STATION 19-COME DANCING

A BIT OF HISTORY AND CONTEXT

A taxi dancer (or dance hostess) is a paid dance partner in a non-typical social environment.
Usually young and attractive, these hostesses are paid to engage with customers on a dance-
by-dance basis. When taxi dancing first appeared in taxi-dance halls during the early 20th
century in the United States, male patrons would typically buy dance tickets for a small sum
each. A taxi dancer would earn her income by the number of tickets she could collect in
collect in exchange for dances. Some men/women who have difficulty in typical social setting
s patronize these hostess clubs, where a ticket is handed from patron to hostess and no words
need be exchanged.