Hey newbies and rock-star veterans!
Just wanted to let you all know how my first weekend dancing went and hopefully it calms the nerves of the of you girls who are about to start dancing for the first time. If you're having any doubts - don't worry, you will be amazing!! I was scared shitless going into this and now after working two nights, I'm looking forward to going in again next weekend!
I have been lurking here for a couple of months and all the info on these boards was SUPER valuable. First thing I would recommend for anyone that's about to start is to start reading everything in hustle hut and all the threads about dancing in your particular area.
A friend and I started dancing at a club in Sarnia, Ontario. It's a small working class border town with a lot of industry that hasn't gone bust yet like in the steel town that I am from. Loads of blue collared men with high wages and money to blow. I didn't have a chance to come into the club in person, so I just called in and they said it was fine for me to pop in on a Friday night. The guy was on the phone was really helpful, which I appreciated and repeated numerous times that there was zero tolerance for extras.
Initially I planned on starting at a club in Woodstock, Ontario which seemed like an OK place to start even though I was warned that it was an extras club (garbage cans in the VIP rooms kind of place). When I called that club up, the manager on the phone didn't seem very pleasant and didn't want to spend 5 seconds answering a couple of questions I had. She had already hired me and told me to come in whenever but when I called back to confirm, she acted like we had never had the conversation. Oh well, maybe she had just forgotten.
The fees between the two clubs was similar, $20 bucks house free, but the extras club also took $5 from every new customer you took to the VIP. I can see how that can quickly add up through the course of the night. I decided to go with the non-extras club. The dances were $20 bucks and there was no VIP to sell for 1/2 hour or an hour, like there is in other clubs.
My friend and I loaded up our car, drove 2.5 hours to Sarnia, checked into a motel and then went to check out the club. The manager on the phone was around and he check our ID, showed us around and told us to come around 8pm to beat the Friday night rush. The club was not too big, had a nice looking stage with two poles and most importantly it was dark enough that I didn't have to worry about cellulite haha. I am a curvy girl, around 150 lbs with DD breasts, long dark hair, tanned skin and a bit of extra weight in my mid section. I decided to go for a lacy mini-dress, in order to cover my belly which I am pretty self conscious about. My friend is tiny in comparison to me, at 5"0 with lots of tattoos, dark hair, pale skin and a more alternative look.
My friend and I were both TERRIFIED while getting ready. I had the shakes and was regretting even coming but I knew there was no backing down. When we checked into the club, we were sent to go choose our music with the DJ and then had a couple of drinks to ease our nerves. I let the DJ choose whatever he wanted for me but I told him I was new and appreciated something a bit slower, which I found easier to dance to. Initially we planned on trying to opt out of doing a stage show by paying a higher house fee but the manager said that the best way to get over the nerves was to just go up and do it. I have very little dance experience, have never taken pole classes and don't really consider myself a good dancer but when I went up there, I think I did a pretty decent job! I was surprised how my nerves just went away once I got on the pole and the 12 minutes that I was up there didn't seem to drag on like I had expected them to. Seriously ladies, if you are worried about the stage show - DON'T BE! If I can do it, I am confident that everyone else can as well. My coping strategy was just to focus on moving slowly and looking at myself in the mirror to see what worked and what didn't. My stage show wasn't that exciting I'm sure but I think I somewhat managed to look like I knew what I was doing.
After my friend went up on stage, we hit the floor and started talking to the guys. We wanted to work together initially, so we choose a table of two middle aged guys. They were nice and gave us a bit more insight on the club but were honest and said they weren't there for dances. I'm sure in the future I could focus more on trying to win those types of customers over but that night the club was getting pretty full, so there were loads of other potential customers. We didn't waste too much time with them before saying that we had to get back to work. The next table we approached ended up buying us a couple of rounds of drinks and then took us back for dances. I was a bit nervous about the VIP but I had kept my eyes out on what other dancers were doing and tried to mimic them. My first customer spent $140 on me and was really nice and gentle with me in the backroom. I was pretty open with him about being new and he seemed to be pretty into it. I think most of the clubs in my area are very high contact compared to some of the clubs in the states that I have heard about, and the VIPs are nude. I didn't take any of my clothes off for the first song or two, then I started to take them off slowly but only took my panties off for the first customer. Boob and ass grabbing seem to be the standard from what I could tell.
After the first stage show and the first VIP dance, I felt invincible! I started just approaching every table to introduce myself and most of the guys I talked to took me took me to the VIP. Most of the customers that night were younger guys, who didn't have to take a lot of convincing to take me to the VIP but also didn't spend too much money. Most of them took me for 3-4 songs but there was a steady stream of them. Both my friend and I left that night with about $450 minus a $20 house free, which we were happy with. The hustling seemed to come pretty easy for me and even though I have a lot to learn, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I had a natural knack for it!
The only thing that soured my night was right at the end some kid I was dancing for decided not to pay me. He kind of dicked me around for a while and then tried to get his friend to pay, who refused and then was just wasting my time further. The club has a policy that they don't hassle the customers for money and encourage the dancers to ask for money upfront. I was annoyed at the customer and the bouncer who didn't want to intervene but I didn't want to cause a scene on my first night and I wasn't sure what the appropriate course of action should have been. Next time, I will definitely be more assertive and ask for my money every song or two, especially at the end of the night when all the guys are pretty drunk. I ended up getting $40 from the guy, which was $60 short. Cheap asshole. I ran into him later at 7-11 and told him that he was a piece of shit, which was only a little bit satisfying.
Also guys kept trying to lick my nipples, which was gross and annoying. I don't know what the hell it was about my nipples that made them so lickable because my friend said that didn't happened to her. Next time I am putting some perfume and deodorant on them haha. I don't know if this is a common thing at this club but it is definitely NOT something I am comfortable with.
One thing that really surprised me was that I didn't have to drink nearly as much as I had thought I would need to. The first night I had a couple of drinks and had a buzz on for a good portion of the night. The next morning was a bitch and I didn't want to drink nearly as much the second night. I did just fine with very little alcohol and I think in the future I am going to try dancing completely sober.
The second night we were in, it was a bit slower but it gave me time to work on my hustle. I felt more confident on the floor and on the stage. I also felt way more confident in making sure customers knew my boundaries and didn't let them get away with any gross shit. I introduced myself to some of the other dancers and staff and everyone seemed fairly friendly. After two nights, my friend and I both left with about $750 bucks.
Anyways, I hope some of you find this helpful and it gives you confidence to get out there!



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