I want to start dancing BUT.....
I'm sure there had been past posts on this topic, so sorry if I'm repeating..but after reading all this club raids and busts..I am having second thoughts about dancing. it seems like there is no way you could find out what is legal and what is not.. i don't think ill rely on the manager to tell me..and sure as hell may or may not believe a dancer.. how do you even find out though for your ownself? is there like a dancer book on the requirements for lets say California or somethin?
To be honest, I don't feel comfortable at all having to give out my social number to the club because if there is any arrests, eek..I'm screwed.. the part about it is, people i closely know work for the sheriff department...there not cops though! so basically its like my information is all in the system :-\
but out of curiosity..i really want to dance, but the whole tax and law involvement..i was at this sc in Anaheim and the manager mentioned I would need a I.D from the police station. That is just scary.. it is like everything about you is being put out to the public as "ENTERTAINMENT DANCER" its like what the hell.. why would u dancers go thru this bullshit.. no privacy or ne of that! seriously.
i dont know how this is goin to affect me as a newbie...i wanna back out on this but i really want to dance.. im dancing for the hell of it.. i'm not dancing because i have to pay rent..naw! thank goodness in mah case, but im just doin this for fun.. i had a great time as a customer... but i dunno... what do you guys think about this whole ordeal? seems like no one isn't too frantic about dancing with the whole club busts situation bc i see yall still dance whether or not the law is involved ..
Re: I want to start dancing BUT.....
Honestly, I really don't think there are as many club busts as you're thinking there are. Yes, they happen, but usually only if it is known that the club is majorly involved in prostitution/drug use or sale of drugs. I really don't think you have anything to worry about. I really don't worry about it at all. I don't do anything illegal and don't do any extras, so I don't worry about getting busted for anything. I also have to get a license from the police station in order to dance, and they run everyone's license to check for warrants or outstanding fines. I think they do that because of the reputation of dancers for being drug addicts/prostitutes- by checking IDs they can look for previous prostitution charges or drug charges.
Re: I want to start dancing BUT.....
When I danced, between the 8 clubs I danced at during various times, there were only two that I would not go back too. Why? Because there was way too much going on, lots of high contact in a non-contact club and the other there was obviously a lot of drugs going through it. Common sense will tell you, those are places that are just waiting to be busted, hince you dont work in them. There is no listing per state of the rules, because even in one state, the rules can change by county and the ordinances they set forth. The best way to find out what the rules are, is stop at the police station and ask them. They know what the specific rules are for their county. As for the ID thing, 3 places I danced at, I wasnt required to have one, but a few of the others and at my home club I was. But it wasnt just dancers that had to have them. Waitresses, bartenders, etc had to have one too. Again, this varies per county and state. I wasnt worried about getting one, I dont have a record. Yes, they take your picture, yes they file your info and yes they fingerprint you. Since I've retired from dancing, I work a "normal" job, two of which including my current one are huge corporations and they do extensive background checks. None of them has ever come back showing I had an "entertainment" license. It's never affected my ability to find work now. Now if I worked at a club that got busted while I was in it, well yeah, it would show. But you just have to use common sense and avoid the clubs you know are either breaking the rules or that you can tell have drug traffic going through it. It doesnt take long in the business before you can pick them out just by walking in the door. So I wouldnt be that worried about it all if I were you, just use your common sense is all.
Re: I want to start dancing BUT.....
The whole thing with having to be "licensed" to dance (beyond a business license and the standard ID used for any job), is BS. Dancers aren't serving food or alcohol, they aren't card dealers, they aren't carrying weapons for security (at least not while performing), and usually only female dancers need to get these licenses. Sounds like a buch of crap to make work for government employees, increase spending on those services, and an excuse to tax the public for a redundant license.
If an actual SERVICE went along with the licensing process (like it does with food and alcohol servers), like a handy little class or reference guide to the law, then it might be worth it. But most of the time these licenses are in place for strip club owners who are too lazy to do the job themselves of discovering if the dancers can legally work or not.
So many of the laws are written so vaugely that it is not possible to discern what is legal or illegal, anyway. A lot of the legal language is worded like "any behavior that is deemed lewd or obscene". So the legal definition is left up to vice and judges to decide if the dancer was being lewd or obscene.
Re: I want to start dancing BUT.....
I asked someone(cant remember who now) why we had to get licenses and they said its to make sure you are you and you have no prostitution charges on your record or previous drug charges. It was also because so many dancers do not do taxes so its the goverments way of getting some sort of money from us ::) IMO I think licensing is stupid but on the other hand it helps keep some clubs cleaner...
Re: I want to start dancing BUT.....
^^Which is why I think so many former escort-cum-dancers come to Ottawa from Toronto- they can work here without a licence when they were denied in Toronto. Just from some changeroom chat I've heard...
That said, club busts aren't necessarily a bad thing. The busts in our area forced my club to really clean it up. They fired a lot of girls, and the money is back where it should be (without us getting raided ourselves- knock on wood).
Re: I want to start dancing BUT.....
nevermind.. i got the JOB.. start tomorrow.. haha ;D
Re: I want to start dancing BUT.....
if youre clean you'll never be busted. They dont just arrest everyone. They watch and arrest the ones who broke the law.
Re: I want to start dancing BUT.....
B: Congrats on your job. Just my personal opinion. I try to avoid cities that require a license, just in case it turns up in the future. There are a few desired occupations that you want to make sure that you work in a clean club so you don't get a record. Clubs that get busted are usually clubs with girls breaking the law or with lots of drugs. Dancing is a great way to making money. I don't want to offend anyone here, cuz I'm a dancer myself. But if you don't have to do it, then maybe it's not worth the hassle. For example, the best nghts are the weekends, and you have to make some scarifices.