A stripper or exotic dancer is a person whose occupation involves performing striptease in a public adult entertainment venue such as a strip club. At times, a stripper may be hired to perform at private events.
Modern forms of stripping minimize the interaction of strippers with customers, reducing the importance of the tease in the performance in favor of speed of undress (the strip). Not all strippers are comfortable dancing topless or fully nude, Details. but in general, full nudity is common where not prohibited by law. The integration of the burlesque pole as a frequently used prop has shifted the emphasis in the performance toward a more acrobatic, explicit form of expression compared to the slow-developing burlesque style. Most strippers work in strip clubs. A house dancer works for a particular club or franchise, while a feature dancer typically has her own celebrity, touring a club circuit and making appearances. Strippers are often not direct employees of clubs but instead perform as independent contractors.
Before the 1970s, strippers in Western cultures were almost invariably female, performing to male audiences, usually in strip clubs. At the same time, strippers of all genders were dancing in underground clubs or as part of a theatre experience. Since the 1970s, mainstream stripping has adopted a greater gender diversity and male strippers have become an established form of entertainment for female audiences. Their performances are usually fully choreographed, involving dance routines and costumes. Certain male and female strippers also perform for LGBT audiences as well as for all genders in bisexual contexts.
Strip clubs
Strippers most commonly work in strip clubs. In the United States there are an estimated 4000 clubs classified as "adult" or "exotic" which provide partial or full nudity. House dancers are strippers who dance regularly at a particular club. They are not usually direct employees, instead performing as independent contractors for a predetermined house fee. Feature dancers, who usually have celebrity status, tour the strip club circuit across the U.S and make live promotional appearances. Until the mid-2000s, high-profile female porn stars were often highly paid as feature dancers in the U.S., touring to earn extra income and build their fan base. Examples include Teagan Presley, Jenna Haze and Jenna Jameson.
Work environment In some localities, strippers are required to obtain permits to work in adult entertainment. They usually have to audition before being hired. Formal training is minimal or non-existent. Strippers learn from peers, through observation and interaction with more experienced dancers.
Touching strippers is not permitted in many localities; few dancers and clubs allow touching of dancers during private dances. If permitted, during a lap dance the dancer may dance sitting in the customer's lap, clothed or topless. In parts of the US, there are laws forbidding the exposure of female nipples, which the dancers must cover with pasties. Clubs often classify strippers as independent contractors, rather than employees, in order to avoid diverse expenses. This can lead to a loss of workers' benefits including overtime, minimum wage levels, unemployment compensation, health insurance, sick time and vacation time. Such employment practices have sometimes been demonstrated in court to be illegal. Strippers are also often required to pay a nightly "house fee" or "floor fee" to the club in order to be allowed to perform. The size of the fee varies, and is paid even if a stripper makes little or no money that night.
Stage performance Strippers usually take turns dancing on stage to one or more songs in a fixed sequence which repeats during a shift, though the pattern may be interrupted if they perform private dances or move to the VIP room. Some clubs have more than one stage, with strippers initially dancing on a main stage before moving to a side stage. If a DJ is present, they will emcee the rotation, announcing the performers. Feature entertainers have set times for their performance, and are not usually part of the rotation. In more informal clubs, dancers take turns on stage when it becomes empty, or there may be a free flow of dancers wandering on and off stage at will.
Tipping In the United States, strippers dancing on stage are often tipped by audience members who slide dollar bills under the waistband of their G-strings. Strippers are also sometimes given tips offstage by audience members during conversation or private dances such as lap dances. Rules concerning tipping vary widely. In most strip clubs in Portland, Oregon, tipping during a stage performance is expected. Tipping in New Jersey strip clubs is prohibited during stage performances, and it takes place afterwards when the dancers walk around the club, usually by inserting banknotes into their costumes. In strip clubs in the UK, where there is less of a tipping culture, it is rare for dancers on stage to receive tips.
Private dances Private dances, typically table dances or lap dances, are erotic dances performed for strip club customers. Table dances generally take place in the main lounge or open seating areas of the club and are performed on a customer's table or a small portable platform carried by the dancer. Table dancers maintain their distance from customers and there is usually no physical contact between the two. Lap dances involve more personal interaction and usually take place in a private or semi-private area of a club. Lap dancers sit directly on a customer's lap while performing a series of sexual moves in order to arouse them. Air dances, a variant of lap dances, have little or no physical contact between the dancer and the customer.
