emilyschlabach2647 started this discussion ·
I'm just curious what level do you need to be on the pole before a club will hire you? And are there strippers who only pole dance ? :) I'm new to this pole thing, I've always loved it and wanted to learn it but this is the first time I've ever really got into finally learning, I haven't even got a pole yet!!!
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Not sure how things are i9n America but I worked for around 12 years as a stripper/dancer. IME they will generally hire anyone if you're in reasonable shape and o.k looking. You don't need to be stunning (makeup and low lighting are wonderful things haha), super skinny or anything- remember that guys like all sizes. So a voluptuous gal can do just as well as a very slender gal or anyone in between. As for pole work, if you're in it to make money then pole work will be a very small part of your job- you need to engage with the customers, so a few tricks may gain their attention but eye contact, a smile and sexy floorwork is what will get them tipping. But you make the majority of your money from lap dances. Where I live there are pretty strict rules- we get completely naked but there is *no* touching by the customers and no grinding or anything like that. They basically pay to get themselves frustrated... I never understood it but hey, it was fun and helped me through a very difficult time in my life where "straight work" wasn't possible for me. Hope that helps but my suggestion is to ask around where you want to work, go to a few clubs and get a feel for them- some are shite and skeezy and not nice to work in, others are really lush and flashy and tend to attract bigger crowds, but at the end of the day it's your ability to hustle that will make you a success.
Hi! I'm a baby aerial artist (just pole so far) in the US who also works as a stripper. I'm curious if you're considering working in a club, or if you're just curious to learn more about pole dance in general? Because, while Western pole dance as we know it today did originate in strip clubs, there's really not all that much of it going on in front of customers most of the time. I'm convinced that most of the development of pole happened in empty clubs full of bored strippers, not in front of crowds of people sitting at stages. Pole dancing and stripping really are separate things at the end of the day. I second everything skramamme said. Most dancers at all the clubs I've worked at do little to no pole work, maybe some basic spins but not much more than that. That said, there are a *few* clubs where you can make some money off your pole work, and where you will probably see some skilled pole work at some point in the night if you go there. They tend to be big clubs in big cities, they tend to have taller poles, and in my experience they tend to have a reputation as being more classy than other clubs in the area. There are a few dancers at the club I work at who regularly make quite a bit off the pole (stage is where I make most of my money), but in my experience you have to get fairly advanced to consistently make money off your pole tricks.
BabyDragon haha yes! The bored girls mucking around on the poles early in the night before it gets busy or when it's just a quiet night. That's how I learned the few tricks I used. I can't imagine trying out something new in front of a crowd, it really is one of those things where the girls get bored and bust out some moves to while away the time :) And yeah, you generally don't see heaps of gymnastic-type pole work, the crowd don't know enough to understand which moves are amazingly difficult or relatively easy- they tend to be impressed by basic laybacks and drop splits. You won't make much money if you're suspended half way up the pole for the entire song, so floor work is really important. I'm too old to work in the industry any more (44 in August) but boy, there are times where I miss it a lot, the friends you make and the laughs and drama of the dressing room, comparing notes on which customers are worth talking to and which ones are complete douchebags or time wasters... ahh memories ;)
