31 Photos of Go-Go Bears Dancing With the Camera

Born in 1963, Wayne D. Lewis has been an award-winning graphic designer and illustrator for more than 30 years, but lately photography has become his main creative outlet. There is something about the immediacy and intimacy when working with a subject that fills his need for instant gratification.

 

He approached the this series by hanging out in dark corners of his favorite bar, the Denver Wrangler, where he is the staff photographer. He likes to catch his subjects in candid poses when they are totally unaware that the camera is on them. "For me, people often seem to be the most attractive when they are acting natural and clueless that they are being observed," Lewis says.

 

"Strippers. Go-go boys. Go-go bears. Dancers. While they dance for your money, I find them most interesting when they dance for themselves. You can tell when the song gets in their heads and flows back out through their muscles and movements — daring you to approach and interact — and touch. It's not an easy scene to capture when your subjects and illumination are both moving to the beat. It takes effort and timing and motion to connect — just like a dance."