Learning from other dancers...
I would like to offer a few suggestions for newbies about learning from other dancers. When I first started dancing, I had NO CLUE what I was doing. Thanks to the lovely ladies of SW and a few wonderful dancers in my first club, I managed to figure things out a bit, but there is some etiquette involved in asking advice from other dancers.
1. Remember that everyone is here to make money. Never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever interrupt another dancer when she is busy or with a customer. Never, ever, ever, ever, ever ask another dancer for hustling tips while you're sitting at a table together if there is even ONE customer there.
2. Don't get offended if another dancer doesn't want to share her "trade secrets". That's why we come on SW, because we can share those secrets with people who are NOT in our club. Don't ASK for her "trade secrets", and don't EVER ask her about money. If she wants you to know, she'll tell you.
3. The first few nights: Lay low. Do the best you can. Stumble through it. Observe the other girls on-stage. If you find yourself at a table with an experienced hustler, let HER do the talking and watch her carefully. You can learn a LOT from watching a good hustler. You will probably find that at least one or two more experienced girls will "take you under their wing". Be grateful for it, but don't take any more than they OFFER. I tend to get a lot of the newbies in my club, probably because I'm often an "early" girl and the newbies tend to arrive early. But I will normally spend about an hour or so just showing her around the club, buying her her first drink, and explaining dancer etiquette/rules to her. Then I'll walk her through stage procedures and very BASIC hustling techniques (i.e., how to strike up a conversation and ask for a lapdance). I'll talk her through the process of doing a lapdance, and then I'll usually go up and try a double hustle with her (where we'll go up and hustle two guys together). If it works, great. I play up the whole, "It's her first night" thing. If it works and we get a dance, I'll SHOW her how to do an LD. (Keep in mind, please, that I'm talking about BRAND new girls--not "new to this club" girls.) Either way, I'll spend maybe an hour or so with her (at the beginning of the night, it's usually dead, so I'm not missing much), and then I'll tell her, "Okay. You'll learn the rest as you go. Good luck!" and throw her out of the nest. So if a girl OFFERS to show you the ropes, be grateful, but don't take advantage of her. I had some girls show me how to do floorwork on my first night (because I looked like I was having a seizure), but nothing more, but I was grateful for their kindness.
4. Asking questions: Some girls will NEVER reveal their trade secrets. Deal with it. It's not that they don't like you. It's just a general policy. Don't take it personally. But a lot of girls are happy to help answer a question or two. In my first club, we had a MANDATORY meeting every night about a half-hour after closing, so from 2-2:30, the dressing room was filled with ALL the dancers from the night changing clothes and just hanging out and chatting. That, for me, was a perfect chance to ask my questions. I waited until I had been there a few weeks, and then I would ask a question: "Hey, Mo, you are the QUEEN of that VIP room! Every time I saw you talk to a guy, he went to the back with you. How do you do it?" or "C, do you mind if I ask you a question? I went back to VIP with this guy tonight, and he only wanted me to dance three songs but asked me to sit and snuggle with him for another 4. The guy was loaded, but he only paid me for the three songs I danced. I'm always hearing you talking about getting these huge tips on VIPs. What am I doing wrong?" or "G, what do you say to the guys to get them to let you dance another song for them? I seem to be getting a lot of these one-dance guys." Now again, they may REFUSE to tell you. Oh, well. Usually they'll say something like, "You know, it took me a long time to figure out what works for me. Keep experimenting until you find what works for YOU," which is a polite way of saying, "I'm not telling you." But I've always had lots of luck with asking them in this way.
5. Don't expect anyone to help you if you're the type of dancer nobody wants. This can mean a million different things in a million different clubs. Basically, don't get drunk or high. Don't be obnoxious, needy, or clingy. Don't do extras. Don't be high-drama. Don't cut-throat or clip. Always be nice to the customers. Etc. In some clubs, they may try to "run you out" if they think you're not suited for their club, like if a high-end club thinks you're too "ghetto". They think you'll bring the wrong customers to the club (and they may be right.) While there ARE a few dancers that will hate on you because they feel threatened by you, they are definitely NOT the majority, and frankly, they're not women you should be asking advice from. The top earners don't feel threatened by new girls, but they WILL push the newbies out if they feel the newbies are going to bring down the quality of the club. So when you're a newbie and you have a couple of girls hating on you, look closely at the girls that are doing it. If the girls on the bottom end of the earnings spectrum hate you, they probably feel threatened. If the girls on the top of the spectrum hate you, you need to stop doing whatever you're doing that they don't like.
Any other tips out there?
Re: Learning from other dancers...
WOW that was great advice - thanks for taking the time to spell some things out for us noobs... :0
Re: Learning from other dancers...
How would you know which girls are on the lower end of the earning spectrum and which are on the higher end? Is that something you just have to assume or hear through the grape vine? Thanks for the great advice :)
Re: Learning from other dancers...
Thanks for the advice! I'll be that "brand new" girl soon so your tips are much appreciated.
Re: Learning from other dancers...
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Electrum
How would you know which girls are on the lower end of the earning spectrum and which are on the higher end? Is that something you just have to assume or hear through the grape vine? Thanks for the great advice :)
In my club you can tell. It is the girl who is sat talking to a guy and then the next second she is away to either dance or the next guy. She is always in the back dancing when I go through and has a big wad of dance tokens at the end of the night.:). The lower end girls are the ones that are either sat chatting all night or moaning that they aren't earning any money. That is just in my club tho.
Re: Learning from other dancers...
I’ll be that new girl tomorrow, and I am crossing my fingers that I don’t make an enemy! Im mostly nevous about my first LD ever, so I'm hoping someone will show me the ropes! Thanks for the great advice!