In the last edition of Sukhumvit Eye we ran this article. It has been suggested that we publish on Baronbonk.com and in the Asiabugle. So here it is
Is coyote dancing gogo by another name?
As coyote shows break out in all kinds of unlikely places, the Baron asks his fellow nightlife writers for their views.
DEAN BARRETT
http://www.deanbarrettthailand.com/
Once upon a time, in New York City’s East Village, there was a female-owned bar in which a few of the employees (not very good-looking) would occasionally get up on the counter to dance.
It was pretty boring, the female owner “protected” her girls from the likes of lowly customers (nobody got laid) and the regulars at nearby Doc Holliday’s called them “skanks”, but there not being anything worth going out for in America unless you are very rich, the bar – Coyote Ugly – became famous, franchised, in a movie, etc, etc. So coyote girls were born.
No, not much difference between gogo dancers and coyote dancers, except that coyote dancers wear the tiniest of cute little outfits that appeal to lascivious, dirty old men even more than dancers in skimpy bikinis, if such is possible.
Also, coyote dancers have poorer eyesight than their gogo cousins because they keep getting up on tables and ledges and such rather than on the stage (Mojos being a perfect example). A pity that but then, truth to tell, we don’t barfine them for their eyesight, do we? (Well, yeah, Dave the Rave does but he hangs out at Nana Plaza, nuff said.)
As they say in baseball, it’s not the quality of the glove that counts but the quality of the man behind it. Same same with dancers. If a beautiful, sensual, curvaceous, sexy dancer is barfinable, she won’t have any outfit on for long anyway, so who cares what type of cloth is hiding her nethermost parts anyway?
Well, the Baron obviously cares because he solicits sexaholic riff-raff like Stickman, Dave the Rave and Dean Barrett to write essays on the subject, and I suspect he’s up to doing things with both categories of dancers that would make the editors of the News of the World blush. But, hey, this is Thailand and life is brief, so why not? Peace.
STICKMAN
http://www.stickmanbangkok.com/
Gogo dancers are sex workers – prostitutes – and as such there is an inevitable negative stigma with the terms “gogo dancer” and “gogo girl”.
Gogo girls dance in bars where they show off their body in the hope that guys will like what they see and choose to buy a ticket for a journey of discovery and closer inspection of their body.
The concept of naked or scantily clad women dancing is a winning formula, so introducing this concept to establishments where nude or semi-nude dancing is not the norm could potentially increase business, attract more customers and of course increase profits.
The difficulty is that there is that negative stigma with gogo girls – they are not just dancers, they are sex workers – and that’s a stigma many businesses don’t want to be associated with. So in an effort to reduce the stigma, the word gogo is omitted and coyote is used instead.
My understanding of the difference between coyote dancing and gogo dancing is that gogo girls dance in gogo bars where they are available for extras whereas coyote girls dance in bars or nightspots where nude or semi-nude dancing is not the norm or at least not the core business. They may or may not be available.
When girls are brought in to dance in Thai-oriented pubs and entertainment venues where such is not the norm, they are usually referred to as coyote dancers.
The line has become blurred, with some farang gogo bars introducing what they call coyote dancers. An example is Spice Girls in Soi Cowboy where the coyote girls are simply more attractive and more expensive than the gogo girls.
The bottom line? The term coyote dancer is sometimes used because it doesn’t carry the same stigma that gogo does.
DAVE THE RAVE
http://www.davetheravebangkok.com/
At first glance, coyote dancing may seem to resemble gogo dancing. However, there are some very significant differences. In my opinion, coyote is not gogo in disguise. I have taken a closer look and there are important differences.
Ever since coyote dancing appeared in the movie Coyote Ugly, it has flourished into a popular trend. Coyote girls are paid considerably more because they are hired as professional dancers. Some of them dance extremely well; they really do move it and groove it. Bearing this in mind, in most cases coyote dancers are required to dance all night. Also, they are (usually) not permitted to go with customers.
One other very significant difference is that coyote dancers do not dance naked or topless. Instead, they will wear shorts and a top. They rarely use the gogo poles – they are so good that they can dance anywhere and on anything.
Some coyote dancers are stunning girls from Bangkok. The downside is that instead of gogo, it is no-go because in many cases they tease you with something you cannot have.
Gogo dancing arrived in Thailand in 1967 and is still going strong. A gogo dancer is actively seeking customers because they are required to achieve a certain amount of barfines and lady-drinks. Although they dance with the chrome pole, they want to clutch a different type of pole.
Therefore, gogo dancers have a different agenda and purpose. Also, they can be seen in various stages of undress from mono bikinis to birthday suits.
The downside is that the “skytrain shuffle” is all too familiar these days. Overall, coyote dancers are far superior in the dancing department. Some gogo bars in Bangkok combine coyote girls with gogo girls, which is a refreshing concept.
THE BARON
http://www.baronbonk.com
A bit like Dean, my view is very coloured by my own experience: many, many years ago as a disc jockey in pubs in the UK I used gogo dancers. They were exactly like coyote dancers in that they danced individually, or occasionally in pairs, in sets, and as a rule to three tunes. And that concept travelled from the US and Europe to South East Asia.
Mama Noi (Eye, edition 3) started as a hostess and moved to gogo when it arrived in Bangkok. So basically bars that were selling girls found the customers liked to see the girls dancing and thus the modern gogo bars were born. As Stickman pointed out, gogo dancers are perceived as simply displaying wares that are for sale. Whereas coyote, at the moment, is seen as simply entertaining and titillating – and maybe selling somebody else’s wares!
Back to the days of my employing gogo dancers in England, there were also see-through and topless dancers. Are we in for that little joy in Bangkok? Will the next promotion be topless coyote dancers?
In my mind, there is now such a blurring of the definition of coyote, particularly by farang bar owners, as Dave suggests. The only true characterisation of coyote is that in happens where gogo dancers are not allowed, although not vice versa. However, given the success of coyote and the staleness of gogo, it may not be long before we see gogo bars converting to coyote bars.
Many thanks to Dave, Dean and Stickman for their contributions.
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