Chic-a-Go-Go facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Chic-a-Go-Go |
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Chic-a-Go-Go logo
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| Created by | Jake Austen Jacqueline Stewart |
| Starring | Jake Austen Mia Park |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of episodes | over 1,000 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Jake Austen Jacqueline Stewart |
| Running time | 30 Minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | Chicago Access Network Television |
| Original release | May, 1996 |
Chic-a-Go-Go is a super fun public-access television dance show for kids! It's shown on Chicago Access Network Television (CAN-TV). The show calls itself "Chicago's Dance Show for Kids of All Ages." It's a place where anyone can come and dance!
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What is Chic-a-Go-Go?
This show invites everyone to come and dance at the CAN-TV studios. A typical episode has people dancing to cool music. Sometimes, musical guests also appear. They often lip sync to their own songs, which means they pretend to sing along to a recorded track.
The show is hosted by Jake Austen, who plays a puppet rat named Ratso. His human sidekick is Miss Mia, played by Mia Park. They make the show extra fun!
Fun Parts of the Show
Chic-a-Go-Go has some special parts that happen often:
- The "El Train Line": This is like a dance line where people show off their moves. It's inspired by the famous "Soul Train Line" from the show Soul Train.
- The "Fantasy Dance": Dancers perform in front of a green screen. This lets them appear in all sorts of cool, imaginary places!
- Interviews: The hosts also chat with guests on video.
How Chic-a-Go-Go Started
Jake Austen got the idea for Chic-a-Go-Go from an older show. He wrote a story in his magazine Roctober about Kiddie-a-Go-Go. This was a dance show just for kids that aired in Chicago from 1963 to 1970.
Austen and Jacqueline Stewart met the people who created Kiddie-a-Go-Go. They were so inspired that they took a course to learn how to use the TV studio equipment. They filmed the very first episodes of Chic-a-Go-Go in March 1996.
What Inspired the Show?
Besides Kiddie-a-Go-Go, Chic-a-Go-Go was also inspired by other famous dance shows. These include Soul Train, American Bandstand, and Solid Gold. These shows all featured people dancing and musicians performing.
In 2004, the movie The Big Bounce even showed a character watching Chic-a-Go-Go!
Who Has Appeared on Chic-a-Go-Go?
Many different artists and bands have appeared on Chic-a-Go-Go over the years. Some famous names include Beck, Cheap Trick, Hanson, OK Go, Plain White T's, Snoop Dogg, Sonic Youth, and Vanilla Ice. It's a place where both new and well-known musicians can perform for a fun audience!
