Amputee star Modesta to star in Paris cabaret Crazy Horse
Viktoria Modesta had her leg amputated below the knee when she was 20. PHOTO: AFP
Mar 15, 2019 06:00 am
The world's "first bionic performance artist" Viktoria Modesta, the British model who had one leg amputated when she was 20, is set to star in the Paris cabaret Crazy Horse, known for its burlesque shows.
The 31-year-old singer, who appeared at the closing ceremony of the 2012 London Paralympics, will be the star of several specially created scenes with the cabaret's troupe of nude dancers.
Modesta is best known for the video of her 2014 song Prototype, in which she appears in a tutu with a spiked prosthetic leg.
It went viral on YouTube and social media and was viewed 16 million times on the Facebook page of British broadcaster Channel 4.
Latvian-born Modesta said she intends to "push back the limits of femininity in the most surprising and innovative ways" in the Crazy Horse shows, which begin in June.
The artist, who was born with a malformed hip due to an accident at birth, chose to have her leg amputated below the knee to "improve mobility and safeguard future health".
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It took her five years to persuade surgeons to do the operation, which she described as literally severing the thing that was holding her back.
Modesta has since become something of a pin-up for amputees and for questioning taboos around disability and sexuality.
She said she did not set out to "represent disability", adding: "I represent the feeling that you have a choice to create your own identity. It is about taking charge of your assets. If you don't fit in, then don't fit in." - AFP