It has been observed by a pensive and inquisitive mind that most people in this world view their surroundings as though they were merely glancing at the cover of a glossy magazine while hurriedly exiting a supermarket: people tend to look quickly, figure out the general concept of the magazine issue, and then proceed to neatly tuck away the memory of that magazine cover in their mind as they trot on down the check out isle. They never pick up the journal, never thoroughly read the articles contained within that shiny bit of paper, never really understand what is going on inside of it.
This depiction of the overwhelming tendency of individuals to formulate opinions of people, places and things solely based on a casual observance of their outward appearance stirred up great emotion in my heart. I am a 21 year old woman who has put herself through college by working as an entertainer at an upscale Chicago gentleman’s club. I realized recently that I myself was only superficially aware of what it truly means to patronize or to be employed by a gentleman’s club. Of course, I was aware of the fact that on the most basic level, a pricey gentleman’s club provides a wealthy and extravagant individual with a venue where he can comfortably indulge in the finest champagnes and scotches while basking in the bubbly personalities and beautiful bodies of paid entertainers.
I decided to study the inner workings of a gentleman’s club and to write about the effect that working in such an environment would have on women employed by such a club. As I delved deeper into my research, I realized that I could not fairly describe the effect that working in the adult entertainment industry would have on women because I didn’t fully understand the service that was actually being provided by “entertainers.” Simply put, we entertainers make our living by receiving money from men in exchange for spending time with them, and usually in exchange for stripping off our clothes for them. But what else are we really selling that would inspire a man who is not allowed to touch us (therefore gaining no physical pleasure from the woman whom he commissions to dance for him) to pay in excess of four hundred dollars an hour for our company ? What exactly are exotic dancers selling ? Through extensive research, I have come to realize that s...
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...tertainment industry. It has also given me a new sense of what exotic dancers are actually “selling” at work. Sadly, they are selling far more than a quick exotic dance: many times, they are selling their values and their self respect as well.
I have deviated in my thinking that exotic dancing was a positive experience for most women. Clearly, the research that I have studied has given me adequate reason to believe that dancing is damaging to the mental health of many women.
Despite such evidence, I myself feel that I am one of the lucky few who has been able to use her occupation to greatly benefit her life. By dancing, I have been able to finance my education, to live on my own and to set up my work schedule in such a way that I am able to put a great effort into my studies. Realistically speaking, it is doubtful that I would have had the means to accomplish all the things that I have had I not chosen to dance. Although I have never been “caught up” in the negative spiral that so many young women find themselves trapped in, I definitely have become more sensitive to the plight of many young women who develop emotional problems as they work in the adult entertainment industry.
...ong with being a stripper is not a family oriented job position. The clients are out seeking attention from another female that is not their life long partner so to think that legalized brothels are the blame for men having affairs is absurd. If a person is determined to cheat then they are destined to find a way, even if that means gaining a secret lover. The women are people just as everyone else; they just need the necessary tools to prove that. Many of the women were educated at least with a high school diploma, some came from broken homes with absent fathers, while others grew up in two-parent homes, and fewer than half reported having experienced childhood sexual abuse (pg. 67). The underlining issues presented here are the goals that society presents and the means or ability to achieve them.
Young girls and women symbolize femininity with being a ballerina. Kelso comments that in the shadows of the spotlight lurks an abusive world of eating disorders, verbal harassment, fierce competition, injuries, fatigued, and malnourished dancers (Kelso, 2003). In today’s world of ballet, dancers suffer from always being in pain, worrying their body image is not the right look they need to have to get lead roles resulting in the development of eating disorders, and male ballet dancers are stereotyped as being homosexual when most of the male dancers are in fact heterosexual.
Typically, 2 people will form an opinion of others within the first 3 seconds of meeting one another. The way these opinions are formed so quickly is, generally speaking, solely because of physical appearance. All too often, in our society today, people are criticized for what material possessions they have and how much money said people have to spend on things that they do not need, but instead just want. It does not matter where you go; this can be observed almost anywhere. Sometimes, when people notice that someone has cheaper clothes or less objects of purely material value, the people who have more frown upon those who have less. Ev...
Many Historians say that Isadora Duncan was the first dancer to present “modern dancing” to the public. Duncan felt that the pointe shoes and costumes that ballerinas wore were to restrictive. She began to dance in a way that seemed to be more natural to her. Her inspirations came from the movements of the tress, the ocean and other forms from nature. Her techniques included hopping, swaying, skipping and running. She felt these type of movements were natural and expressive. Also, the history of the Greeks
Alvin Ailey, a dancer born in 1931, founded what is known today as the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Born in Texas, Ailey faced intense racism and discrimination growing up. As a result he strove to created a multi-racial company where dancers were judged upon ability and not their race or background. This was groundbreaking since at the time racism led to limited opportunities for African American dancers. At 22 Ailey joined the Horton dance company where he would eventually become the artistic director after Horton’s passing. Ailey founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1958. Popularizing modern dance, Ailey became known throughout the world as he traveled internationally with his dance company. Emphasizing the theatricality of dance, Ailey utilized intricate costumes, stunning lighting displays and makeup in his performances. The style of Ailey’s choreography incorporates aligned ballet legs with a more loose, “modern” torso. Ailey choreographed 79 pieces for the company before his death in December of 1989, one of the most acclaimed being Revelations. Revelations was created by Ailey in 1960 and brought fame to the company. The highly acclaimed piece is still preformed today by the company’s dancers. Ailey died of AIDS in 1989 after choreographing countless pieces for his own company and others such as the American Ballet Theater.