Table dances should not be confused with table stages, where the stripper is at or above eye level on a platform surrounded by chairs and usually enough table surface for customers to place drinks and tip money. These stages are configured for close viewing of the striptease and are known for dancers lowering themselves from the stage onto customers during their set.
Lap dances may occur publicly on stage with one or more dancers if events such as bachelor parties or birthdays are being celebrated. Bed dances involve the customer lying down with the entertainer(s) positioned on top of them, and are the least common type of private dance. This is because they are typically more expensive than lap dances due to the novelty and the increased level of contact between customer and dancer.
A champagne room (also called a champagne lounge or champagne court) is a specialized VIP Room service offered by gentleman's clubs where a customer can purchase time (usually in half-hour increments) with an exotic dancer in a private room on the premises. In more expensive clubs the room, which is away from the main club, is well decorated and usually has its own bar. Clubs sell champagne by the glass or by the bottle for both the dancer and the customer.
Other locations Strippers can be contracted for performances outside the strip club environment. Some strippers will only strip for private engagements and do not have a regular affiliation with a strip club.
Adult industry trade shows often have strippers working, though many of them are affiliated with individual companies and not necessarily freelancers. There are also exhibitions, festivals, and competitions where independent strippers perform. Nudes-A-Poppin' was a popular erotic dance contest that took place annually in Indiana, US, from 1975 until 2019.
Bachelor and bachelorette parties
A bachelor party may involve going to a strip club or hiring a stripper to perform in a private setting like a home or hotel. In some traditions, there are hazing-like tests and pranks at the future groom's expense, and these can involve a stripper. A male stripper is sometimes hired to perform at bachelorette parties.
Private parties Some entertainment businesses provide strippers for performances at private parties.
Performance
While working, a stripper is not necessarily required to remove all of their clothing. The clubs, bars and other venues where strippers work may allow full nudity or be limited to toplessness or bikinis, often as a result of zoning or licensing laws.
Style of dress
Topless
On 19 June 1964, Carol Doda began go-go dancing topless at the Condor Club on Broadway and Columbus in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco. She became the world's most famous go-go dancer, and a prototype for the modern stripper, while dancing at the Condor for 22 years. Details.
Female strippers often appear topless in adult-only venues, ranging from downmarket strip clubs to upmarket cabarets, such as the Moulin Rouge. They sometimes take part in wet T-shirt contests in which they display their breasts through translucent wet fabric.
Topless dancing is banned in many jurisdictions, but strippers sometimes work around this by briefly uncovering their breasts. Many clubs do not allow customers to touch the dancers' breasts. For male dancers, a bare chest is not considered in the same light and does not face the same restrictions.
Full nudity Full nudity is banned in many jurisdictions, but many dancers work around this constraint by briefly uncovering their intimate parts. In some locations, such as parts of rural western Maine, venues offering partial nudity can lose customers to rivals offering full nudity. Strippers who offer a greater degree of nudity in their performance may make more money, but some strippers nevertheless prefer not to strip completely and only dance at topless clubs.
Customer interaction Strippers are focused on making money from customers. Strippers are employed as independent contractors and expected to generate income themselves making the profession similar to a sales job. How dancers go about maximizing revenue varies. For customers they do not already know, dancers use factors such as clothing, shoes, age, and race to determine whom they wish to interact with. Dancers are the primary enablers to encourage potential patrons to spend time in strip clubs. The dancers continually interact with the customers in the club by walking around and attempting to solicit drinks and lap dances, usually scanning the floor of a club to find the most lucrative customer.
While clubs can generate revenue through means such as cover charges and drink fees, dancers make most of their profit from giving lap dances or VIP dances where regulations allow. Otherwise, customer tips to dancers from a stage set are their primary form of payment per shift. The dancer qualifies a customer by sizing up their appearance and personal characteristics. Once the dancer decides on a customer, she approaches and attempts to engage the customer in conversation, hoping they'll purchase a dance or time in VIP areas. Alternatively, customers can make the first move and engage the dancer directly. Strippers appeal to masculine desires, but they can adapt to fit the needs of female patrons to view them as customers. Adapting the experience to the customer is an integral part of exotic dancing.
Mainstreaming