Interested in Dancing, questions, advice/opinions appreciated.
Hi!
So... basically I'm interested in working at a strip club sometime this coming January. I do realize that that is kind of far away, but I like to have all my ducks in a row, and count the chickens after they've hatched.
Anyhow! I had a few questions. I *have* read the stickies, and have been a' lurking for a couple days on this site in particular.
Firstly, I'd like to know of any prerequisites for stripping, such as liscenses (I live in Houston and heard something about that), along with where to find state/city laws concerning this particular line of work.
Also, I've read that a certain amount of makeup is required. However, I don't really look... right
.. in heavy eyeshadow. I think it's my eye shape, maybe all of my features, but the only eye makeup that is decent looking on me is pastel eyeshadow (not blue) and black liner.
This leads me into my next issue... I don't have a "sexy" look or personality. People describe me as classic, feminine. Will this be an issue for me?
Also, currently at this time I am too overweight to dance if I wanted too. However, im the past couple weeks I've limited my calorie intake to 2,500 and have done an hour of exercise 3-4 days a week. This is working very well for me; I'm already nearly down a size (You'd laugh at how fat I am. Seriously.)
Anyhow, in order to raise my fitness level to prepare for dancing, I have opted to take on a more rigorous exercise regime. I plan to start adding in Jillian Michaels 30DS in the morning, with eventually Tae Bo in the evening. During this time I'd like to maintain my 3 days a week of 1hr of Walking and my 3-4 days a week of Zumba. During the summer I'd like to take pole fitness classes to at least get somewhat aquainted with the pole, as I find poledancing alone to be very artistic! I guess what I'm asking is, is this plan of attack acceptable? I used to do a lot more exercise, and despite being very fat I am also very muscular.
Now, there is nothing I want more for myself that a tiny waist and wide hips and a great butt. A friend told me that she does quite a bit of yoga, and has gained more feminine curves since she stopped overdoing cardio (she does yoga for 3 hours; she didn't gain weight or anything!). So I'm curious abput y'all's opinion on that! If anyone knows any exercises for those particular areas, that is much appreciated!
On the topic of the massive heels...
I am lucky enough to have no issue walking in heels, and I generally wear 4-5 inchers everyday. May I ask how exactly a "stripper shoe" is different from any old set of heels? I have very large feet (size 11) and have trouble finding shoes as it is; will finding proper shoes in my size be difficult?
Thanks for taking the time to read through ^_^! I really appreciate it! Just fyi, I probably forgot half my questions, so... I maaaaaay have a few more in time!
Re: Interested in Dancing, questions, advice/opinions appreciated.
Oh, I just remembered! I read that some customers buy drinks for girls. I will not only be underage, but I am strongly opposed to myself drinking liquour, as we have ADD family members on all sides of my "clan" and I don't want to risk becoming one of them. Would it be possible, if this were to happen to me, to make a request that I be served water?
Re: Interested in Dancing, questions, advice/opinions appreciated.
Licence requirements vary by city or county; sm require them & sm do not. The Houston girls would know better abt your situation, I have nvr danced there & made it a point to not work in areas that require a licence as it creates a paper trail. The sheriff's office would be the place to go looking for your area's specific requirements.
Re: makeup, I usually did a very simple girl-nxt-door look b/c I am lazy & generally poor w/ makeup anyway. Look thru Body Business for more info on makeup techniques, but in general, strip club makeup standards tend to be pretty different from your everyday venue. A mask that makes you look like a drag queen in the dressing room, if done correctly will look great out on the floor under club lighting, as blacklights tend to be pretty forgiving & the strobes on stage tend to confuse the eyes. Eyeliner + false lashes are your friends. Avoid glitter like the plague(this goes for outfits too -- no glitter on your person period) unless you can make sure that Ajax won't get it off.
Good on getting a jumpstart on the cardio! You will need it when you start dancing. I have known a few girls who did pilates or yoga, & one girl even incorporated the slow-stretching & posing of yoga into her stage sets. If you should develop an interest in pole tricks, you are already ahead of the game by building up your strength & stamina early on. That being said, unless you are working in an urban club, pole tricks will not be your bread & butter. Do not focus on them until you've gotten into the swing of dancing in general.
Pole work, when/if you start down that road, will tone you up quicker than anything. Between that & the right diet you may be able to develop more of the physique you are looking for, but there is really not much that can be done abt bone structure, so do not stress abt it too much. You can't please every1 so do not worry too much abt your shape beyond toning up/getting healthy.
Stripper heels are actually designed for stripping. A good stripper shoe will have a solid platform & a one-piece sole that will be much more stable than your typical 'civilian' heels where the heel is attached separately. I'd suggest looking for a bit thicker heel when first starting out, as opposed to just jumping into the spike heels, but that's just me, as I was horrid in heels & even after 4+ yrs dancing could hardly keep my feet under me. Boot styles will give added support for your joints as well as protect your skin from rough floors. Almost anything you could possibly need can be found online these days, & there are sm good threads in Body Business on finding good shoes.
Alcohol: I drank very little at work, in my time dancing only got even buzzed twice & those were take-it-easy shifts anyway. I usually ordered orange juice, & kept a water bottle handy. I could easily go thru 4 litres or more water in a shift. Sm clubs have commission drinks for dancers that the dancer gets a percentage of the $$ paid for the drink. I worked at a club once that had both virgin & alcoholic commission drinks. You do not have to drink on the job & I highly recommend that you don't, esp if you are just trying to 'calm the nerves' as that can easily get away from you. In most clubs you can work smtg out w/ the waitress/bartender to just get virgin drinks, that may or may not be made to look like alcoholic drinks for the customer's benefit. If a club tries to compel you to drink alcohol(regardless of your age) find sm where else to work.
Re: Interested in Dancing, questions, advice/opinions appreciated.
First and foremost 2500 calories is a lot if you are looking to lose weight unless you are 6' tall this is the recommended daily allowance for men if you wear an 11 you are likely quite tall though... maybe 1300-1500 depending on the workout and your current weight/height. Kudos on the weight you have lost so far. As far as the drinking, if you are at a smaller club let the cocktail waitress and bartenders know and make up some fake drink name. The shoe issue was resolved very well above by Aniela. Buy a pair of actual stripper shoes ahead of time and wear them around your house. Break them in and get used to them. Aniela also gave good advice about makeup but there are great tutorials on YouTube as well so I would watch them. I have ALWAYS ben good at makeup (used to work as a stylist) and I can attest that the YouTube tutorials are very simple to follow even if you are not. You need to wear a decent amount of makeup even if the look you are going for is "natural" as #1 its dark as hell in clubs and #2 the guys want to see a fantasy girl... in order to maximize profit you need to live up to this. Keep reading the stickies. The girls on this site are very helpful, even to vets. Good luck!!