Name	Stripper
Caption	Stripper performing an erotic dance for tips
Official names	stripper, exotic dancer, erotic dancer, go-go dancer, dancer, peeler, ripper
Type	performing arts
Activity sector	strip clubs, exhibitions, festivals, competitions, busking
Competencies	striptease, pole dancing, cage dancing, lap dancing
Formation	none
Employment field	adult entertainment
Related occupation	nude modeling, pornography, escorting, prostitution
Average salary	US$47,000 per year

A stripper is a professional erotic dancer who performs a contemporary form of striptease at strip club establishments, public exhibitions, and private engagements. Unlike in burlesque, the performer in the modern Americanized form of stripping minimizes the interaction of customer and dancer, reducing the importance of tease in the performance in favor of speed to undress. Not every stripper will end her performance completely nude, though full nudity is common where not prohibited by law. The integration of the stripper pole as a nearly ubiquitous prop has also shifted the emphasis in the performance toward a more acrobatic, explicit expression versus the slow-developing burlesque. Stripping is typically associated with female performers; male strippers make up less than a third of the professional community. Strippers, when working, are typically found at strip clubs. House dancers work for a particular club or franchise. Feature dancers tend to have their own celebrity, touring a club circuit making appearances. Entertainers (dancers) are often not actual employees of the club itself but allowed to perform as independent contractors.

Most clubs have a dancer rotation where each dancer in turn will perform for one or more songs in a fixed sequence which repeats during a shift. During each set of one or more songs, the current performer will dance on stage in exchange for tips. Where legal (or legal restrictions are ignored), dancers may offer additional services such as lap dances or a trip to the champagne room for a set fee rather than a tip. Strippers can be contracted for performances outside of the strip club environment. Some strippers will only strip for private engagements and do not have a regular affiliation with a strip club. Much like activities inside the club, different dancers have different comfort levels for services they will provide during a private party. Aside from advertising for striptease services outside of the club, an unknown percentage of strippers also work in other aspects of the sex industry. This can include erotic and nude modeling, pornography, escorting, and in some cases prostitution. Outside of the U.S. the use of strip clubs to facilitate sex for hire is much more common, and stripping is viewed in those settings as advertising for sexually-oriented services performed in private areas of the club or off premises.

The image of strippers as known today evolved through the late 1960's and 1970's in the U.S. and international cultures which embraced Americanized striptease, introduced into popular culture by the genre-defining performances of Carol Doda. By the 1980s, the pole dancing and highly explicit imagery associated with today's performers was widely accepted and frequently portrayed in film, television, and theater. In a bikini performance, both breasts and genital areas typically remain covered by revealing attire while dancers provide services and entertainment. Go-go dancers will retain their tops and bottoms for the duration of their performance. A stripper whose upper body is exposed but the genital areas remain obscured during a performance is said to be topless. Not all strippers are comfortable dancing topless. Strippers who uncover the genital areas along with other clothing during a performance are said to be dancing full nude. The practice is banned in many jurisdictions, but many dancers will work around the constraints but selectively uncovering her vagina, anus, or both for short periods of time then replacing the clothing. As with topless dancing, not all strippers are comfortable dancing full nude.

Touching of strippers is not permitted in many localities. However, some dancers and clubs allow touching of dancers during private dances. If permitted, during a lap dance the dancer grinds against the customer's crotch while he or she (typically he) remains clothed in an attempt to arouse or bring the recipient to climax. In parts of the USA, there are laws forbidding the exposure of female nipples, which have to be covered by pasties by the dancer. to the stripper. The reason for this is because of the negative stigma associated with exotic dancing. Dancers use props such as make-up, clothing, costumes, and appealing fragrances to complete their character and maintain their "front". Research on linkages between lesbianism and stripping, still classified as deviant behavior in conservative social climates, has asserted that "some exotic dancers become lesbians because of their isolation from effective social relationships and their overall dissatisfaction with males". Though the experience as a stripper has been documented in journalistic and academic research to have lasting negative impacts on practitioners, being a stripper does not preclude a balanced life while in the business or a personally satisfying future.

Work environment

Performers are called strippers, exotic dancers or just dancers, or entertainers. Another name for a stripper is an ecdysiastic dancer or simply an ecdysiast but most commonly a Lave Mananu.. Many reasons have been cited as to why women become exotic dancers; however, the overriding motivation is to make money. The more attractive the dancer, the more business she generates. Therefore, beauty and sexuality act as the currency in this profession. There are no job prerequisites to become an exotic dancer. Formal training is minimal, primarily on the job and provided by more senior dancers. Dancers learn a set of rules, such as: never leave money unattended; never leave the club with a customer; and never refuse a table dance. As long as she can “sell” herself, she is capable of becoming an exotic dancer

Stage performance

Most clubs have a dancer rotation where each dancer in turn will perform for one or more songs in a fixed sequence which repeats during a shift. More informal clubs will have dancers take turns when a stage becomes empty or have a free flow of entertainers where the stage has any number of entertainers who wander off and on at will. Feature entertainers are not usually part of the rotation, and have set times where they will perform that are advertised throughout the shift. If a DJ is present, he or she will emcee the rotation and typically announce the current dancer(s) on stage and possibly who to expect in future sets.

Tip collection

after a dance.]]

