Hawkeye views Dancing Strippers verus Stripping Dancers from a strip club DJ's perspective.

by Hawkeye

I have heard every euphemism you can think of for the ladies in our business. Dancers, strippers, adult entertainers, topless dancers, performers, you name it. I worked with one girl that wanted to be called a “performance artist”. Yeah, and short people want to be called vertically challenged! It ain’t going to happen! (Note to my spell check program – I know ain’t ain’t a word.) The most commonly used terms in the clubs are “dancer” and “stripper” but they are not as interchangeable as an outsider may think. In this column, the Hawk’s Eye is going to view the difference.

The key difference is attitude.

In the Hawk's Eye a dancer performs and a stripper just takes off her clothes. Most girls start out as dancers. They have a positive attitude, aren’t afraid to work and don’t expect everything to be handed to them on a silver platter. After a time some slide down the food chain and turn into strippers. The attitude turns sour, they tend to show up late, if at all, and get pissed off if guys don’t kiss their ass with the proper respect.

Dancers: Show up before their shifts and are dressed and on the floor on time.

Strippers: Show up 20 minutes late then spends a half hour bitching about having to pay a late fee. Add another 2 hours for make-up, hair and gossiping in the dressing room and she’s finally ready.

Dancers: Have their music ready well in advance or, the true pros say: “I can dance to anything just play what the crowd wants to hear”... love them.

Strippers: Tell you their music at the last second or... even worse... shout their picks from stage. The worst of the bunch say: “Fuck these guys I can only dance to... rap, country, r&b, metal, etc..”

Dancers: Sit with customers and encourage them to clap and tip her fellow performers. If the guy sees another girl he likes the Dancer invites her over to share the table.
Strippers: Sit with “HER CUSTOMER” and says about other dancers: “Fuck her, she danced to MY SONG two weeks ago, you better not tip that bitch.”

Dancers: Participate in the club events, promotions, bachelor parties, hot seats, etc… Knowing that a little extra effort tonight pays off big in the long run.

Strippers: Say “Fuck that, I ain’t getting paid, so I ain’t doing it.”

Dancers: Go out of their way to look nice, wear different themed outfits and put on a show.

Strippers: Wear the same outfit all night and bitch because they can’t wear cut-offs and tennis shoes.


Dancers: Sit with a customer and make conversation, listening to him- making him feel welcome and important.
Strippers: Sit with customers and bitch about every little problem they’ve had in the past week, then beg him for rent (Diaper, car note, over-due utility bill etc..) money. If guy wants to hear a woman bitch and complain about money he would have staid home with his old lady.

Dancers: Make $1000 then tip the correct percentage plus a thank you and a little extra cash for those that helped her out.
Strippers: Make $500, spend $150 on fines or fees, $100 on drugs, $125 on a new outfit, and $25 on drinks. Give the DJ $5 and bitches about only making $100 for the whole night.

If you walk into a club with some money on you (trust me we can tell) and ask the bartender, waitress or DJ who they recommend, they’ll point you towards a dancer every time. They are better to work with and usually make more money. The girl you only see on stage dancing to great music with a full light show then don’t see her again for two hours because she is doing VIP dances – That’s the dancer. The girl in the club (who may be just as good looking) but is half-wasted and yelling at other dancers and customers – That’s the stripper. If they act professional, and treat me fairly I will bust my ass for them all night long. If they act like a stripper, they get the bare-bones treatment. At Big Daddy’s Cabaret in Ft. Lenoardwood, MO (where I currently work) I am thinking of one dancer I work with. I won’t mention names, but, come to the booth and ask what girl I would recommend and I’ll send her your way. I see her at the beginning of the night when she checks in. I pick all of her music except for a couple of themed sets. The next time I talk to her is at the end of the night when she tips me out a bit more than required and thanks me for doing a great job. If I could clone her I could retire in a year.

To sum it up, years ago a bartender (Thom) and I were discussing possible collective nouns for the ladies in our business. For dancers I came up with “A Collection of Pros.” For strippers, Thom hit it on the head – “A Flutter of Twits”
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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