1960s Go Go Dance Class

Event details:

What: 1960s Summer Go Go Dance Class
When: Sunday, June 28th, 11 AM-1 PM
*Class will be from 11-12:30, followed by 30 minutes for discussion about moves, Go Go dance/Burlesque history, practice, act development brainstorming, etc.
Where: Red Light Studio Kansas City
Attire: Come prepared to move and sweat! Wear shorts, athletic clothes, bathing suits, etc. Bring go go boots, sneakers, or any shoe you’re comfortable dancing in.
Cost: $20

You will learn:

• What go go dance is
• The basic building blocks of footwork and arm movements for most go go steps
• How to do at least 10 classic 1960s go go moves
• Rhythm training with a group of other attendees (as if we were a collective back-up dance group)
• Practice moves that you can use in acts (for performers) or on the dance floor in a silly, safe, fun environment

Class structure:

Get a go-going to some of the best music from the 1960s while learning dance moves from the groovy era in a safe, upbeat class. Class will begin with a warm-up based on jazz isolations. From there, we will cover basic jazz/social dance steps as an introduction to the building blocks of go go dance. Attendees will be encouraged to move at their own pace and join in as we practice rhythm collectively. Moving into the core of the class, we will break down classic go go movements such as the pony, the twist, and the mashed potato while exploring arm and hand variations. Class will close with a freestyle section where we apply what we learned. Attendees will leave with the building blocks to go go dance in any setting.

About the instructor:

Jenny Pierce is a Lawrence/Kansas City-based Burlesque dancer and choreographer who fell in love with go go dance while living in Tokyo. There, she met and photographed a go go dancer at a nightclub in Shibuya. Shortly after, she choreographed and performed retro backup dancing in Japan. She took go go dance classes with Angie Pontani at the New York School of Burlesque and has performed as a go go at Coney Island, the New York Burlesque Festival, among other venues. In 2017, she founded a go go dance group in Brooklyn called Babes Rage. Her go go style is a mix of Bohemian showgirl freestyling and classic 1960s moves. Several of her Burlesque acts draw inspiration from the 1960s and 70s.