The Alphaville Herald

My life as an exotic dancer in SL

by Alphaville Herald on 27/08/04 at 8:39 pm

By Miravoir Psaltry
(Previously published in Players Magazine, vol. 7)

[In this story, our friend Mir Psaltry takes up virtual exotic dancing, and gives her readers the skinny, so to speak, on one of the more lucrative professions in SL. As a bonus Mir gave Uri a demonstration of her moves (for photos and research purposes only).]

Sex sells. Even the possibility of sex sells. Even the vaguest hint that there might be sex at some point seems to sell. I never was completely sure of this point until I held a little experiment as it were.

A month or so ago I posed a question to Marilyn Murphy - it was an innocuous seeming matter. The new animations had just started, and lots of interesting dances had begun surfacing. I had written earlier about escorts in SL, and the question began forming about how these new animations were enhancing the life of the men and women that perform this service. But, more intriguing was how these new dances enhanced the performance of the dancers. So, with Marilyn’s blessing I packed my toe shoes and headed out to see what I might see.

I, always wanting to be an avenue to introduce new places and people in SL, first contacted the new exotic clubs in the land. But, alas, I was snubbed. I was more than snubbed; I was glacially ignored. Undaunted by this little setback I contacted the grandpapa of clubs, Elite, and asked dear John and Ana if I might borrow a pole, talk to some people, learn firsthand about exotic dancing, and how things have heated up since 1.5. They graciously agreed, and I put on something slinky and headed on over.

I got to talk for a bit to Summer and Adama. Summer felt that the dances really brought more tips in. But, mostly everyone encouraged me to try my own hand at it and see for myself why this activity is so attractive to do. I didn’t have too many animations yet. My little running man file was quite slim. But I wiggled what I had and some customers came in.

I got 5 dollars here, 10 dollars there. Hm… guess I didn’t have it. I began to watch some of the Grand Masters here in the club, especially Ameretto, Midnight, and Sunny. What did they do that made them so beloved by the men and women that wandered in? I watched and learned. They had a teasing air… a careless panache… a friendly mien that held the promise of copulation perhaps.. oh if only they were free to… but alas.. so sorry dear.

The men would eat right out of their hand, the women too, birds, shy deer, everything. If there were aliens in SL, they would eat right out of Midnight’s and Ameretto’s hand I’m sure. I watched them use props, come up with interesting moves. I took notes.

Armed with this new information, but still slim in the animation department, I tried again. I was asked for a private dance. I pulled out everything I had… cooed in his ear… and soon found 200.00 linden in my pocket… then 200 more… then 200 more!

The little dollar signs sprung up into my eyes and I oozed with greed and avarice. Oh, so easy! I don’t have to make clothes, write, anything. I can shake my tushie and rake it all in! Greed motivating me beyond reason, I took my earnings and went searching for more anims. Tao Zaius, I must plug, makes beautiful dance animations. Soon dance upon dance began piling up. But still, I wasn’t quite the favorite that the Masters were. What else did they have?

Aha! Voice clips! I grabbed up my microphone and made an entire library of voice clips. The men swooned! Marriage proposals came in. Furs, Diamonds, fancy cars! Okay maybe I’m exaggerating a little. But I started doing far better! It was exciting, and being the ham that I am, the attention was heady. The praise! The lights! I wriggled my way to imagined fame!

Adama confronted me and told me that I was too thin! I pouted down at my waifish form sure he was incorrect! He foisted a voluptuous shape on me and commanded I wear it. I pouted. I stomped. I put it on. He was right! The customers drooled and rained even more dough on my head. I owe him a debt for helping me. I’m a rich woman now. Chachacha!

Okay, okay. Let me get a bit serious here. When I first came to Elite, I did it with very little idea of what I’d experience or do. It was just another article, just another job to do. But, I found that I really enjoyed the job, despite the problems of the odd rude customer (most of the customers at Elite are wonderful people, just like the dancers). I love people, and I began to feel like the friendly neighborhood bartender that everyone shares their problems with. I also enjoyed the appreciation I received for doing a good job, for improving, and for spreading a little pleasure. I love that appreciation, and honestly, that is what kept me dancing. I could have quite weeks ago, having more than enough information to have made my article, but I didn’t (Alright, Marilyn, I admit it – you’re right – I love it here!). And I’m glad, I’ve made a lot of friends, some very close. I have been here in Second Life since February, and never before had I met as many friends, as I have here. And I’m quite grateful for that. And the rude boys? Well… there’s always the bouncers for them… haha!

It has been so much fun to be a part of Elite and their crew of lovely dancers. It takes a person with warmth, a flirtatious spirit, a natural sensuality, and a lot of creativity to be a good dancer, and my hat goes off to all of them. I am so glad they welcomed me into their fold, and taught me so much. What I learned is that although the animations make things quite varied, there’s far more involved to being a good dancer, and the best dancers are those that can weave a whole world around you through text, and other means. Kudos all you artistes in Elite.