A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ME (JANET)
At the gullible age of 20 I embarked upon an exotic dancing career. Well, actually I thought it was only going to be short-term employment (a few months) but ended up dancing on & off for pretty much 10 years. The money & the freedom were simply too good to let go of. I made about anywhere from $800- $1600 per week. That was good money back in the 80's & it's still a decent amount of money even today, I mean, if you want to compare other jobs available for a 20 year old woman.
Although stripping seemed to definately have it’s drawbacks- I noticed quite quickly that I didn't get a lot of respect from outsiders when asked what I did for a living; so I felt it best to always be a good, upstanding citizen, off-stage; as well, I felt I should always dress & represent myself in a respectable manner. That way, I believed, that regular folk would give me less hassles & treat me with at least a little respect - which pretty much worked for the mostpart. Many thought I was joking when I told them I was a stripper. I looked more like America's sweetheart, than your average high-heeled, lip-stick enbalmed, feather-toting, A-typical, exotic dancer.
Prior to my becoming an exotic dancer I had a job lined up to become a full-time cartoonist for a home improvement magazine, but when the owner of the magazine shuffled me into her lawyers office to sign away the rights to my cartoon for a pultry $100 buy-out fee, I felt cheated. On what was supposed to be my first day working for the magazine, I no-showed & took off to audition for the stripping job instead. In hindsight I probably could have used a bit better judgement & consulted with some professionals on the matter, but I couldn't afford the legal fees. I was young & inexperienced with that sort of thing, so instead I put my trust in my dearest & closest friend whose idea it was for us try stripping as sort of a summer/ part-time job so to speak.
My best friend & I danced around BC (Canada) in all the small towns & some of the bigger cities. We always seemed more at ease in the smaller towns though, as people were much friendlier & were more accepting of us. We earned more in the smaller towns & people seemed to tip better as well.
Neither my friend nor I got caught up in the drug scene at the time- we just did our job & went home to bed after, usually too tired to do anything else, unless of course there was a band playing in town that we fancied- we became their groupies. The bands we met took great pride in their careers, they weren't into any late-night partying - they were struggling artists who took their creative abilities seriously. So we partied, sure, but not in a way that hindered our reputations nor our development (my friend was also studying to be a nurse at the time.)
A few years later my dear friend ended up meeting a realtor - eventually marrying him. I felt somewhat abandoned at that point, so I trudged forward still doing the stripping thing without her. I quit from time to time & worked at odd jobs, as a waitress here & there, slinging burgers & beer; I worked in fine dining & a nightclub or two for a while (til I got fired because of a jealous boyfriend); I took a job in a bakery, dabbled in my artwork, sold clothing & took a stab at acting- none paid as well or were as consistent as stripping. At one point the magazine lady even referred me to an architect firm to do some drawings for blueprints, sort of her way of making up for ripping me off I suspect, but I declined- mainly again out of spite, which in the long run probably hurt me more than it hurt her.
Eventually, I sort of lost my way a bit, without my friend as my sidekick, I began to dabble with some unsavory characters & got a little self-absorbed into the party scene. Not something I am proud of, but it was a great learning curve for me - a few near fatal incidences, a couple deaths of friends on overdoses, scared me right out of the drug scene & back into reality.
I knew early on that exotic dancing isn't a life-long career option & so I had to keep my wits about me if I were to come out of this in one piece. I was always on high alert for alternate opportunities, realizing that I wouldn't be dancing forever. Eventually I quit dancing once again & moved to Whistler Ski Resort - there I made some new friends & it sort of grounded me- for a short while.
One year later I was back at it again, just couldn't seem to stay away from my old friends in the stripping industry. My fair-weather friends almost seemed like family to me. They were always there to turn to for support & friendship, they seemed to understand me.
