Is There Life After the End of a Long Marriage?
One man's journey to find a new life after the break-up of a marriage of more then 20 years.
Monday, August 23, 2004
Old Strippers Never Die... They Just Go To Dayshift
Part 2
Continued from Part 1; “Showgirls, Strippers & Exotic Dancers”
(See previous post).
The time comes in many professions when one just can’t do the work anymore. A Showgirls professional lifespan is somewhat akin to that of a professional athlete. As the athlete ages and slows down and as he/she must compete with younger and younger players, so too must the Showgirl compete with younger girls entering the profession for the money spent on them by the customer.
In many cases the girl simply quits the biz and gets a regular job. This option is harder than it sounds because she may have only had to work 3 or 4 nights a week to pay the bills. Many dancers I know have a very loose schedule and only work when they want to or when they run out of money. If the dancer has children this further complicates her choice of work shifts. The answer for some is to go to the dayshift. Not the party atmosphere of the night shifts, or the larger crowds. It is usually sedate by comparison and the clientele tends to be older men or retirees. The girls working the dayshift are not all fading remnants of nightshifts past. Some clubs put new girls on the dayshift because it is usually less demanding and is a good place to learn the ropes with less pressure on them. Sometimes the girl just cannot adjust to the 2 or 4 am quitting times of the nightshift. If the girl acquires several “regulars” that she can count on to come in she can actually make more money than a nightshift girl who has to regularly deal with younger guys who are, by and large, cheaper and spend less.
Sometimes a dancer has the foresight to see ahead to the day when she must retire from stripping. Many work other jobs while still dancing, some go to school, and still others go into business for themselves in fields related to stripping. Some design and make costumes for other dancers, some sell shoes to dancers, some migrate to escort services and others dance for bachelor parties or other male-oriented events. The latter can be the most lucrative, and, arguably, the most dangerous to their personal safety!
Bachelor parties are definitely a work environment that is, at best, difficult, to control. So enters “The Bouncer”. Just like the bouncer in a bar, it is the responsibility of the bouncer to insure the safety of the dancer(s) in his care and to maintain standards of conduct among the often, intoxicated customers which often outnumber him from 10 to 50 to one. While the dancers are getting into their costumes the bouncer lays out the ground rules to those attending, which can differ significantly according to the performers wishes and what types of services they are used to offering. These services can run the gamut from, “no touching whatsoever” to “no limits if the price is right”.
If you are a large fellow and are dating a dancer it is only a matter of time before she will be asked to do a bachelor party and you will be asked to serve as bouncer. There are men who make, at least part of their living, providing bouncer services to dancers. They usually work for 15 to 20% of the dancer’s tips and often collect the tips from the girls periodically during their performances for safekeeping. To save money the dancers will sometimes ask their boyfriends or even husbands to serve as the bouncer. This can be extremely hard on the boyfriend or husband as the rules for bachelor parties are somewhat more relaxed than the strip club environment and some touching is often allowed.
Small bachelor parties of 10 to 15 individuals are usually a piece of cake. Larger parties of 50 or more men can be total chaos. As the numbers go up, so too do the numbers of dancers working the party. More often than not, the numbers of bouncers’ doe not increase. The largest party that I ever “bounced” for was a college fraternity party. Over 60 guys attended!
My girlfriend at the time and her best dancer friend had scheduled the party but had costume problems that resulted in us being and hour and a half late. By the time we got there the floor of the dorm was littered with empty whiskey bottles and the guys waiting for us were out of control. It was totally impossible for one bouncer to maintain order.
I was feeling the panic set in, so while the girls were getting into their costumes I had a conference with the organizers of the party. I told them that if they wanted the girls to perform that they had to delegate several of their numbers to help in the bouncing duties. Some of these “delegated” bouncers took their commitment to protect the girls so seriously that any guy who got out-of-line was immediately ejected from the dorm and not allowed back in. They were actually a pretty good bunch of guys who were stricter with their peers than real bouncers usually are. The party went on for over two hours and came off with no serious incidents. And the girls made over $1,500/each. In spite of its success, it was the last bachelor party that I bounced. Who needs that kind of pressure!
Coming in next post, Part 3
Boob-jobs... The Other White Meat
Continued from Part 1; “Showgirls, Strippers & Exotic Dancers”
(See previous post).
The time comes in many professions when one just can’t do the work anymore. A Showgirls professional lifespan is somewhat akin to that of a professional athlete. As the athlete ages and slows down and as he/she must compete with younger and younger players, so too must the Showgirl compete with younger girls entering the profession for the money spent on them by the customer.
