Getting The Go-Go In The Mojo

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

July 6, 1999 / 1:54 PM EDT / CBS

You don't know her face but you've seen her work this summer. CBS This Morning's Hattie Kauffman interviews Marguerite Derricks, the choreographer responsible for the groovy go-go moves in the movie Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.

"People know who I am because of go-go. I love it!" says Derricks. Go-go has brought her more work. She choreographed the Khaki A-Go-Go Gap commercial, among others, and is rehearsing dancers for yet another TV spot.

Marguerite Derricks

Derricks started out as a dancer, and got into choreography as music videos became popular."I choreographed 100 music videos," she says. "That was my training ground. I broke into feature film and TV and just kind of snowballed from there."

Her first big movies, Show Girls and Striptease, were both about strippers and both were commercial flops. But she says they were learning experiences, especially the research. "I spent a lot of time in strip clubs. Had about 20 lap dances. You have to do what you have to do for research," she says.

For Austin Powers, she researched the 1960s but let star Mike Myers do his own thing.

"Mike takes it to this realm of his animal stuff, and he's always into his behind so he brings his own comedic flair to it," she says noting that the backside is a big part of go-go.

Her next project takes her to New York, where she will be choreographing her first Broadway show.