Strippers actually go to school?

avatar for shadowcat
shadowcat
Atlanta suburb
Toronto strippers among 'most intellectual'

By Tom Godfrey, QMI Agency

TORONTO - Toronto has some of the "most intellectual" strippers in Canada.

On any given night, about 50% of the city's exotic dancers on the job are fresh-faced college or university students who are shedding their clothes to earn degrees, industry officials say.

A ban on imported foreign dancers in 2006 forced Toronto-area strip club owners to recruit elsewhere, and they now have hundreds of students from top colleges and universities taking to the stage after classes to earn tuition money.

"We have one of the most intellectual workforces in all of Canada," Tim Lambrinos of the Adult Entertainment Association of Canada said. "Almost half of our dancers at some clubs are students."

Lambrinos said the students are recruited through word-of-mouth and make good dancers.

"They are professional, know what they want and are good workers. Some are very intellectual and want to know every aspect of the law."


Lambrinos said about 500 of the 1,500 registered dancers are students from Toronto, Ryerson and York universities, and Humber, Centennial and Seneca colleges. He said they represent about 50% of the 700-dancer workforce on any given night in Toronto.

Club officials said students can get a flat rate of $75 for a seven-hour shift, plus money earned in tips and table dancing.

Lambrinos said most of the students dance for about three years until they graduate.

"We were very surprised by the amount of students who work in clubs," he said. "These girls are very intelligent and they want to better themselves."

One downtown club owner said more than 50% of his dancers are students.

"We have had girls who are studying to be doctors and lawyers," the longtime owner said on the condition his name not be used. "They work very hard and are here on time."

He said one former dancer was given a scholarship to prestigious Harvard University in the U.S.

One dancer, who goes by the name of Nicole, said she stripped for four years while studying business administration at York University.

"It was very hard but I managed to do it and I am very proud," Nicole said. "I came from a poor family and dancing gave me an opportunity."

The single mom is now training to become the general manager of a club.

The Adult Entertainment Association, which represents 53 of the 140 strips clubs in Ontario, has been calling for more dancers ever since former immigration minister Judy Sgro resigned after extending the visa of a Romanian exotic dancer who had worked on her election campaign. Until then, foreign strippers had their visas fast-tracked to Canada.

In 2004, foreign strippers got 423 work permits and extensions. By 2006, the number was down to 17.



27 comments

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avatar for rrbill
rrbill
13 years ago
I'm interested and pleased that they actually pay the girls to strip in Toronto. In the USA, they pay to play.
avatar for Alucard
Alucard
13 years ago
Don't let Dougster know. LOL
avatar for fetish_dancer
fetish_dancer
13 years ago
So, in the line "all strippers are stupid, lying, thieving whores," I'm assuming we can take out 'stupid' now? We'll work on the rest later.
avatar for farmerart
farmerart
13 years ago
At the Toronto clubs that I frequent the girls seem to be doing Bachelor degrees in HJ and post-graduate studies in BJ and FS.
avatar for gatorfan
gatorfan
13 years ago
Lying thieving cheating students
avatar for mjx01
mjx01
13 years ago
more reason to move to Toronto
avatar for bang69
bang69
13 years ago
Lots of strippers are in school. They go to school to help get a better job so they can stop stripping.
avatar for Stiletto25
Stiletto25
13 years ago
Strippers aren't stupid. I think the women on this board are giving strippers a better name.
avatar for Alucard
Alucard
13 years ago
Well said Stiletto25! I'd rather interact with an intelligent person than an Airheaded Dunce.
avatar for clamheart
clamheart
13 years ago
It's amazing how many strippers I've met over the years who were 'studying to be a nurse'. Since I'm married to one, I try not to press and embarrass the poor girls. Of course many of them, to my delight, are into nursing...letting me enjoy those rock hard nipples in my old mouth.
avatar for runrdude
runrdude
13 years ago
@25, I agree wholeheartedly that the women on this board are giving strippers a better name. I love me some feisty, articulate, TUSCL girls. On the other hand, saying that strippers aren't stupid is as wrong as saying strippers are whores. Some are and some aren't.
avatar for Alucard
Alucard
13 years ago
I always encourage anyone "studying to be a nurse", as I've been one myself for 25+ yrs.
avatar for CTQWERTY
CTQWERTY
13 years ago
Met up with one who counted out her dough in front of me and then said "I need $200 more to get my books." Was that just a bit of a hint???
avatar for Alucard
Alucard
13 years ago
Did you buy her books CTQWERTY? LOL
avatar for mjx01
mjx01
13 years ago
yes some go to school. (ex?)ATF has two masters degrees and one other pro certification. I especially like that she has a future outside of the industry.
avatar for Stiletto25
Stiletto25
13 years ago
@runrdude- you do have a point
avatar for jackslash
jackslash
13 years ago
I'm always glad to hear that a dancer is a student because I go to strip clubs for intellectual stimulation.
avatar for bodaniels26
bodaniels26
13 years ago
most are very smart some smart enough to get your entire paycheck. I personally am graduating from utep with my bachelor's in microbiology. I have been lucky enough to have been accepted to Tulane to get my M.D. Just because they strip does not make them ignorant.
avatar for Alucard
Alucard
13 years ago
"most are very smart some smart enough to get your entire paycheck"

But only if you decide to give it to them. LOL

But, of course, if the "small brain" pre-empts the "large brain" then all bets are off.
avatar for Club_Goer_Seattle
Club_Goer_Seattle
13 years ago
I can definitely say that college-educated people, in general, are more interesting to talk to and make friends with. This goes for dancers as well. Even in my OTC experiences with dancers, those that are college students/graduates are far more engaging people.
avatar for CTQWERTY
CTQWERTY
13 years ago
Alucard, no. So she came up with plan B: borrow the money from her sister. She did though, already have a monster roll of $20s -- hard to believe THAT wasn't enough -- and it sure dwarfed my supply.
avatar for farmerart
farmerart
13 years ago
@Club_Goer:

That is a very provocative statement and I disagree with it very much. I have no university education, just a rural Grade 12 high school education. I am very well read and continue to read to satisfy my curiosity and catholic tastes. During my long business career I have been surrounded by multitudes of university graduates. My experience with most of these people suggests that those of higher education have a more narrow focus on the world; viewing the world through the blinkers of whatever specialty their education has given them.

Most of the interesting people I have met during my life are generalists, people who have many skills, people who have traveled, self-made individuals, people who have had many different jobs, people who have more than one language, creative people, people who can THINK. University education does not necessarily give a person the traits that I value so much; in fact, I would argue that higher education discourages these talents, particularly creativity and independent thought.

Society desperately needs the expertise of university-educated people but society also desperately needs the sort of people I have described. As I view the world, society has too many of the first group and nothing like enough of the second group.
avatar for Book Guy
Book Guy
13 years ago
But now what will I do with my "Support Single Moms: attend strip clubs" t-shirt?
avatar for runrdude
runrdude
13 years ago
Get one that says: "Paying Tuition - One Dollar at a Time"
avatar for gatorfan
gatorfan
13 years ago
I like when the dress up like they go to prep school
avatar for mjx01
mjx01
13 years ago
art, agreeded.
avatar for gatorfan
gatorfan
13 years ago
College educated at U Florida thank you very much
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