In many cases the girl simply quits the biz and gets a regular job. This option is harder than it sounds because she may have only had to work 3 or 4 nights a week to pay the bills. Many dancers I know have a very loose schedule and only work when they want to or when they run out of money. If the dancer has children this further complicates her choice of work shifts. The answer for some is to go to the dayshift. Not the party atmosphere of the night shifts, or the larger crowds. It is usually sedate by comparison and the clientele tends to be older men or retirees. The girls working the dayshift are not all fading remnants of nightshifts past. Some clubs put new girls on the dayshift because it is usually less demanding and is a good place to learn the ropes with less pressure on them. Sometimes the girl just cannot adjust to the 2 or 4 am quitting times of the nightshift. If the girl acquires several “regulars” that she can count on to come in she can actually make more money than a nightshift girl who has to regularly deal with younger guys who are, by and large, cheaper and spend less.
Sometimes a dancer has the foresight to see ahead to the day when she must retire from stripping. Many work other jobs while still dancing, some go to school, and still others go into business for themselves in fields related to stripping. Some design and make costumes for other dancers, some sell shoes to dancers, some migrate to escort services and others dance for bachelor parties or other male-oriented events. The latter can be the most lucrative, and, arguably, the most dangerous to their personal safety!
Bachelor parties are definitely a work environment that is, at best, difficult, to control. So enters “The Bouncer”. Just like the bouncer in a bar, it is the responsibility of the bouncer to insure the safety of the dancer(s) in his care and to maintain standards of conduct among the often, intoxicated customers which often outnumber him from 10 to 50 to one. While the dancers are getting into their costumes the bouncer lays out the ground rules to those attending, which can differ significantly according to the performers wishes and what types of services they are used to offering. These services can run the gamut from, “no touching whatsoever” to “no limits if the price is right”.
If you are a large fellow and are dating a dancer it is only a matter of time before she will be asked to do a bachelor party and you will be asked to serve as bouncer. There are men who make, at least part of their living, providing bouncer services to dancers. They usually work for 15 to 20% of the dancer’s tips and often collect the tips from the girls periodically during their performances for safekeeping. To save money the dancers will sometimes ask their boyfriends or even husbands to serve as the bouncer. This can be extremely hard on the boyfriend or husband as the rules for bachelor parties are somewhat more relaxed than the strip club environment and some touching is often allowed.
Small bachelor parties of 10 to 15 individuals are usually a piece of cake. Larger parties of 50 or more men can be total chaos. As the numbers go up, so too do the numbers of dancers working the party. More often than not, the numbers of bouncers’ doe not increase. The largest party that I ever “bounced” for was a college fraternity party. Over 60 guys attended!
My girlfriend at the time and her best dancer friend had scheduled the party but had costume problems that resulted in us being and hour and a half late. By the time we got there the floor of the dorm was littered with empty whiskey bottles and the guys waiting for us were out of control. It was totally impossible for one bouncer to maintain order.
I was feeling the panic set in, so while the girls were getting into their costumes I had a conference with the organizers of the party. I told them that if they wanted the girls to perform that they had to delegate several of their numbers to help in the bouncing duties. Some of these “delegated” bouncers took their commitment to protect the girls so seriously that any guy who got out-of-line was immediately ejected from the dorm and not allowed back in. They were actually a pretty good bunch of guys who were stricter with their peers than real bouncers usually are. The party went on for over two hours and came off with no serious incidents. And the girls made over $1,500/each. In spite of its success, it was the last bachelor party that I bounced. Who needs that kind of pressure!
Coming in next post, Part 3
Boob-jobs... The Other White Meat
D.A. Wright, 8:04 AM
5 Comments:
I am an exotic dancer of 6 yrs. I have traveled and danced many places. When I read your little story here, it just cracked me up. I have met your kind plenty of times at the clubs. Your the lonely man sitting by himself wanting to feel excepted or be noticed by the other girls. Just because you had nothing better to do than sit in a club everynight like a lump, trying to flash your money doesnt mean you know anything about a dancer. But if you feel better about yourself then great, Im just saying that your not fooling everybody.
I never claimed to know everything about dancers and the dancer lifestyle, and experiences vary with geographic location, clubs and individuals, but I have lived with three dancers over the past nine years and am intelligent enough to make my own observations. Besides, I have solicited and received the input of several dancers to compose this blog, so the opinions and content are not entirely out of my head either. I am pleased that my blog amused or "cracked you up" though, but your personal opinion means little to me. By the way, the correct usage of "feel excepted" is "feel accepted". You too, are not fooling anybody, the difference is, I never tried! If you graduated high school, your english and composition teachers did a lousy job!
Blog author to previous anonymous poster.
Blog author to previous anonymous poster.
AAwwww....the dancer offended another lonely, potential customer.
To previous "anonymous" poster...
Why do you hate men so much? We're not all creeps. And yes, I have had lonely periods in my life. Sounds like you have too!
Why do you hate men so much? We're not all creeps. And yes, I have had lonely periods in my life. Sounds like you have too!
Geez, sounds like your all a little lonely. Especially the old man who wrote this blog.
