Who is the Hoochie Coochie Man?

Who is the Hoochie Coochie Man?

"Back in the late 19th century, hoochie coochie was a muscle dance which became very popular after the Chicago World's Fair in 1893, where it was introduced to the public. A decade later, the hoochie coochie shows were immensely popular and, judging from contemporary accounts, these were clearly not something approved by law enforcement and the high society. At the same time, the dance seemed to have been one of the high points of the Chicago World's Fair.

One news report from 1903, for example, talks of J.S. Starr who "proceeded to organize a crusade against the carnival selecting, out of the whole unlawful bunch of things, the hoochie coochie and gambling devices." Or elsewhere they talk about going "into the disreputable hoochie coochie shows to see what vile things were on exhibition; some of them went themselves and some of them became so interested in the vile shows that they went several times, perhaps to refresh their memories."