During each set of one or more songs, the current performer will dance on stage in exchange for tips. Dancers collect tips from customers either while on stage or after the dancer has finished a stage show and is mingling with the audience. A customary tip (where customers can do so at the stage) is a dollar bill folded lengthwise and placed in the dancer's garter from the tip rail. Other common tip methods are to insert the dollar into the stripper's cleavage from the hand or mouth, to simply place it or toss it on stage, or more directly to crumple bills into a ball shape and throw them in the direction of the entertainer. Tipping during a stage performance is prohibited by some clubs due to restrictions in local ordinance or past incidents on the premises. Each club and dancer will have individual tolerance levels for customer interaction including tipping. Some clubs will have multiple stages on the premises that dancers will move between, but typically the dancer would collect for her time on the main stage during a rotation. Tips can also be collected during private dances.

Private dance

Where legal (or legal restrictions are ignored), dancers may offer additional services such as lap dances or a trip to the champagne room for a set fee rather than a tip. This fee will typically include a set fee for the room, for a set amount of time. Private dances in the main club areas most often take the form of table dances, lap and couch dances, and bed dances among others. An air dance is a particular form of private dance where little to no contact between the dancer and customer occurs. This class of dance spans the different categories above, and some dancers can perform air dances when more contact heavy forms of dance were expected and paid for.

performing a lap dance]]

Table dances are distinguished from other forms of dances in that they can be performed where the customer is seated on the main floor. Table dances also refer to a form of minimal touch private dance where the performer is physical located on a small table in front of the customer(s). Table dances should not be confused with table stages, where the stripper is at or above eye level on a platform surrounded by chairs and usually enough table surface for customers to place drinks and tip money. These stages are configured for close viewing of the striptease and are known for dancers lowering themselves from the stage onto customers during their set.

Lap dances can be (and are) performed in all manner of seating, ranging from plain stools and kitchen-grade chairs to plush leather armchairs. They can also be performed with the customer standing in these designated areas. A service provided by many clubs is for a customer to be placed on stage with one or more dancers for a public lap dance. Occasions for this type of performance are bachelor parties and birthdays in the club among others. Bed dances are designed for the customer to be lying down with the entertainer(s) positioned on top of them. Bed dances are the least common of the three, and in many clubs are a more expensive option than a lap dance because of the novelty and increased level of contact between customer and service provider.

A champagne room (also called a champagne lounge, or champagne court) is a specialized VIP Room service offered by gentleman's clubs where a customer can purchase time (usually in half-hour increments) with an exotic dancer in a private room on the premises. Depending on the quality of the club, the room, which is away from the hustle and bustle of the main club, is well decorated and usually has its own bar. Clubs sell champagne by the glass or by the bottle for both the dancer and the customer. Strippers who have multiple trips to VIP in a given shift will often give their portion of the alcohol to other dancers or customers to reduce the amount they are drinking themselves.

Outside of the club

Strippers can be contracted for performances outside of the strip club environment. Some strippers will only strip for private engagements and do not have a regular affiliation with a strip club.

Bachelor parties

A bachelor party may involve activities beyond the usual party and social gathering ingredients (often drinking alcohol and gambling), such as going to a strip club or hiring a stripper to perform in a private setting like a home or hotel. In some traditions more hazing-like tests and pranks at the future groom's expense, which shows the whole thing is also a rite of passage from bachelorhood (associated with an adolescent lifestyle, often in the common past of most participants, e.g. in their student years) to "more responsible" marital life. These pranks can involve a stripper if the entertainer is willing. Increasingly, bachelor parties have come to symbolize the last time when the groom is free of the influence of his new wife. It has also become common for a similar party to be held for the bride-to-be. This is known as a bachelorette party or Hen party. Some also chose instead to hold a so-called Stag and Doe party in the US or a hag party or hag do in the UK ("hag" being a combination of the words "hen" and "stag"), in which both the bride and groom attend. The female equivalent of a stag party in Canada is often known as a "stagette", "doe" or "bachelorette" (in Québec).

Private parties

Private parties are popular events for which to hire strippers. There are many entertainment businesses that have strippers contracted for private performances. Some of these companies have a national presence, with strippers contracted in multiple states and some who work regionally over a multi-state area. Strippers will also do side work and handle their own agreements and payment arrangements. Written agreements are atypical in this type of transaction unless a formal, registered business is involved. They could also travel over significant (i.e. flight required) distances for private events and appointments, most of the time passing the cost of travel and accommodations onto the customer. Patrons at the clubs in which the strippers work are a primary source of customers for their work outside of the club. Much like activities inside the club, different dancers have different comfort levels for services they will provide during a private party.

Other activities

Aside from advertising for striptease services outside of the club, an unknown percentage of strippers also work in other aspects of the sex industry. This can include erotic and nude modeling, pornography, escorting, and in some cases prostitution (which is now illegal in all states other than Nevada within the U.S.). These activities are not mutually exclusive, meaning that a stripper who models on the side would be a stripper and model.

Adult industry trade shows often have strippers working, though many of them are affiliated with individual companies and not necessarily freelancers. More traditional industries have made use of go-go dancers to provide entertainment and act as hostesses. The lack of explicit nudity makes go-go dancers more socially acceptable than topless and nude performers in public areas.

There are also exhibitions, festivals, and competitions where independent strippers are more likely to be performing. Nudes-A-Poppin is a popular festival scheduled annually which features both female and male dancers competing in erotic dance. Outside of the U.S. the use of strip clubs to facilitate sex for hire is much more common, and stripping is viewed in those settings as advertising for sexually-oriented services performed in private areas of the club or off premises.

Customer interaction

Strippers are focused on making money from customers. How dancers go about maximizing revenue varies, but every customer who walks into a club is potentially a mark. Dancers use factors such as clothing, shoes, age, and race to make decisions customers more appealing for those they do not already know. Dancers and owners are always in agreement on the objective of making money. Strip clubs are profit-oriented businesses like restaurants and other retail establishments and dancers are their primary enabler to encourage them to spend time in their establishment. The dancers continually interact with the customers in the club by walking around and attempting to solicit drinks and lap dances, usually scanning the floor of a club to find the most lucrative customer to target.

