In those years, the Parisian Crazy Dance Troupe was very popular in Macau｜Contribution #05

Author: Jian Ye

The popular "yellow" trend

Speaking of Macau's representative tourist attractions, the first thing that many people think of may be luxury casinos and Portuguese-style monuments. However, it turns out that decades ago, there was another "scenery" that was equally popular as the above-mentioned attractions.

Time goes back to the 1970s. "Paris Dance Company" under Macau Tourism and Entertainment Co., Ltd. (Macau Entertainment, the only company operating casinos in Macau at the time) was once the highlight entertainment program of Macau Entertainment and was also endorsed by official tourism promotional publications. "Popular must-see attractions".

Unfortunately, "Paris Dance Company" announced on social media that it had closed down due to the epidemic after its performance on the evening of April 6, 2022. The former gambling king Stanley Ho's "ace show" has now sadly exited. The reason behind this is of course 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 Hong Kong and Macao tourist visa policies, As a result, the number of mainland Chinese tourists visiting Macau has dropped significantly, and the "Paris Crazy Dance Troupe" has also been unable to continue operating due to the sharp drop in customer base.

Although we can no longer witness the wonderful performances of the dance troupe with our own eyes, through old newspaper reports, we can also get a glimpse of the history of the "Paris Crazy Dance Troupe" that flourished in Macau, and remember this unknown old scene.

When erotic dancing became Macau’s “life signature”

The history of "Paris Crazy Dance Company" in Macau can be traced back to the 1960s. Starting from April 1969, the dance troupe was staged on Macau ships by the Shun Tak Shipping Company, which at that time operated ship services between Hong Kong and Macau. 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 host the "Paris Crazy Show" in Macau.

But when it comes to erotic dancing, it is certainly not a show that is "suitable for all ages". It is said that on July 19, 1979, the Macau Public Screening Selection Committee participated in a preview of a Paris Crazy Dance Troupe. Most committee members believed that the performance should be classified as "Group D", that is, under ten years old. Not allowed for ages eight.

After passing through the Portuguese Macau government, the "Paris Crazy Dance Troupe" began to promote it vigorously. A preview performance was arranged at 4 pm the next day to entertain journalists from Hong Kong and Macao. At the same time, Macao Entertainment also published Crazy in Paris in many newspapers in Hong Kong and Macao, such as Macao Overseas Chinese News, Macao Citizen Daily, Hong Kong Overseas Chinese Daily, etc. Advertising for pre-sale tickets for the show.

According to the advertisement, in addition to pre-purchasing tickets for the dance troupe in many places in Hong Kong and Macao, the number of performers it invited was also numerous. From the publicity, preparations and dramas, it can be seen that gambling king Stanley Ho at the time had a strong interest in the dance troupe. Confident in potential.

Great drama, famous girls

After all the preparations, Crazy Dance Company of Paris officially premiered at the Pentagon Theater in Macau at 9pm on July 21st. The program for the first night includes: (1) Prologue, (2) Mermaid of the Phantom Sea, (3) Dance of Love, (4) Journey to the 21st Century, (5) Four in One, (6) Spider Girl, (7) Midnight Madness, (8) Iron Riding Girl, (9) Magical Love, (10) Goodbye Macau. Later, "Mermaid of the Phantom Sea", "French Can Can", and "Flying Through the Ages" also became long-term performances, and different new elements were often introduced into the performances.

When it comes to the most famous dance stars in the troupe, there are initially "Zita" and "Victoria" from France. They are the red stars of the famous nightclub "Episode" in Paris. Another mainstay, Qi Qiliwei, It is from another famous nightclub in Paris, "The Shepherdess".

In addition to the French "stage star", the famous Portuguese Gypsy singer Ms. Stella was also invited by Macao Entertainment to perform in Macao. She arrived in Macau on September 8, 1979, and immediately joined the Paris Crazy Dance Troupe and the Portuguese National Song and Dance Troupe to perform. In fact, most of the 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 instructors.

daily operations

In 1980, the first anniversary of the founding of the dance troupe. Due to the enthusiastic response from the public, Macao Entertainment also adjusted the ticket prices. Starting from July 15, the ticket price on weekdays will be adjusted from the original price of 30 yuan to 40 yuan per ticket from Tuesday to Friday. On Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, the price per ticket is adjusted from NT$45 to NT$50.

But the seemingly smooth dance troupe actually encountered a passing accident. The Edouard Hotel, which has been abandoned for many years, was once the dormitory for members of the Paris Crazy Dance Troupe. On October 30, 1980, a fire broke out on the fourth floor of the Edou Hotel. Fortunately, the hotel was not affected at that time. The performers of the dance troupe were performing at the Dome Theater. When they returned to the Edou Hotel, the fire was almost extinguished. , so he survived.

By the mid-1980s, in addition to performing in permanent venues, the erotic dance troupe also participated in large-scale performances and large-scale dance competition judging activities. For example, there were dancers who participated in the "Products of Macau" fashion show held at the Ruins of St. Paul's on the evening of November 14, 1984.

The Green Parrot Disco at the Hyatt Regency Taipa also held a Joy and Fury dance competition on June 29, 1985. About a hundred people participated. At that time, dancers from the troupe dance troupe participated in the judging and also demonstrated the Joy and Fury dance competition. dance. In addition to daily work, from the above reports, we can also see that the Paris Crazy Dance Troupe played a decisive role in Macau at that time, and its high participation in social activities in Macau.

The performance venue of Paris Crazy Dance Troupe has also changed several times. Since 1986, the dance troupe has moved from the Macau Penthouse Cinema to perform in the old Lisboa Hotel, located in the Monte Rosa betting area. After the completion of the Grand Lisboa, it will be transferred to the Grand Lisboa midfield stage performance until the end of April 2022. The once-famous dance troupe in Macau also became history as the stage came to an end.

#Number of articles: 1️⃣1️⃣4️⃣

References:

Hong Kong Industrial and Commercial Daily, Macau Overseas Chinese News, Macau Citizen Daily, ALLINMEDIA News, Macau Encyclopedia

🎉Celebrating the new book! Book Lottery Event No. 4: "Twenty Years of Macau Politics and Economics"｜Exclusive for subscribers

👉February Lecture: Daily Stories of the Lower Class in the Qin and Han Dynasties (Ma Zengrong, Assistant Professor, Department of History, University of Macau)

👉Macau Learn Universe 16