Stripper
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. Not all strippers are comfortable dancing topless or fully nude, 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.
Work environment
Strippers perform striptease for a number of reasons, predominantly to make money. The physical attractiveness, sex appeal and techniques of the dancer determines the business the stripper tends to generate. In some localities, strippers are required to obtain permits to work in adult entertainment. Most of the time dancers have to audition to get the job. Once a dancer has secured the job the formal training is minimal, primarily on the job and provided by more senior 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. The common practice of hiring strippers as contractors rather than full-time employees often leads to job insecurity, unstable pay and a lack of health benefits. Strippers are also sometimes required to pay fees to the club for renting their stage.
In strip clubs
Strippers most commonly work as providers of live entertainment in strip clubs. Those who work for a particular club or franchise are called house dancers. 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.Stage performance
Most clubs have a dancer rotation where each dancer in turn will perform for one or more songs in a fixed sequence, which repeats during a shift. More informal clubs will have dancers take turns when a stage becomes empty or have a free flow of entertainers, where they can wander off and on stage at their own will. Feature entertainers have set times for their performance, and are not usually part of the rotation. If a DJ is present, they will emcee the rotation, advertise the feature entertainers performance and typically announce the dancer on stage and possibly whom to expect in future sets.Tip collection
During each set of one or more songs, the performer will dance on stage in exchange for tips. Dancers collect tips from customers either while on stage or after the dancer has finished a stage show and is mingling with the audience. A customary tip is a dollar bill folded lengthwise and placed in the dancer's garter from the tip rail. Other common tip methods are to insert the dollar into the stripper's cleavage from the hand or mouth, or to simply place it or toss it onto the stage. Tipping during a stage performance is prohibited by some clubs due to restrictions in local ordinance or past incidents on the premises. Each club and dancer will have individual tolerance levels for customer interaction including tipping. Some clubs will have multiple stages on the premises that dancers will move between, but typically the dancer would collect for her time on the main stage during a rotation. Tips can also be collected during private dances.Private dance
Where legal, dancers may offer additional services, such as a lap dance or a set amount of time in the champagne room, for a set fee rather than a tip. Private dances in the main club areas mostly take the form of table dances, lap and couch dances, and bed dances. Air dances are private dances with little to no contact between the dancer and customer, and they sometimes occur when other forms of dance are expected and paid for.Table dances are performed where the customer is seated on the main floor. Table dances also refer to a form of minimal touch private dance where the performer is physically located on a small table in front of 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 usually take place among the customer seating, but 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 positioned on top of them, and are the least common of the three. 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 is a specialized VIP Room service offered by gentleman's clubs where a customer can purchase time 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
Private parties are popular events for which to hire strippers. There are many entertainment businesses that have strippers contracted for private performances. Some of these companies have a national presence, with strippers contracted in multiple states and some who work regionally over a multi-state area. Strippers will also do side work and handle their own agreements and payment arrangements. Written agreements are atypical in this type of transaction unless a formal, registered business is involved. They could also travel over significant distances for private events and appointments, most of the time passing the cost of travel and accommodations onto the customer. Patrons at the clubs in which the strippers work are a primary source of customers for their work outside the club. Much like activities inside the club, different dancers have different comfort levels for services they will provide during a private party.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
Depending on the venue, strippers may disrobe until they are wearing only underwear or bikinis, topless, or fully nude. Full nudity is banned in many jurisdictions, but many dancers work around these constraints by briefly uncovering their intimate parts.In clubs that do not allow nudity, it is common for strippers to wear revealing clothing when walking around or performing personal services such as lap dances. Private dances are often scrutinized to ensure that no club policies or local ordinances are violated during the performance. Clothing also acts as a deterrent to prevent customers from exceeding a dancer's personal boundaries. 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.