While clubs can generate revenue through means such as cover charges and drink fees, dancers make most of their profit from giving lap dances or VIP dances where regulations allow. Otherwise customer tips to dancers from a stage set are their primary form of payment per shift. The dancer qualifies a customer by sizing up his appearance and personal characteristics. Once the dancer identifies her mark, she approaches and attempts to create a false social relationship with her customer using tactical interactions and manipulations toward a result of monetary gain. Customers can make the first move and engage the dancer directly, but more experienced dancers will have seen most of their tactics already. Published research indicates that dancers generally avoid interaction with female patrons by passing them over or possibly confiding in them rather than recognizing them as viable lap dance customers. Strippers appeal to masculine desires, and need to feel comfortable they can adapt to fit the needs of female patron to view them as a customer by default. Adapting the experience to the customer is an integral part of exotic dancing.. In areas where choice in formats exist, exotic dancers express concern that the more they offer in their performance (nudity included) the more they stand to profit. Still, strippers have been known to dance only at topless clubs because of their desire not to strip completely nude. Some clubs permit both nude stage dancing and fully nude lap dances. Where nude private dances are allowed with contact, some dancers choose to place some type of barrier (cloth or occasionally plastic) over the customer's lap as a precautionary measure.

Popular culture and media

site. Full text: "The Condor; Where it all began; The birthplace of the world's first topless & bottomless entertainment; Topless - June 19, 1964 Bottomless - September 3, 1969 Starring Ms. Carol Doda; San Francisco, California" USA ]]

The image of strippers as known today evolved through the late 1960's and 1970's in the U.S. and international cultures which embraced Americanized striptease, introduced into popular culture by the genre-defining performances of Carol Doda at the Condor Club on Broadway in San Francisco, California.

Film, television, and theater

By the 1980s, the pole dancing and highly explicit imagery associated with today's performers was widely accepted and frequently portrayed in film, television, and theater.

;1980s-1990s In addition to lesser-known videos such as A Night at the Revuebar (1983), the 1980s also featured mainstream films involving strippers and their work as part of the central narrative. These included Flashdance (1983), which told the story of blue-collar worker Alexandra (Alex) Owens (Jennifer Beals), who works as an exotic dancer in a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania bar at night and at a steel mill as a welder during the day. Blaze (1989) features Lolita Davidovitch as notorious stripper Blaze Starr. Starr herself appears in the film in a cameo role. Exotica (1994), directed by Atom Egoyan, is set in a Canadian lap-dance club, and portrays a man's (Bruce Greenwood) obsession with a schoolgirl stripper named Christina (Mia Kirshner). Showgirls (1995) was directed by Paul Verhoeven and starred Elizabeth Berkley and Gina Gershon. Striptease (1996), was an adaptation of the novel starring Demi Moore. The Players Club (1998) starred LisaRaye as a girl who becomes a stripper to earn enough money to enter college and study journalism.

In Jekyll and Hyde (1997), the character of Lucy Harris (originally portrayed by Linda Eder) works as a prostitute and stripper in a small London club called The Red Rat, where she meets a multi-dimension man named Doctor Henry Jekyll, who turns into his evil persona Mr. Edward Hyde. Lucy performs the song ‘Bring on the Men’ during a show at the Red Rat (which was later replaced with ‘Good ‘n’ Evil’ in the Broadway production, some claiming ‘Bring on the Men’ was too ‘risqué’.). In Neighbours (1985), the character of Daphne is originally a stripper at Des's bucks party, and eventually goes on to marry him.Married... with Children (1987–97) often featured Al Bundy, Jefferson D'Arcy, and the NO MA'AM crew spending a night at the Nudie Bar. The Sopranos (1999–2007). Business was often conducted at the Bada Bing strip club.

;2000s-present Dancing at the Blue Iguana (2000) is a feature film starring Daryl Hannah. The female cast of the film researched the film by dancing at strip clubs and created their parts and their storylines to be as realistic as possible. The Raymond Revuebar the Art of Striptease (2002) is a documentary, directed by Simon Weitzman. Los Debutantes (2003) is a Chilean film set in a strip-club in Santiago. Portraits of a Naked Lady Dancer (2004) is a documentary, directed by Deborah Rowe. In Closer (2004), Natalie Portman plays Alice, a young stripper just arrived in London from America. Crazy Horse Le Show (2004) features dance routines from the Crazy Horse, Paris. I Know Who Killed Me (2007) stars Lindsay Lohan as Dakota Moss, an alluring stripper involved in the machinations of a serial killer, and features a long striptease sequence at a strip club. In 2009 a DVD called, "Crazy Horse Paris" featuring Dita Von Teese was released. Barely Phyllis is a play on Phyllis Dixey which was first staged at the Pomegranate Theatre, Chesterfield in 2009. Stripsearch (2001-), an ongoing Australian reality television show which centers around the training of male strippers. (2007), In the two part season 6 finale titled Don't You Want Me, Alex Nunez resorts to stripping after her mother and herself don't have enough money to pay the rent on their apartment.

Books and printed media

Several books have been written about strippers and their work, including personal accounts and even academic studies by strippers themselves. References to strippers as characters or plot devices are too numerous to name.

