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Go-go dancers are dancers who are employed to entertain crowds atnightclubs[1] or other venues where music is played. Go-go dancing originated in the early 1960s at the French bar Whisky a Gogo, located in the town ofJuan-les-Pins. The French bar then licensed its name to the West Hollywood rock clubWhisky a Go Go, which opened in January 1964 and chose the name to reflect the already popular craze of go-go dancing.[2] Many 1960s-era nightclub dancers wore short, fringed skirts and high boots which eventually came to be calledgo-go boots. Nightclubpromoters in the mid‑1960s then conceived the idea of hiring women dressed in these outfits to entertain patrons.
The termgo-go derives from the phrase "go-go-go" for a high-energy person,[3] and was influenced by the French expressionà gogo, meaning "in abundance, galore",[4] which is in turn derived from the ancient French wordla gogue for "joy, happiness".[5] The termgo-go dancer originated from the French bar Whisky à Gogo located in Juan-les-Pins, a seaside town nearCannes, which was among the first places in the world to replace live music with records selected by a disc jockey and to provide the spectacle of paid dancers known as go-go girls. The bar's name was taken from the French title of the Scottish comedy filmWhisky Galore![6]
On 19 June 1964,Carol Doda began go-go dancingtopless at theCondor Club on Broadway and Columbus in theNorth Beach neighborhood ofSan Francisco. She became the world's most famous topless and bottomless go-go dancer, dancing at the Condor for 22 years. In Canada, in 1966, Bonny Rush was mentioned as the country's first topless go-go dancer in the news media.[7] In general, however, go-go dancers in the 1960s did not work topless.[8]
In 1964 theLos Angeles–based clubWhisky a Go Go began suspending go-go dancers above the audience in glass cages.[9] Located on theSunset Strip inWest Hollywood, the club hired scantily clad dancers wearing knee-high vinyl go-go boots (or occasionally theCourrèges boots which inspired them) and mini skirts or miniflapper dresses.[10][11] The club began to hire go-go dancers regularly in July 1965.
Go-go discotheques began to open across the United States.[10] In 1967 an article inNewsweek estimated that there were 8000 go-go dancers working in the US, aged mostly between 18 and 21.[12] The majority of go-go dancers in theNew York metropolitan area were migrants from Brazil.[13] Go-go dancing was generally performed to recorded music rather than a live band.[14] The go-go dancers danced on tables, in cages, on dance floors[15] or on small go-go stages.[14] Their role was to entertain the audience and demonstrate dance moves.[15] Many dancers hoped that go-go dancing would provide them a way intoshow business.[10] Others simply earned money while travelling around the US as part of thecounterculture of the 1960s.[14] Earnings from go-go dancing in the mid-1960s were around $125–$200 per week.[10]
In Germany,Der Spiegel, in an article on discotheque trends in April 1965, described theScotch Kneipe and thePussycat inMunich as the first discotheques in the country to feature go-go dancers performing in cages above the audience.[16] In Canada in 1967, a club inMontreal's York Hotel began to employ the city's first go-go dancers. Other Montreal venues followed, including bars, hotels, taverns andstrip clubs. The dancers initially worepasties but over the years the amount of nudity shown increased.[17]
Go-go dancers were employed as background dancers accompanying performances (real or lip-synced) byrock and roll bands on teen music programs in the mid-1960s.Hullabaloo was a musical variety series that ran onNBC from 12 January 1965 to 29 August 1966.The Hullabaloo Dancers—a team of four men and six women—appeared on a regular basis. Another female dancer, model/actressLada Edmund, Jr., was best known as the caged "go-go girl" dancer in theHullabaloo A-Go-Go segment near the closing sequence of the show. Other dance TV shows during this period such asABC'sShindig! (16 September 1964 – 8 January 1966) also featured go-go dancers in cages. Sometimes these cages were made of clear plastic with lights strung inside of them; sometimes the lights were synchronized to go on and off with the music.Shivaree (syndicated, 1965–1966), another music show, usually put go-go dancers on scaffolding and on a platform behind the band which was performing.Beat-Club, a German show in the period, also used go-go dancers.[18]
Go-go dancing became the subject of 1960s pop songs such as "Little Miss Go-Go" (1965) byGary Lewis & the Playboys and "Going to a Go-Go" (1965) bythe Miracles.[19]
During the 1970s discotheques became less popular and few nightclubs employed go-go dancers. Opportunities for go-go dancing work mainly continued at strip clubs where the audience was all male.[12] Most of the strip clubs in the 1970s abandoned traditionalburlesque striptease in favour of livesex shows and go-go dancing which was performed topless[20] or naked.[12]
However, in the late 1970s, there was a nightclub at 128 West 45th Street (the same location where the Peppermint Lounge had been) inManhattan, New York City, calledG.G. Barnum's Room, patronized largely bytransgender women, that had male go-go dancers who danced ontrapezes above a net over the dance floor.[21][22]In 1978, theXenon night club in Manhattan became the first night club to provide go-go boxes for amateur go-go dancers to dance on.[23]
During the 1980s go-go dancing continued in strip clubs andpeep shows. Lawmakers in somejurisdictions passed regulations prohibiting nude dancing, requiring go-go dancers to wear pasties and aG-string. These laws were challenged under theFirst Amendment to the United States Constitution using the argument that naked go-go dancing qualifies asfree speech.[24]
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Musical styles such astechno,house music andtrance music appeared during the 1990s as part of undergroundrave culture. As these styles became mainstream, an increase in the use of go-go dancing accompanied their rise in popularity. Dancers performing to these musical styles began to appear atmusic festivals and nightclubs to encourage the crowd to dance. In the 21st century professional go-go dancers, mostly female, are paid to dance at these events in elaborate, brightly coloured costumes.[9] They are sometimes called performance art dancers.[25]
Today, go-go dancing has also found an outlet in mass media.HorrorPops, a Danish band, is known for featuring go-go dancers in their live performances and their music videos. The music video for "Horrorbeach" was dedicated entirely to the band's go-go dancers.
InRussia, in the 2013 elections theCivilian Power party put forward four female go-go dancers as candidates fordeputies.[26][27]
Manygay clubs had male go-go dancers, often called go-go boys, from 1965 to 1968, after which few gay clubs had go-go dancers.[28] In the early 1980s New York's gayAnvil club featured go-go dancers anddrag shows.[29] By the 1990s go-go dancing was taking place in the city's lesbian bars and clubs[30] and male go-go dancers had become fashionable again at gay clubs in big US cities.[28]
During the early 2010s, the City ofWest Hollywood celebrated the history and culture of go-go dancing by hosting an annual "Go-Go Boy Appreciation Day" that included a street festival and competition.[31] The event also served to promote West Hollywood as a gay destination.[32]
