Allstars
913 N.2nd St.
(785) 841-4122
Flamingo Club 501 N.9th St.
(785) 843-9800
Out House 1837 N. 1500 County Road (785) 331-440
Paradise Saloon
Corner of 24/40 and
32 Highway
(785) 843-9601
sex in the mpagne by David Heller room A dancer's lifestyl
Priscilla's 1206 W. 23rd St.
(785) 842-4266
On a warm Thursday evening, a young woman kisses her boyfriend goodbye and strolls into work wearing seven-inch stiletto heels and fishnet stockings. Mirrors along the walls reflect the colored strobe lights emanating from the ceiling. On stage, she smiles at her regulars as she dances seductively to Bon Jovi's "It's My Life."
The dancer is known as Gisele. She began working as a waitress last September for the adult-entertainment dance club Allstars, 913 N. 2nd St. Last March, Gisele became a topless dancer for the club.
"I look at it as theater," she says. Gisele became a dancer when she realized how much money she could earn in one night, she says. Gisele makes between $20 and $700 a night.
While it's a change from the usual Bull-Hawk-Wheel Friday night, an evening at Allstars is by no means the thriftest alternative to Lawrence's usual nighttime haunts. Customers at Allstars are treated well by the dancers, but these women mean business. Their goal is to obtain as much money as possible from a customer.
One customer, who calls himself Elvis, says he spends between $50 and $200 at the club on drinks, tips and lap dances. "Allstars is like a money pit," he says. "The first time I came here I got so smashed I never knew what hit me, and my wallet suffered the most."
Allstars employs about 24 women between ages 18 and 30. Gisele, 22, believes there is a fundamental difference between a stripper and a dancer.
"When I think of a 'stripper' I think of a girl who supports her drug habits," she says. "I think of a 'dancer' as being classy and working as hard as she can to support herself."
Gisele points out that the common stereotypes many people hold (e.g. excessive drug use and prostitution) for so-called "strip joints" are blown out of proportion."We don't snort cocaine in the bathroom or sleep with our customers," she says.
The customers at Allstars range from single to married men to couples on dates. They have the option of requesting individual table dances for $10, or entering the VIP lounge (The Champagne Room) for $20. Gisele adds that sometimes customers simply want to talk to someone."I recently spent an entire evening hanging out and consoling a group of military guys who were being
shipped off to Iraq," she says.
Although her parents are not aware of where she works, Gisele's boyfriend, Brian Anderson, Kansas State alumnus, fully supports his girlfriend's job.
"At first I wasn't sure about her taking off her clothes for a bunch of strangers, but later on I realized it was no big deal," Anderson says. "We completely trust one another, and I'm happy that she enjoys her job." Gisele says her job requires her to be a strong person because she is judged every day by the customers.
Another dancer, a 24-year-old senior known as Tori, began working at Allstars five years ago. She is good friends with Gisele and like the flexible work schedule and the money. "One night, I made over $1,000, thanks to a high-roller who strolled into the club," she says.
Like Gisele aid many of the dancers who work at Allstars, Tori will not tell her parents where she works. She feels she would be judged harshly by them."It's not just my parents, but my teachers at school and some of my friends who don't know what it do," she says.
Tori maintains she loves her job and has gained a tremendous sense of confidence since she began working at Allstars. She says most of the customers she dances for are polite, single guys of all ages. "There are times when guys come in and decide that we're not human," she explains. "But, whenever that happens I sic Big Will on 'em."
"Big Will" Reed, general manager of Allstars, says he loves his job and the women he employs. Reed, 30, has worked for an array of adult entertainment establishments throughout the state since he was a teenager.
His goal is to create an entertaining, comfortable atmosphere that everyone can enjoy, he says.
"My customers are at the heartbeat of my business," Reed says. "I ultimately want Allstars to be at the top of people's lists when deciding where to go out." Reed adds that April is the slowest month of the year for Allstars, and that it is important to throw fun events that will attract as many people into the venue as possible.
The Screw and Bolt Party held last Thursday evening involved customers drawing a screw from a bucket filled with hundreds of screws. Each of the dancers had a potential matching bolt. If the customer matched their screw with a dancer's bolt, then that person received two free lap dances and a bottle of Korbel. Unfortunately, there was no free lap dance or Korbel for me.
14 JAYPLAY 04.20.2006