Many women became prostitutes as a result of their skills no longer being needed, and they needed a way to provide for themselves. So, women found one aspect of themselves that society told them they could sell. Unfortunately, prostitution was a bleak affair. Occasionally, a woman got lucky and bought her way out of the profession, but she was the exception. Most lived and died in poverty. Furthermore, because of the destructive nature of the profession, most prostitutes grew to be disheartened and disillusioned, many even diseased. Prostitutes were socially ostracized, victims of the gender roles that were placed upon them. Women who lived the life of a prostitute often faced harsh realities, far from the promised lure and attraction of the American
During this time in society the industry of prostitution was an economic gold mine. The women operate the brothel while very distinguished men in the community own and take care of the up keep. The brothel keepers are seen as nothing more than common home wrecking whores. However, the owners of the brothels are viewed as successful business men.
does our society fail to respect dance as a sport? Dancing as a career requires an incredible
However, New York Public Schools offered ballroom dancing classes to low-income students of color, which allowed the arts to be included in their curriculum. Watching the film, I observed the positive reaction the children had to the dance classes. Overall, they were exposed to different cultures, made new friendships, became more confident, and aware of different career options such as professional dancers or singers (Agrelo, 2005).
Over a ten-year span Sterk, immerses herself in the lifestyle of prostitution in the New York City and Atlanta area: she walked the streets with the prostitutes and observed their interactions with the various customers, and ‘pimps’ in order to gather the majority of her data. In order to gain their trust, Sterk had to go through a number of tests, and it was essential for her to have the right connections to experience the full und...
...ating with each other and these are the same values that are being passed on to this generation. The dancers in South-central Los Angeles, uses this form of art to express their feelings and it a form of communicating just like their ancestors did back in there days. At the same time, it allows them to have a much deeper connection with their roots.
...lly dancers have to love the dance, because for all that work, dancers get little money—workshops with master dancers usually cost around seventy-five dollars, costumes average five hundred dollars each, and dancers are usually paid only fifty dollars for two and a half hours of work. But Belinda Shakar cannot imagine her life without dance: “I’ve gone through so many careers, but I’ve always stuck with belly dance. I’ve just been doing it for so long.” From dancing, she has found freedom in being in touch with her body and the healing powers of movement. She is now working as a massage therapist, helping others free up their bodies as well. For her, dance is about enjoying her body and expressing her sensuality, not entertaining others or making money. So she is not at all concerned about making it to the top. Besides, she says, “in belly dancing, there is no top.”
Football is a very physically demanding sport. According to Taylor (1969), “Professional football is basically a physical assault by one team upon another in desperate fight for land.” (pg. 23) The body is used as weapon to prevent an opposing player from crossing into another's territory. The body must be strong and well equipped to endure the stresses of physical contact. The body is very susceptible to injury when engaging in football. It is important for those who participate in football train their bodies effectively. The same can be said for ballet. It is a physically demanding activity as well but the body is used as a form of expression. According to Huwyler M.D. (2002), “ For the dancer, his body in his means of expression, the instrument is his heart. Ballet is meant to be graceful and elegant, it does not appear to be a physically demanding sport as football is. Looks are deceiving, According to Kennedy M.D and Hodgkins M.D. (2008), “The grace and art of the ballet performance belie the great physical strain of the body as a whole. (Preface) Ballet places a great deal of strain on the body; it is important that those who participate in ballet receive adequate and effective training.
As a child I always wanted to be in the spotlight. I was always the ham in family pictures, the one who had to excel past my brother, and be in the know of everything. When I was about twelve years old, I realized that entertaining people was what I was all about. Since I wasn’t any good at telling the jokes around the campfire or singing acappella, I thought about trying my dance skills. I liked dancing and I have always enjoyed music videos like Janet Jackson’s “Miss you much”, so I thought why not? What did I have to lose? With the support of my parents, particularly my mom, I went for the gusto.
This research is important because I need to know how dance can help me. This also very helpful to me because it showed me another was to relieve stress and calm my anxiety. This research demonstrated another reason for me to stay dancing. Dancing creates a creative outlet for me, something that we don’t really have in regular life, a place to express yourself. These results give me a drive to stay in dance. These discoveries with keep me safe and healthy while I dance.