Partial list of contemporary books on strippers:

Burlesque: Legendary Stars of the Stage by Jane Briggeman (2004), ISBN 9781888054941

Candy Girl: A Year in the Life of an Unlikely Stripper by Diablo Cody (2006), ISBN 9781592402731

Get Naked: Stripping 101, by Tom McCarthy (2010), ISBN 9780615365855

Ivy League Stripper by Heidi Mattson (2005), ISBN 9781559707701

Naked in the Promised Land: A Memoir by Dr. Lillian Faderman (2003), ISBN 9780618128754

Strip City: A Stripper's Farewell Journey Across America by Lily Burana(2003), ISBN 9780786886753

Stripping Gypsy: The Life of Gypsy Rose Lee by Noralee Frankel (2009), ISBN 9780195368031

Stripping, Sex, and Popular Culture by Catherine M. Roach (2008), ISBN 9781845201296

The Gold Club: The Jacklyn "Diva" Bush Story: How I Went from Gold Room to Court Room by Jacklyn Bush (2003), ISBN 9780972594127

Music and spoken word

" cover art with go-go dancers incorporated in silhouette]]

Strippers have been the inspiration for a number of musical artists, with several of the songs resulting in hit singles. An instrumental, "The Stripper", was a No. 1 hit on the U.S. pop singles charts for David Rose and His Orchestra in 1962. That song pre-dated the opening of what is considered to be the first modern strip club, Condor Club on Broadway in the U.S. city of San Francisco, California. "Private Dancer" by Tina Turner was an international hit and her second highest charting single reaching No. 7 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. "Girls, Girls, Girls" by Motley Crue and "Panama" by Van Halen were also Top 20 hits for their respective groups on the U.S. charts. As with many entertainment genres, as the years have progressed references to strippers and stripping themes have become more explicit in lyrics.

T-Pain had a No. 5 hit on the Billboard chats with "I'm 'n Luv (Wit a Stripper)" in 2006. Hip hop artist Flo-Rida had two No. 1 hits in the U.S. in the 2000s with "Right Round" and "Low". For both hip-hop artists, the depictions of strippers and expressions of lust are far more explicit than in songs released in earlier music eras. This is not limited to hip-hop, with contemporary songs in other styles of music sharing similar traits. "Worked Up So Sexual" by The Faint is graphic in its depiction of dancer rivalry (older dancers gag at what new talent seems to mean, smaller tits and younger limbs) and customers longing to bed them. Public acceptance of the music has not faltered, and many dancers perform to these and other songs depicting women in subjectively negative ways while on stage.

Online services and forums

U.S. strip club 2001 Odyssey in Tampa, Florida has a paid webcam subscription service available on the Internet. The service includes a live view into part of the backstage dressing room, and paid access enables the website user to interact live with dancers at the club. There are many web-based forums available online where strippers are able to share information about their trade and commiserate. The most notable of these is the Stripper Web Exotic Dancer Community. The "pink" site is primarily focused on dancers. Non-dancers are given access, but are generally not given much latitude in their interactions with strippers on the forums. The "blue" site was established specifically for customers to have a forum to discuss their perspectives where dancers are likely to look.

Major strip club directories and portals online also have forums features built in for individual clubs and general discussion. Since strippers are the primary draw to strip clubs, the majority of the conversations gravitate toward dancers and dancer-related issues. The Ultimate Strip Club List is the most comprehensive independent strip club directory, and has individual strip club forums and general forums for discussions about and with dancers. Strip Club List is the largest industry-affiliated site, with club specific forums open to the public as part of its Strip Club Network. It also has a separate site for general forums. Both of these customer-oriented sites have entertainer participation in the forums. Strippers with ready access to the Internet away from work have also adopted social media and networks as a less intrusive way of maintaining connections with customers directly. Others have used the Internet to generate revenue by performing via web cam, recording premium content, or running their own subscriber-based web site. Online erotic content is generally classified as pornography, whether or not sex act is portrayed.

, former stripper and CEO]]

Distinguished among Web entrepreneurs is Danni Ashe, former stripper and CEO of Danni's Hard Drive, a pioneering adult web site which generated millions of U.S. dollars in the early days of online pornography. By 2001, the website had made a profit of $6.5 million the previous year and was estimated to be worth 30 million dollars. Ashe was considered the most downloaded woman on the internet with her image being downloaded a billion times. She is the only woman in the world who appeared on the cover of both the Wall Street Journal and Juggs magazine..

Notable strippers

Individual strippers have gained notoriety for many reasons. Some are famous for their stripping (or burlesque) performances, while others have gained fame after moving on to other pursuits. Several big names strippers became particularly notorious for being involved in scandals with influential men of their time.

Partial list of notable strippers:

Danni Ashe

Josephine Baker

Diablo Cody

Mata Hari

Gypsy Rose Lee

Anna Nicole Smith

Blaze Starr

Lili St. Cyr

Tempest Storm

Social factors

represented in graffiti on a street in London, England]]

There is no one "stripper lifestyle" where all striptease practitioners fit neatly into a single stereotype. There is, however, an archetypal commonality in their presentation and the experience performers face on the job. The impact of these experiences are far reaching, and can continue to affect how the stripper approaches aspects of her life long after her days of actively stripping have concluded. Research on strippers has examined erotic dancing as a type of sex work in larger sociocultural context, gender, sex roles, and perceived appropriateness of behavior. Findings include that while both men and women prefer sex in a relationship, men are more accepting of casual intimacy and sex than women. The male sexual desire being more likely to allow for causal sex makes men more susceptible to the fantasy intimacy that exotic dancers sell than a female audience. Women tend to fantasize about partners and relationships, while men are more commonly contented through lust and physical gratification that strippers can offer through personal attention or possibly private dances.. Dancers manage this stigma by “divid[ing] the social world” by only revealing part of their identity. By revealing only a part of their identity, strippers attempt to avoid being characterized by the stigmatizing attributes associated with exotic dancing.. Dancers are aware of this customer desire for increased confidence, and a dancer therefore will give off the impression that a customer is seeing her true self, when in reality it is just part of her act. Inside the club personal boundaries are frequently crossed between strippers, customers, and other club staff. Research indicates that at some point a dancer has felt exploited by customers, management, or other dancers. The most common complaint from dancers is being portrayed as an object or instrument rather than a person. The dancers are using the customers for money, employing all of the resources at their disposal to do so. They sell the fantasy of sex but do not typically follow through with the act. Interviews with strippers have reveled that that the customers are generally viewed as “suckers” for giving the dancers money just for their physical attraction. This stage persona is different than who they are backstage, even if it incorporates aspects which mirror their true personality.. Female exotic dancers are continually exploited in the club, if not outside as well by men. As a result they may develop hostile and frigid attitudes towards men, potentially finding greater sexual fulfillment in lesbian relationships.

