img: Jonathan Shoup
Go-go dancers are like motivational coaches for the dance floor. Even before the majority of inhibitions are lubricated away by booze, go-gos are already going to town on boxes adjacent to the DJ booth. Go-Go Soapbox highlights individual dancers in different cities. DJs may get paid hundreds or thousands more, but go-go dancers have become instrumental to electronic music performance. On the occasion of Global Dance Festival annual three-day stand at Red Rocks, there is no more appropriate subject than the event’s go-go wrangler, Performing Arts Director Ms Easy.
Stage alias?
Ms Easy
Earliest dance-related memory?
Grooving on the dance floor with some ladies while my dad DJ’d at the club he worked for. Apparently I was a “chick magnet.”
Booty camp? Supplementary skills?
I wasn’t able to take dance at a young age coming from a blue collar family in the Midwest. I was first awed by the greats in black & white, Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers. At an early age, Micheal Jackson & MC Hammer moved me to get my dancing shoes on. Soon I started dancing on the street with the kids in the neighborhood & realized I had to step it up fast since I was usually the minority. I’d say my street skills & early years really taught me versatility & gave me the ability to adapt as a dancer. As an adult, I have studied most types of dance but I am still more invested in what can’t be taught in any dance school.
Extraordinary assets?
Other than my balloon animal skills? I make a mean drag king.
Easy @ Global (img: Jonathan Shoup)
Most titillating outfits?
There was that one time at Burning Man when we rode as a mob of pervy flashers wearing only trench coats, mustaches, & cod pieces. Otherwise it’s probably the metal bra top & thong I wear during my angle grinder routine. Sparks fly off the nipples. Is that titillating enough?
Ink?
My first tattoo was on my foot. It’s a matching one to a friend’s that nearly died. Afterwards I began getting inked with all of the most important people in my life. I now have my foot, the backs of my calves, the inside of my ear, a full sleeve and of course the one that you can’t see below the belt. I got my famous chest piece, the phrase “Puisque rein ne dure,” after Hurricane Katrina. Soon after that I decided to get a sleeve which not only represents Nola but also the people who played significant roles in my life. My tattoos are literally a timeline of my life.
Piercings?
Yes lots. A lady never puts her business out on the street. Let’s just say I’ve had a bit of a needle fetish over the years.
Turn-ons?
Class, confidence, intelligence, style. Good ink, nylons, Depeche Mode, Jeffrey Campbell, motorcycles, death metal, Agent Provocateur, fitness, french nothings, drum & bass, desserts, j-rock hair, guitars, all things kismet. This list is endless.
Lubrication of choice?
I’m an avid tea drinker. I love tea culture & have traveled around the world in search of the finest tea houses. My favorite is the wedding tea from the Mariage Freres in Paris.
Finest knob twiddlers IYHO?
Stanton Warriors & DJ Icey are probably my favorite acts to work with. Pantyraid, Glitch Mob, 12th Planet and Dirtyphonics are always impressive. Dieselboy, Craze, & Z-trip have to take the title for the most technical skill while wooing crowds. I’ll always love classics like Green Velvet & Ritchie Hawtin too.
Schoolgirl or day job?
My day job, is my night job, is my 24/7 job. I’m the owner of a small business, Team Ez Entertainment.. It features entertainment planning, costuming, dancers, & circus arts. My company has an extensive roster of performers nationwide that travel & perform at large scale events. When I’m not completely consumed with running my business I’m on tour performing or hand crafting all of the costumes for our shows. I also teach a weekly dance fitness class at Tease Studio & hold a residency as the lead dancer & performing arts manager at Beta Nightclub.
Best way to stay abreast of upcoming gigs—go-go and otherwise?
You can see Team Ez Entertainment & myself performing on the regular at Beta Nightclub here in Denver. You can also tune in to MsEasyDoesIt.com or our Facebook page, Team Ez Entertainment, for updates on where my team & I are at in the world.
For further information on Global Dance Festival, GlobalDanceFestival.com. Featured image courtesy James Stolzenbach.