A big break came for me when I was accepted to dance in Japan on a 6-week contract. I was so smitten with Japan, the culture, the people, the language, the fashion, the delicious food & just simply everything, that it changed the course of my life forever. I never wanted to leave Japan, but eventually had to because my contract had ended. I cried & whined a wee bit, which allowed me to stay there an extra 2 weeks. I also modelled there, for a rock-band cd cover, as well as some magazines, & had lunch with Matt Dillon- I guess these were sort of the high-lights of my trip.
I found a modeling agent willing to hire me on contract & get me a visa to stay in Japan, but then one night when she came to the club to share with me the good news, that I was able to stay, she flopped like a rag-doll onto the floor right in front of me. I thought she was dead & started screaming! Panicking from all the hoopla many customers stampeded for the door, while the club's owner called for an ambulance. Turned out the lady had fainted from exhaustion (they are famous for over-working themselves in Japan.) The modeling agent was too embarassed to see me again, as they say, "she lost face with me"- so there I was back to square one & headed back for Canada. Thankfully the agent lady was alive & well, just she had a tad case of the sheepies.
After my return to Canada, I did everything in my power to go back to Japan. Japan became the focus of my very existence. Every breath I took, every decision I made, every thought that consumed me was Japan.
I finally made it back there after answering many ads in the local paper - I landed a job at a casino in Shinjuku hiring bunny girls. I started out as a bunny myself & was eventually promoted to do the hiring. I think it was my "enthusiasm & will" to stay in Japan that guided me. BUT then that all that came crashing down when the casino was shut down by the authorities for taking money bets- apparently you can own & operate a casino in Japan but no one's supposed win real cash- only prizes. All of us bunnies were permitted to stay in Japan, but once again, I was off seeking employment.
By this time I really felt my stripping career was over - I had been removed from it pretty much for a whole year & had my sights set on other thingsl BUT no less than a few weeks later, out of a job & short on cash, I ended right back up on that stage again. There I was on another month-long stripping excursion in Shinjuku, dancing away my worries, while I muddled around looking for other employment.
Meanwhile back at the ranch, some old friends of mine from Vancouver continued to contact me & ask me about dancing in Japan- as I recall, at the time, I wanted to distance myself from it all- I seemed to be pushing everyone away & then once again & for the last time, I abruptly quit dancing.
This time I bunkered down to get serious & do some real soul-searching. I had my Celestine Prophecy workbook with me - in the apartment & on my own I proceded to study, to try to figure out what my new career path would be. So funny, but the phone kept ringing & people kept asking me about either booking dancers for them, or else it was another dancer asking me for help to find her work in Japan. I kept saying - no no no, I wont be having any of that!
Well, finally I decided to give up looking for work in Japan & just go home. Upon my return I discovered Revenue Canada had cleaned out my bank account - took all of my savings for back-taxes (which I had owed from when I was a dancer in Canada) & so there I was with absolutley nothing. I was 30 years old & I didn't even have two nickels to rub together. No job, nothing to show for all of those years of dancing & working! A blank slate.
Ring-a-ling-ling there was those darn club owners from Japan again- calling me to ask for my help to find them dancers. I told them I would ask some agents I knew in Vancouver, but none of the agents wanted it.... til one day, an agent I had worked for previously said to me, "there's a desk, there's a phone & a fax- you do it, you book Japan, just pay me half"….and the rest is history.
My life had been one long, unstable road, and I can't say that promoting clubs & booking dancers is any easier, as it was a whole lot simpler to just throw on some makeup, brush my hair & jump on stage for a living. But you know, I learned alot & have grown into my comfort zone with promoting clubs & booking dancers - and for the most part I truly hope that I am helping someone- many of you.
I also hope that any one of you (dancers) will use "the experience of travel" to find your true passion & direction in life, because I am convinced that had I not gone to Japan I really wouldn't have found what drives me & never would have fully understood what it means to have a passion. What else could have driven me to actually get off that stage!! So in a strange sort of irony, twist of fate, or whatever you want to call it - maybe I am in fact not perpetuating you into dancing, but yet silently helping you find a way out of it. Keep that in mind ok.
Thank you for reading a little about me. It's my pleasure to be of service to you. Kind wishes to you all. Janet