Lap dance
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A lap dance is a specific type of erotic dance, in which the patron is seated, and the dancer is either in immediate contact (contact dancing) with the patron, or within a very short distance. Lap dances can involve touching of the dancer by the patron, the patron by the dancer, neither, or both. This is generally dictated by the laws and culture of the city and country in which it takes place. They are usually offered in strip clubs or (somewhat more formal) gentleman's clubs. The dancers may be completely nude, topless with g-string bottoms, or fully clothed; the patron always remains fully clothed. A couch dance is a lap dance where the customer is seated on a couch.
In many clubs the duration of a lap dance is measured by the length of the song being played by the club's DJ. Charges for lap dances vary; a typical price in a U.S. strip club is $20 per 3 minute song.
Lap dancers are commonly (but not necessarily) exotic dancers. Sometimes sexual partners will perform lap dances for their partners as a teasing kind of foreplay.
In a particular form of lap dance, a man will be seated, spreading his knees apart, and the dancer will gradually remove her clothing while standing between his legs.
Full-contact lap dances in strip clubs typically involve frottage, and it is not uncommon that the patron is brought to orgasm; one can frequently find used condoms in the men's restrooms of these establishments.
Some jurisdictions in the United States outlaw lap dances and enforce a minimum distance between dancer and patron.
History
Lap dancing clubs are a development of the earlier strip clubs, in which strippers danced on stage and were paid a wage. In the 1970s, one New York club introduced audience participation. In 1980, a San Francisco club changed its policy so that customers could have dancers come to sit naked on their laps for a $1 tip. The practice quickly spread. It suited club owners, because it brought in more customers and it meant they had to pay less to the dancers. Sitting on customers laps evolved into lap dancing, as the clubs and the women went into competition with one another on how far they could go and still stay the right side of the law.
In 1994 – in a ruling which was to have an impact throughout the English speaking world – a Canadian court ruled that lapdancing did not contravene laws on public decency and defined what lap dancing should mean. This was a huge victory for the sex trade. A number of conflicting judgements were passed in the years that followed, including decisions to close certain bars in which sex acts took place on the floor of the club and other rulings in which men were allowed to touch the women as long as an actual sex act didn’t take place. Finally, in 1999, Canada’s new Supreme Court Justice, Louise Arbour, former head of the United Nations World Court in the Hague, along with her colleagues, ruled that lap dancing was legal. This led to the displacement of strip clubs and table dancing clubs in Canada and the United States by lap dancing clubs. Lap dancing arrived in Britain, with the American Spearmint Rhino clubs, in 1995.
The economic position of the dancers, as employees of the clubs, has also changed. Over time, the clubs stopped paying the dancers. The stage dancing became a showcase for the bodies of the women. All their money came from the tips – or standard charges, depending on the club – that the men gave them for lap dancing. In the majority of clubs, women are simply charged a percentage of their takings. However, the latest development in many countries, including Britain, the United States and Canada, is that many clubs charge women a fee to appear. Given that the women are paying to be there, some clubs allow as many women as possible to appear on any given night. Fees charged to the women can range from £25 to £200/night (between US$45 and $350) in Britain. This can lead to women owing money to the clubs and a decrease in the profitability of lapdancing for individual dancers.de:Tabledance fr:Dry sex it:Lap dance