Ethnographic research has observed that strippers, regardless of sexual preference, have a tendency to treat female customers differently than males. Because of the non-physical motivations ascribed to female intimacy, dancers select women to approach who are smiling and sitting comfortably with open body language such as uncrossed arms, actively participating with the crowd, laughing and engaging with fellow customers, and applauding for dancers at the main stage also increase the likelihood they will be approached. Dancers tend to avoid women with unfriendly facial expressions or visibly hostile body language, again regardless of sexual preference. In order to become approached, men must indicate financial potential through their appearance. Women must actively demonstrate their good attitude and willingness to participate in club activities. At that point, a woman's perceived profitability is also a factor in a dancer's decision to approach a female patron. The presence of male companionship has been cited in research as an indicator used by dancers to gauge the profitability of a female once she is perceived to be a customer. in July 2009. One of the more notorious local ordinances is San Diego Municipal Code 33.3610, specific and strict in response to allegations of corruption among local officials which included contacts in the nude entertainment industry. Among its provisions is the "six foot rule", copied by other municipalities in requiring that dancers maintain a six foot distance while performing.

Touching of strippers is illegal in many U.S. states. However, some dancers and some clubs condone touching of dancers during private dances. This touching often includes the fondling of breasts, buttocks, and in rare cases the vaginal region. In some locales, dancers may give a customer a "lap dance", whereby the dancer grinds against the customer's crotch while he is fully clothed in an attempt to arouse him or bring him to climax. Other rules forbid "full nudity". In some parts of the USA, there are laws forbidding the exposure of female nipples, which have thus to be covered by pasties by the dancer (though not applied to the exposure of male nipples). In early 2010, the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan banned fully exposed breasts in its strip clubs, following the example of Houston, Texas who began enforcing a similar ordinance in 2008. The Detroit city council has since softened the rules eliminating the requirement for pasties but kept other restrictions. Both municipalities were reputed to have rampant occurrences of illicit activity including prostitution linked to its striptease establishments within their city limits.

In Britain in the 1930s, when the Windmill Theatre, London, began to present nude shows, British law prohibited performers moving whilst in a state of nudity. To get around that rule, models appeared naked in stationary tableaux vivants. To keep within the law, sometimes devices were used which rotated the models without them moving themselves. Fan dances were another device used to keep performances within the law. These allowed a naked dancer's body to be concealed by her fans or those of her attendants, until the end of an act, when she posed naked for a brief interval whilst standing stock still, and the lights went out or the curtain dropped to allow her to leave the stage. In 2010, Iceland outlawed striptease. Johanna Sigurðardottir, Iceland's prime minister, who is an open lesbian, said: "The Nordic countries are leading the way on women's equality, recognizing women as equal citizens rather than commodities for sale." The politician behind the bill, Kolbrún Halldórsdóttir, said: "It is not acceptable that women or people in general are a product to be sold."

See also

Bargirl

Bubble dance

Burlesque

Cabaret

Fan dance

Go-Go dancing

Gown-and-glove dance

Lap dance

List of strippers

Male stripper

Pole dance

Table dance

References

Notes

Further reading

Category:Erotic dancers Category:Nudity Category:Human sexuality

Name	Sohodolls
Landscape	yes
Background	group_or_band
Origin	London, England
Genre	Electronica Alternative rock Dance-punk Indietronica
Years active	2003–present
Label	Filthy Pretty A&G; Records
Url	www.sohodolls.co.uk/ www.myspace.com/sohodolls
Current members	Maya von Doll (vocals) Toni Sailor (guitars) Weston Doll (keyboards) Matt Lord (basses) Paul Stone (drums)
Past members	Ana Doll Gavin Jay Pato}}

Sohodolls are a British electro group from London, England. The group was formed in 2003 and, following various line-up changes, currently (as of March 2008) includes Maya von Doll (vocals), Toni Sailor (guitar) and Weston Doll (keyboards). These members are joined by other musicians on stage.

The band - whose name is sometimes punctuated with a space as Soho Dolls - have described their sound as a cross between "decaying and desperate glamour" and "savagery and sex". Their debut album Ribbed Music for the Numb Generation was released through A&G; Records in September 2007.

Biography

Sohodolls were formed in London, England, in 2003 after Maya Von Doll recruited Toni Sailor (Sailor Doll) after he attended a performance at the Rhythm Factory.

The band's first two singles caused enough of a stir to reach #7 and #12 in the UK indie charts released on Poptones - Alan McGee's record label. These were followed by another release of "Stripper", "No Regrets" and then "Right and Right Again", which won acclaim from The Fly to Clash and NME. They began writing and recording their debut album in 2006 with producers Robert Harder (Babyshambles, The Sunshine Underground) and Steve Lyon (The Clash, Depeche Mode). In October 2006, the band released a download-only single, "No Regrets", which the NME reviewed as an 'utterly magnificent slab of haughty electro-sleaze which makes Peaches sound as predatory and erotically charged as KT Tunstall. Let them get frosty on your ass – it is winter after all.'

