ABOUT DANCING

It takes more than pole-dance classes and locker-room selfies to become a stripper.

Stripping -- and the hustle of selling your time and company -- is a competitive sales job in a highly stigmatized atmosphere.

As a stripper of seven years, I know that my chosen work is not for everyone. I formerly worked in retail and healthcare, and I also know that those jobs are some of the most exploitative and depressing ways to make minimum wage. And so, when the times get tough, the tough get stripping! Here's to supporting adult entertainment in a consensual, informed manner.

Strippers need to be able to dance -- so if you want a gig in this industry, you'll need at least a couple basic stage moves. YouTube hosts hundreds of videos, especially if you do a "beginning pole dance move" search. Eye contact, smiles, and body awareness will go much further than back-breaking Cirque du Soleil maneuvers, at least at first.

Always remember to point your toes when you dance so you don't look like a naked adult tromping on a playground. And no matter what, under no circumstance are you to lick the pole a la shangri-la lol

Visit our  club during various hours so you can get a feel for the vibe and crowd. Staff -- and especially patrons! -- can vary wildly by just a few hours. A day crowd might be blue-collar workers on lunch break, while Friday nights will feature millennials doing Jell-O shots.

What are the house/club rules? Do you agree with them? If doing a full-contact dance for $10 sounds too low (it is), keep looking for a place that encourages the workers to be able to financially support themselves. We're all here to make some money.& Shangri-la does that 

Avoid the hierarchy. Every competitive industry has back-stabbing co-workers. Be polite to everyone, don’t repeat gossip, and lock up your items. Thieves lurk everywhere!

And PLEASE don’t fall into the trap of dating your co-workers or bosses. This rarely works out well.

Your time and labor come with a price, because that's how transactions work. Practice saying, "No thank you, I'm not going to do that." Clientele will try to haggle you for prices, touch you more than is allowed, or simply refuse to pay you.

Remember that you and the club have a solid contract so that you understand how you make money & your not employee, so the club has no say so in your dancing times or places  

Remember that your time is an asset! You as a worker are able to refuse service, especially if someone is indicating that they don't respect the house rules or your personal boundaries. Get the money first if you can. And if the guy asks (and they will), "You don't trust me?" that's when you smile and bat your lashes twice. "I don't trust anyone, silly."

The very most important thing you need to survive as a dancer and to generally be a happy person is integrity.  Do you feel like you really know who you are? When you say or think something, does it come from a place of sincerity?  Do you consider the facts before you make a decision? Do you feel like you have a solid, firm, stable, and mature grip on reality?  It’s totally ok if you aren’t there yet, but recognizing where you are on a maturity scale is important, or stripper or not, getting clarity is a necessity.  People who go their whole lives without ever committing to a life that they deem worthwhile usually end up unfulfilled, but when you put a shaky character into a strip club, much worse things are imminent than just lack of fulfillment.  Then those things are the only things the public sees and then our entire industry is judged by the actions of a couple reckless fly by nighters.  If you are going to dance, please do so as a liberated, free, and independent woman and commit yourself to achieving all of your goals.

How do you really feel about yourself?  Do you feel beautiful?  Would your heart be broken if a customer told you that you were fat or a girl made fun of your c-section scar?  This might happen.  Even if you think you are perfect, people will find something to pick at.  If you are hard on yourself to the point where it can become dangerous for you, proceed with caution. The strip club takes everything that is wrong with how society views women and amplifies it times a million, and as someone who is already suffering as a result of a sick culture, the last thing you need is more negative body image shit.  You need to feel really comfortable, and realize that when people say awful things about you, it has nothing to do with what’s wrong with you, and everything to do with what’s wrong with them.  Inner strength is really key.