizhu", the famous Portuguese gypsy singer Miss Stelia was also invited by Macau Entertainment to perform in Macau. She arrived in Macau on September 8, 1979, and immediately joined the Paris Crazy Dance Company and the Portuguese National Song and Dance Ensemble. In fact, most of the show dance troupes are composed of foreigners: the performers are all beautiful young girls from Europe, America and Australia, and the dances are choreographed by French tutors.

daily operation

In 1980, on the first anniversary of the founding of the Dance Troupe, Macau Entertainment also adjusted the ticket price due to the overwhelming response from the public. Starting from July 15, the weekday ticket price will be adjusted from the original price of 30 yuan to 40 yuan per ticket from Tuesday to Friday. Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays will be adjusted from $45 to $50 each.

However, the dance troupe, which seems to be operating smoothly, has also encountered a passing accident. The Love City Hotel, which has been abandoned for many years, was once the dormitory of the members of the Paris Crazy Dance Troupe. On October 30, 1980, a fire broke out on the fourth floor of the Aidu Hotel. Fortunately, the hotel part was not affected at that time, and the performers of the Dance Troupe were performing at the Gangding Theater. When they returned to the Aidu Hotel for accommodation, the fire was almost extinguished. , and thus survived.

In the mid-1980s, besides performing at the resident venue, the troupe also participated in large-scale performances and judging activities in large-scale dance competitions. For example, some dancers participated in the "Macau Products" fashion show held on the evening of November 14, 1984 at the Ruins of St. Paul's.

On June 29, 1985, the disco of the Green Parrot in the Hyatt Regency Taipa also held a dance competition of music and anger. About 100 people participated. At that time, the dancers of the Dance Troupe participated in the judging work and demonstrated both music and anger at the same time. dance. In addition to daily work, the above-mentioned reports can also see that the Paris Crazy Dance Troupe played a pivotal role in Macau, and the participation in Macau's social activities was high.

The performance venue of the Paris Crazy Dance Company has also undergone several changes. Since 1986, the show has moved from Macau's Gangding Theatre to the old Lisboa Hotel, where the venue is located in the betting area of Monro Lisa. After the completion of Grand Lisboa, it will be transferred to the Grand Lisboa midfield stage performance until April 2022. The dance troupe, which was once popular in Macau, has also become history when the stage is closed.

#Number of articles: 1️⃣1️⃣4️⃣

References:

Hong Kong "Business Daily", Macau "Overseas Chinese Daily", Macau "Citizen Daily", ALLINMEDIA Hao Bo News, "Macau Encyclopedia"

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