Throughout 2006, Sohodolls attracted more attention - touring with She Wants Revenge during July, performing at Playboy's Moscow Playboy party in August, The Big Issue's 15th-anniversary concert in September, and 2 UK tours as well as international dates in LA, Istanbul, Germany and Italy.

Their debut album, Ribbed Music for the Numb Generation, was released on September 24, 2007, preceded by the single "Right and Right Again" and supported by an extensive 35-date headline tour of the UK.

Their 2006 single "Stripper" was used in popular TV show Gossip Girl when one of the main characters, Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester) stripped to it in episode "Victor, Victrola", which aired on 7 November 2007 on CW. The band was again featured in Gossip Girl when their song "I'm Not Cool" played during the episode "In The Realm Of The Basses" when Blair confronts Chuck in the Victrola club.

Tour

As well as having toured the UK 7 times the band have also played in Japan, Korea (International Rock Festival at Pusan Beach), Moscow, Los Angeles, Istanbul, Rome, Berlin, Paris, Barcelona, Vienna, Brussels, Hamburg, Madrid, Piza, Cologne, Oslo, Munich, Weinheim, Frankfurt, Freiburg and have toured widely in the UK, often playing towns off the beaten circuit. They have also toured with/supported IAMX, Ladytron, Klaxons, Daft Punk, Vive la Fête, She Wants Revenge, The Magic Numbers, Hanoi Rocks, Apoptygma Berzerk, and Marilyn Manson. They were also asked by My Chemical Romance to support them on their first UK tour, but as they had just sacked their manager, he did not tell them until a year later.

To promote the release of their debut album Ribbed Music for the Numb Generation, Sohodolls embarked on their biggest tour to date. Starting at Hoxton Bar & Grill, London, on 4 September 2007, they headlined 34 venues across the UK.

Discography

Albums

2007: Ribbed Music for the Numb Generation

EPs

"Prince Harry EP"

Singles

2005: "Prince Harry"

2006: "Stripper"

2006: "No Regrets"

2007: "My Vampire"

2007: "Right and Right Again"

2007: "Bang, Bang Bang Bang"

2007: "I'm Not Cool"

References

External links

www.sohodolls.co.uk – official website

Category:English electronic music groups Category:British alternative rock groups Category:Synthpop

Name	Samus Aran
Caption	Samus Aran in her Varia Suit, as she appears in the 2007 video game
Series	Metroid
Firstgame	Metroid (1986)
Creator	Makoto Kano
Artist	Hiroji Kiyotake
Voiceactor	Jennifer Hale (2002–2007) Alésia Glidewell (2008) Jessica Martin (2010)
Japanactor	Ai Kobayashi ()
Liveactor	Chisato Morishita ( commercial)

is the protagonist of the Metroid video game series. Introduced in the 1986 video game Metroid, Samus is a female ex-marine bounty hunter usually fitted with a powered armor suit with weapons that include beams and missiles. Throughout the series, she executes missions given to her by the Galactic Federation while hunting the antagonistic Space Pirates and their leader, Ridley, along with the energy-draining extraterrestrial parasites called Metroids. Orphaned at a young age, Samus was brought up by the extraterrestrial avian Chozo race, who trained her as a warrior. The Chozo also gave her the Power Suit, and infused her with their blood in order to create a perfect warrior. This blood infusion gives Samus the ability to transform herself into a sphere named the Morph Ball in order to roll through tight areas such as tunnels.

Samus has appeared in all eleven Metroid video games as of 2010. She has also been featured in media outside of the series, including the comic book version of , all three games in the Super Smash Bros. series of multiplayer fighting games, and the video games (1996), Kirby Super Star (1996), and Kirby's Dream Land 3 (1997), in which she makes cameo appearances. Makoto Kano created the characters for the original Metroid while Hiroji Kiyotake designed them. The idea for Samus to be female came up partway through the development of Metroid when the developers determined that it would be an interesting twist to reveal her as female at the end of the game. Samus is one of the first major female protagonists in a video game, and her popularity among fans has helped her top several lists of the best video game heroines.

Development

The style for the original Metroid game was designed to be a cross between the side-scrolling gameplay of the Super Mario games and the exploration and puzzle-solving aspects of The Legend of Zelda series, with inspiration from science fiction. The game's characters were conceived by Makoto Kano, while Hiroji Kiyotake designed them.

The game's atmosphere was influenced by Ridley Scott's film, Alien (1979). Samus was one of the first major female protagonists in a video game. Sakamoto noted that during the course of the Metroid series, developers constantly try to express Samus's femininity without turning her into a sex object. Samus's image was based on actress Kim Basinger from 9 1/2 Weeks and My Stepmother is an Alien.

Biography

|alt=A computer-generated image of a woman wearing a tight-fitting blue suit. She has blond hair and green eyes, and appears to be sitting in a chair.]] Samus spent her childhood with her family on the mining planet K-2L. The planet was raided by Space Pirates, who were looking for bounty. The leader of the Space Pirates, Ridley, killed most of the people in Samus's colony, Samus, who is in height and in weight, now works as a freelance bounty hunter, and is called on by the Galactic Federation to execute missions "because of her superior skills and sense of justice".

