Behind the
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ccording to Amani, a dancer at Sweet Illusions and Stars, “anyone can get hired, whether or not you stay is another story.” Strip culture is built upon desire, passion, and power. Folks visit the strip club to explore their desires and to feel desired. For some, this may seem like a one-sided relationship or transaction, but to others being on the pole and stage is a form of empowerment and you can make good cash from it. Each individual is an independent contractor, meaning that they work separately from each other and the club, but according to Amani, the strip club community is strong and well connected.
For a typical shift, Amani’s routine is sleeping in from the night before, packing food for when she is on shift, stretching, showering, and shaving. “But no lotion because you’ll slip off the pole!” 35 ALIGN
said Amani. Then she gets ready by picking out outfits (she’ll change about 3 times a night) , packing a bag of makeup, masks, and two pairs of shoes: one lower heel and one thigh high heel pair. She’ll clock in somewhere between 6:30 and 7:00 and get to work trying to sell private dances that go for $20 for a three minute song. Best opportunity for making the big bucks? “A big ticket item that we sell is a 30 minute champagne room for $300 and $600 for the hour,” said Amani. “The appeal of those is that the DJ isn’t looking back there. Private rooms are set up like restaurant booths, where you can kinda see other private rooms, but champagne rooms are more private.” At the same time that Amani is interacting with customers, her co-workers are doing the same. Having a close knit community
