Retired dancers: What do you miss the most?

[cairalis]

Hi! I just did a search on retired dancers threads and they are all very old so I hope it's ok to start a new one.

I am curious to know what other retired dancers miss the most from your dancing years? (Perhaps also what you miss the least!)

I am a retired dancer since almost 10 years now (I danced for about 10 years on and off). I don't miss dancing, but I can get nostalgic over it sometimes, I used to really love it.

I rmiss the outfits and the stripper heels! I still have a pair of Pleasers in my attic that I sometimes put on lol.
I miss going on stage to a really good 90's or 00's RnB song
I miss some of the girls I used to dance with...
I also miss that badass feeling you get from a really good night $$$, however I still get that feeling, just from other things now, it's just not as instant!

[Girl Anachronism]

CASH MUNNY!!!!


i just love cold hard cash. camming is cool, and not *that* different but i really miss having hundreds in cash on me at any time and i miss having physical money thrown at me

i also miss how it kept me in really good shape

[bananaqueen]

I miss when guys make it rain on me on stage. I felt like such a badass babe. I miss tying guys up sometimes and spanking them and them paying me to do so on stage lol. I sometimes miss dolling up. I do NOT miss the hours, staying up late- no thanks. I do not miss some of the music because it drives me nuts. I do not miss approaching customers who just want to talk and drink with you.

[305gurl]

The atmosphere of the club. I haven't gone to a club in a long while now. So, I'm longing for that feeling.

Of course, the money. With a rotation of reliable regulars to come in to pay you. Knowing of that security coming to the club comes with a great feeling when you see one of them. Also, the surprise of getting a whale once in a while.

And the "benefits of a relationship" with men you aren't romantically involved with; gifts and lunches/drinks paid for.

[SnuffleUffleGrass]

The money...................

[indiegirl]

Being paid to work out!! LOLLLL

But hot damn, being up until 4am nonstop, the hagglers, the time wasters, the people who took advantage of you, people being more cheap with this new generation, the women showing up trying to act like one of the guys not spending except a couple stage bucks, and the utter BS of work politics got old. All that stress for a couple hundred bucks got ridiculous to me.

[kimbe]

What I miss the most - the money!
What I miss the least - the conflict between personal boundaries vs money

[cairalis]

Being paid to work out!! LOLLLL

But hot damn, being up until 4am nonstop, the hagglers, the time wasters, the people who took advantage of you, people being more cheap with this new generation, the women showing up trying to act like one of the guys not spending except a couple stage bucks, and the utter BS of work politics got old. All that stress for a couple hundred bucks got ridiculous to me.

Agreed on all of the above, but I think the thing I miss the least is feeling too mentally drained to actually have a social life outside of work.

[305gurl]

Kinda strange but I miss driving on the highway past 2 or 4am after leaving work. The calm and quiet drive with the lights of the city by the highway passing by. It's a nice feeling once I think about it.

Also shopping at Walmart after work(LOL). No one around while I'm wearing joggers and a hat, to hide my identity even though I'm across town from the club and zipping through aisles, filling up the cart quick and paying it all with the money I just earned half an hour ago. LoL. Miss those times.

What I don't miss is bickering and drama among the dancers and the club's dumb rules and gimmicks.

[pinkvelvetxo]

I definetly miss having cash at hand. And the glamour part of it(the outfits, being on stage, music/lights).

I don’t miss the hard hustle. Also the pressure to drink, getting molested every night. The bad customers. Having been out of it for 2 years, it’s really hard to imagine going back now as much as I’ve thought about it . But I’m happy i was able to enjoy my twenties doing that.

[carmen_b]

The over $500 days ............

Nothing like smoothing your cash and arranging it after you've made it QUICKLY .

Pink : Your listed downsides are SO accurate. It is NOT as easy job at all.

[LoveyD]

I miss listening to the loud music. The atmosphere. The way money would tickle me when I got rained on. Of course I miss the money. Miss getting dressed up and wearing stripper heels. I miss doing my routine and staying in really awesome shape just from dancing. I miss some of the girls. And I miss the money buzz, when I'd be walking out of there with at least a rack high on endorphins. I also miss my regular who used to bring me free edibles that he'd make because they were actually really good. Saved me a lot of money on weed.

[Aurora_Sunset]

Kinda strange but I miss driving on the highway past 2 or 4am after leaving work. The calm and quiet drive with the lights of the city by the highway passing by. It's a nice feeling once I think about it.

I was JUST coming here to say something like this. I miss driving home at 3-4am, stripper makeup still on, and swinging through McDonalds or Steak n' Shake when no one else was around. And then calmly eating my late-night meal in the solitude and darkness of my apartment, maybe with a show playing quietly on my laptop, my wadded up cash sitting next to me.