In Metroid Prime (2002), Samus travels to the planet Tallon IV, which contains a Chozo colony in ruins and a Space Pirate base. There she learns of Phazon, a mysterious mutagen that can alter the genetic material of an organism. Samus is eventually able to access the source of the planet's Phazon contamination, a meteor impact crater, where she defeats the Phazon-infused creature Metroid Prime. In (2004), Samus is sent to the planet Aether, a Phazon meteor-ravaged planet split into light and dark dimensions. There she battles the Ing, creatures that are able to possess other organisms, and Dark Samus, an evil doppelgänger of herself formed from the remains of Metroid Prime. In Metroid Prime Hunters (2006), Samus competes against six rival bounty hunters in a race to recover an alien ultimate weapon. In (2007), Samus is infected by Phazon and is slowly corrupted by the mutagen while she works to prevent it from spreading to other planets. By the end of the game, she renders all Phazon inert by destroying its original source, the planet Phaaze, and defeats Dark Samus. An article at 1UP.com describes Samus in the Captain N comics as "rambunctious, reckless, and gets into pissing contests with Lana over Kevin's affections, which makes for some of the most entertaining situations in the series". The reviewer added, "Not to say that the deadly quiet, contemplative Samus who fights for truth and justice in the more recent Metroid games isn't awesome, but there's something compelling about a Samus who's greedy and conniving—and is proud to admit it."

Comic book and manga adaptations of Metroid games were also developed. Samus is a playable character in all three games in the Super Smash Bros. series of multiplayer fighting games, where she can use her array of weapons in combat against characters from other video games. Super Smash Bros. Brawl (2008) also features an alternate form of Samus called Zero Suit Samus, in which the heroine loses her Power Suit and has a different set of movements and attacks. Samus also cameos in the Galactic Pinball (1995), (1996), Kirby Super Star (1996), and Kirby's Dream Land 3 (1997) video games.

Reception

Samus has been generally well-received by video gamers. Paul O'Connor, the lead game designer for Sammy Studios and a fan of the Metroid series, described Samus as a "quiet and mysterious presence in Metroid Prime". IGN remarked that Samus has a cult following greater than most other female video game characters.

On IGN, Samus was chosen as the most requested character who should have her own movie franchise by the website's users. The website remarked that her tragic past makes her a perfect candidate for a movie, especially the loss of both her parents to the Space Pirates. Among their list of voted characters, IGN considered Samus to be the video game character that "could lead the pack of video game adaptations that actually manage to live up to the source material". The website believed that Samus's theme song should be "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)" by Aerosmith because she "spends her time running around in a manly battle suit blasting first and taking names later". Samus's popularity led to a toy line; First 4 Figures, a United Kingdom-based toy company, built 2,500 Varia Suit Samus figures, selling all of them. Nintendo Power listed Samus as their third favourite hero, citing her bravery in the face of dangerous situations. Samus ranked fifth on GameDaily's Top 10 Smash Bros. Characters list. In his review of Super Smash Bros. for the Nintendo 64, GameSpot editor Jeff Gerstmann called Samus one of the characters that made Nintendo "what it is today". IGN ranked Samus as the third-best character for Super Smash Bros. Samus appeared in multiple GameFAQs "Character Battle" contests, winning the "Character Battle V" in 2006. GameSpot featured her in their poll "All Time Greatest Game Hero". Gameinformer listed her 1st on their list of the "Top 10 Dorks", citing her "lame backstory" in Other M.

Gender

As a female in a male-dominated role, Samus has been considered both a breakthrough for female characters in video games, as well as a sex object. They also listed the discovery of her gender as the greatest moment in Nintendo history. The Irish Times found it refreshing to learn that the series' protagonist, who is "well disguised under the suit of heavy armour", is female. In the book Gaming Lives in the Twenty-First Century: Literate Connections by Gail Hawisher, Cynthia Selfe, and James Paul Gee, they wrote that Samus is perhaps the most nonsexualized female video-game character ever, a belief shared by Steve Rabin, who in Introduction to Game Development also considers Samus as one of Nintendo's most popular video game mascots. Justin Hoeger wrote in The Sacramento Bee: "Unlike most other female video game characters, Samus isn't some husky-voiced bimbo in tight leather included only for sex appeal. Samus is tough, silent, heavily armed and spends most of her time in a bulky suit of high-tech Power Armor." She was listed on GameDaily's list of hottest blondes in video games, described as both one of Nintendo's most famous protagonists as well as a "curvaceous, drop-dead-gorgeous woman".

The Toronto Star argued that the sexual politics surrounding Samus and the Metroid series needed to stop, as they considered it unwarranted. They remarked that although Samus is female, it is not a significant characteristic after considering the fact that she spends most of her time in a suit of armor that "precludes creepy ogling". Rupert Goodwins of The Independent wrote, "Samus Aran [...] is apparently female, although the Transformer-like suit she wears could just as easily contain a large centipede; it's hardly a breakthrough for feminism."

GameDaily ranked Samus seventh on a list of the Top 50 Hottest Game Babes, describing her as "a refreshing change of pace, a tough, no nonsense warrior that isn't afraid to remove her famous orange and yellow power suit and let her hair down, especially to reveal her skin tight clothing". The website also ranked her number one on a list of the Top 25 Nintendo Characters of All Time. In another article, they listed the "smart and sexy heroine" archetype as one of their Top 25 Video Game Archetypes, using Samus as an example. UGO.com ranked Samus 11th on a list of the Top 11 Girls of Gaming, eighth on a list of the Top 50 Hottest Sci-Fi Girls, and twentieth in a list of Top 100 Heroes of All-Time. The website noted that the original "jaw-dropping moment" was when Samus was revealed to be a woman in the original Metroid, a moment which Game Informer considers to be the greatest twist in video games. GameTrailers named Samus number one on a list of the Top Ten Women of Gaming, and number three among Axe's Top Ten Gamer Babes.

