Dancer Dichotomy

One of the things I noticed when I moved to Vegas was that it is a very, very big deal what you do for a living. People will ask you this in the first four minutes of meeting you. Without fail. It actually is kind of wierd.

I made the mistake a few times of telling people that I am a dancer. The other times I get into trouble is when someone introduces me as "Jenn, the Dancer". And I am, but it always needs to be qualified. If you say that you are a dancer in this city, people assume you strip. Which to me is kind of funny, because Vegas has a disproportionately high amount of always employed, highly trained dancers. Dancers in LA and NY just don't have the same kind of opportunity that we do here. Of course there is Hollywood, Broadway, and the music industry. Vegas just always has something happening. Always.

So. I am sick of qualifying myself. Here are all the different kind of dancers in Sin City that DON'T strip.

1. Showgirls.
Girls working in the shows on the strip. Long contracts, great pay. The dancers in Celine Dion used to be the best on the strip. So right now there are a ton of freaking amazing dancers looking for jobs. They'll get snapped up soon. People always ask me if I audition for these. I don't. I didn't come here to dance on the strip. I think doing the same show night after night would be numbing. Zero creativity. Great dancers, but just not for me.

2. Go Go dancers.
Every club has them. Some casino pits do too now, like the Pussycat Pit at Caesars. This is fun stuff. I actually do this occasionally for extra $$$. Skimpy, but far from naked. In fact, I think fishnets count as pants. Easy job. At the club for 3 or 4 hours, only actually work for 2 hours. 20 minute shifts. As long as the DJ is good, it's a great gig.

3. Studio- trained dancers.
These are usually the dance teachers. Maybe have a go go or promo gig on the side. Maybe too old to be a showgirl. The lucky ones are in Celine, Cirque, or maybe one or two other shows that feature real, honest to god, make you cry its so good dancing.

4. Burlesque
Fourty duece, crazy girls, Fantasy, Bite. A few others. Not strippers at all, just happen to dance topless. And it's a show, so no one can put dollars in your g-string, no hustling for lap dances. I've seen a few of these. It's art.

5. Ballroom Dancers
me! Teachers and competetors. Teach for a living, train and compete for the love of the sport. There actually aren't very many really good ballroom dancers in Vegas. Under 25 really good ones for sure. 2 good studios.

So, the next time someone asks me what I do for a living, I'm either going to proudly say "I'm a professional ballroom dancer".

Or tell them I'm a janitor.