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“Historically in strip clubs, the managers have called all the shots – have been able to dictate what their dancers do with their bodies,” says dancer Lilith “It only makes sense that the power is in the hands of the sex workers who are performing and who are providing the service, and that we all get a fair cut of the pie.”
And because dancers make their own rules, the performances often include more than pole dancing. Past shows have featured elements of burlesque, Irish step dance, conceptual performance art and fire spinning.“I think in the co-op environment, there's a lot more freedom to express yourself,” says Lilith, a Star Garden and Stripper Co-op dancer.
“The mantra wouldn’t be the customer is always right; the mantra would be the community is always right and we would make decisions as a collective. “I think the way men or anybody really talks about strippers is either as agency-less victims that have to be saved or that we're sluts or whores. “They would be clubs that had dancers that showcase the diversity of people who are dedicated to erotic art and dance and expression, and in turn that would reflect in the diversity of the audience, the clients that come into that club, and they would exist to actually resist patriarchy, resist misogyny, and resist sexism and gender based discrimination.”“My ideal strip club or venue would be main stage-focus.