I randomly miss having bruises on my knees at all times from the stage. I mostly miss stage dancing, in terms of club activities.

I miss having a raunchy secret. I guess I kinda still do - about my past. But it's not the same as it being active and current.

Paying for something with all singles and having people make the "lol what are you, a stripper?" joke. Bahaha - yep!

Ugh - a friend was just asking me last night if I missed dancing and ever thought about going back. Yeah, I would like to. Honestly, I'd probably hate it very quickly considering the quality and atmosphere of clubs around here. But I'd like to at least give it a try again.

[305gurl]

I've recently talk to two colleagues of mine who are still active. The "left behinds," "still stuck." They said that the money is getting way harder to make than before which is nothing new to me. I want to make a comeback and rake all the money there is but it's so discouraging to face today's club changes.

I take it back what I said about drama in the locker room. Come to think about it, it makes me laugh when I think about the fighting and crying over the dumbest things like a cheating boyfriend or a "claimed" customer. Overhearing conversations girls talking on the phone or to another dancer like "Can you see the tampon sticking out?" "I just got a boob job" "That girl is flat like a paper. She shouldn't be dancing." The all-dancer meetings with a manager saying "I know it's the slow season but you girls cannot be undercutting" and they still do(I never). LoL

[Aurora_Sunset]

I've recently talk to two colleagues of mine who are still active. The "left behinds," "still stuck." They said that the money is getting way harder to make than before which is nothing new to me. I want to make a comeback and rake all the money there is but it's so discouraging to face today's club changes.

I take it back what I said about drama in the locker room. Come to think about it, it makes me laugh when I think about the fighting and crying over the dumbest things like a cheating boyfriend or a "claimed" customer. Overhearing conversations girls talking on the phone or to another dancer like "Can you see the tampon sticking out?" "I just got a boob job" "That girl is flat like a paper. She shouldn't be dancing." The all-dancer meetings with a manager saying "I know it's the slow season but you girls cannot be undercutting" and they still do(I never). LoL

Ugh yeah, that’s what I told my friend. I would love to dance again but I know from talking to people on here that the money is not what it used to be. Maybe if I still lived near my first dive, I’d give it a try lol The money expectations were never super high to begin with so they’re probably still the same. I think management changed though and that’s the only thing that kept that place from being a “shady” dive instead of just a little club.

[Sam38g]

Finding money stashed in boots & pockets. Nothing like putting on a pair of thigh high boots for a night out and wondering what was that in the bottom, shaking them and money falls out.

[carmen_b]

^ The random $ discoveries are the BEST !! Ha.

[305gurl]

What's even better is making $1000, or more, off of one guy. That is a discovery or a jackpot.

Then, those legendary +$3000 nights. Only happened to me a handful of times. Like 7 times. Wish I could have logged the date, the amount of each night and written the memoirs of those nights. The most was over $6000.

[LoveyD]

I miss grocery shopping at 2 am. Best time to go.

[minniesoporno]

Things I won't miss about sex work

The painful memories of racism, discrimination, fear and my old insecurities.

I hated how I would be turned down purely based on how I looked or worried if they had too many black girls they wouldn't hire

[lilac666]

I miss the money and freedom....I don't miss drinking, late nights and dealing with toxic personalities ( although they are everywhere).

[pixiepower329]

I miss being paid to essentially work out. Once I stopped dancing, the pounds slowly started taking over.

I don't miss smoke filled environments.

[smeca]

Ugh I miss dressing up slutty, heavy makeup, the heels, the music- I don't really enjoy Kanye etc but some songs were banging when in a club. Stage mostly, I really like showing off and just enjoying my songs on the pole. The feeling of doing it "for real", like men are really handing me cash and looking at me, haha it was a buzz.

Oh and I miss having dancer friends to talk about it to! Even my secret has just evaporated now and no one knows I used to dance again. That's why I logged back on here after years. Nice to see some of the same faces!

[chanzep]

Nice to see you.

[ava$]

Being paid to work out!! LOLLLL

But hot damn, being up until 4am nonstop, the hagglers, the time wasters, the people who took advantage of you, people being more cheap with this new generation, the women showing up trying to act like one of the guys not spending except a couple stage bucks, and the utter BS of work politics got old. All that stress for a couple hundred bucks got ridiculous to me.

Lol, I feel all this, there’s always that at every club but I did always bank so I could deal.. I think I’m going back so I don’t think I’m retired but have not been back since Covid, I miss the $$, and the drive to stay in shape/looking good is just higher when your gonna dance, I like that, when I don’t dance I just don’t do much but the breaks I took I had kids so that contributed also…