References

External links

Samus Aran at IGN

Category:Fictional characters introduced in 1986 Category:Intelligent Systems characters Category:Metroid Category:Nintendo protagonists Category:Super Smash Bros. fighters Category:Female video game characters Category:Fictional adoptees Category:Fictional bodyguards Category:Fictional bounty hunters Category:Fictional cyborgs Category:Fictional explorers Category:Fictional orphans Category:Fictional women soldiers and warriors Category:Fictional police officers Category:Fictional government agents Category:Fictional extraterrestrial-human hybrids Category:Fictional genetically engineered characters Category:Fictional characters who can move at superhuman speeds

Name	David Rose
Background	non_performing_personnel
Born	June 15, 1910 London, England
Died	August 23, 1990 Burbank, California
Occupation	Songwriter, composer, arranger, and orchestra leader
Years active	1940s-1990s
Spouse(s)	Martha Raye (1938-1941) Judy Garland (1941-1944) Betty Bartholomew (?-1990)

David Rose (June 15, 1910 – August 23, 1990) was a British-born American songwriter, composer, arranger, pianist, and orchestra leader. His most famous compositions were "The Stripper", "Holiday for Strings", and "Calypso Melody". He also wrote music for the television series Little House on the Prairie , Highway To Heaven and Bonanza as well as others under the name "Ray Llewellyn". In addition, Rose was musical director for the Red Skelton show during its 21-year-run on the CBS and NBC networks. He was a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, the national fraternity for men in music.

Biography

Career

Recipient of four Emmy awards, David Rose was born in London to Jewish parents and raised in Chicago, Illinois. It was here, in the early 1930s, that he first gained a reputation, while arranging for the Frank Trumbauer orchestra and later leading a house band at station WGN. He composed several early swing originals such as "Break It Down" with Frankie Trumbauer, "Transcontinental," "Plantation Moods," and a piece recorded under three different titles: "I've Got It", "Itchola", and "Jigsaw Rhythm," his original version with the WGN band including Louis Prima.

In 1957 his rendition of Larry Clinton's "Calypso Melody" became Rose's second million selling record, and was awarded a gold disc. at 6514 Hollywood Blvd.]] "The Stripper" was composed by Rose and recorded in 1958. It was not until its use in the movie Gypsy in 1962 that it became a hit, as it was originally used as the B-side to his single, "Ebb Tide". "The Stripper" featured especially prominent trombone lines, giving the tune its lascivious signature, and evokes the feel of music used to accompany vaudeville striptease artists. The piece features in the films Slap Shot, The Full Monty and as well as TV series Little Britain and Scrubs. It was also famously used in a parody by British comedy duo Morecambe and Wise, where they danced to the tune while making breakfast.

"Holiday for Strings" became well-known as the theme for Red Skelton's programs. A parody version, retitled "Holiday for States", was recorded as a vocal by Allan Sherman, with the straight melody but with ersatz lyrics comprised solely of the names of the American states. In Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In, Ruth Buzzi "laughed" the melody of the song, imitating the Spike Jones version. On his album Leon Live, Leon Russell plays a strain from the song in the middle of a performance of his own song, "Shootout on the Plantation."

Personal life

He was married on October 8, 1938, to the actress Martha Raye. They were divorced on May 19, 1941. Rose was married for a second time, on July 28, 1941, to the actress and singer Judy Garland. They had no children, though Garland reportedly underwent at least one abortion during the marriage, at the insistence of her mother, her husband, and the studio that employed her, MGM. Garland and Rose divorced in 1944.

He had two daughters with his third wife, Betty Bartholomew. His granddaughter is singer-songwriter Samantha James.

Rose was a live steam hobbyist, with his own backyard railroad.

Rose died in Burbank, California at the age of 80 and was buried in Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery in Hollywood Hills, California.

See also

Television

Little House on the Prairie

Highway to Heaven

Father Murphy

Bonanza

The High Chaparral

Broadway

Winged Victory

Military

United States Army Air Forces

References

External links

Website

Official website

David Rose at Find a Grave

Television and Radio

Red Skelton radio show

Red Skelton show theme music

Bonanza

Category:1910 births Category:1990 deaths Category:People from London Category:American Jews Category:American composers Category:American songwriters Category:American people of English descent Category:English Jews Category:English composers Category:English songwriters Category:Jewish classical musicians Category:RCA Victor artists Category:Jewish composers and songwriters Category:Judy Garland Category:Grammy Award winners Category:MGM Records artists Category:Easy listening music Category:United States Army Air Forces soldiers

Singles

Holiday For Strings { US # 2, 1944 }

Poinciana (Song Of The Tree) US # 11, 1944

Cimarron/Spellbound (1960) Did Not Chart

The Stripper { US # 1, 1962 }

Theme From The Bible (Did Not Chart)

Sources: Billboard Pop Memories, Billboard Top Pop Hits, Billboard Magazine Archives

Name	Kim Daul
Birthname	Kim Da-eul (김다울)
Birthdate	May 31, 1989
Birth place	Seoul, South Korea
Deathdate	November 19, 2009
Deathplace	Paris, France
Height
Haircolour	Dark brown In South Korea, she appeared on the covers of South Korean Vogue in August 2007 and May 2008 and in Harper's Bazaar in July 2008. She also modelled for H & M and GAP.
Name	Kim, Daul
Date of birth	31 May 1989
Place of birth	Seoul, South Korea
Date of death	19 November 2009
Place of death	Paris, France

Category:1989 births Category:2009 deaths Category:Models who committed suicide Category:People from Seoul Category:South Korean female models Category:Suicides by hanging in France Category:Female suicides