A Brief Stripper Fight

I always miss stripper fights. It’s very uncommon at my club, which comes as a surprise to people, but the dancers at my club are exceptionally kind. There are arguments and tension at times, but fighting isn’t common.

Friday, Ecstasy had been called on stage for her set after a new girl. The new girl was taking her sweet time gathering her stage money and talking to customers, trying to sell a dance to one of them. That was strike one. Ecstasy had stood by the stage looking impatient in her characteristic raver style bedazzled lime green fishnet body stocking. The DJ restarted Ecstasy’s song three times, waiting for the new girl to gather everything and vacate the stage, but the new girl wasn’t paying attention. After an extended wait, the new girl had finally cleared enough of the cash and her outfit off of the stage so that Ecstasy could begin her set. Ecstasy grabbed the stage rag and began spraying down the pole with the alcohol solution spray, but managed to aim it in the direction of the new girl. Whether or not this was an intentional provocation, nobody is sure aside from Ecstasy, who sustains that it was accidental, but regardless, the new girl didn’t take it as such. The new girl, who was squatting nearby still collecting her things at a snail like pace, jabbed out her elbow and caught Ecstasy in the leg. Again, whether or not this was intentional is still unknown. Perhaps she accidentally thrust out her elbow to steady herself. Regardless, Ecstasy did not take it as such and proceeded to throw hands. Ecstasy punched the new girl for a solid thirty seconds before anyone realized what was going on. When the DJ looked up and realized the stage show was not Ecstasy’s typical dynamic routine, he weighed in with his announcer voice

Him: Woah ho ho! That’s not part of the show.

Both dancers were sent home early, and rumor has it that one of them was fired. Now, Ecstasy has seniority. She’s been working the club as long as I have and a few months ago, accidentally kicked out one of the black lights, which sent a shower of compressed glass cascading upon the stage and the carpet around the stage. Management did their best to contain the situation. They swept and mopped the stage as best they could, but there’s only so much one can do to contain a shattered glass situation. My manager had gathered the girls in the back for an emergency meeting and told us to “avoid floor work” if we could. Of course, nobody retained that tidbit and nearly every girl proceeded to perform their floor-heavy sets, blissfully unaware of glass splinters. Ecstasy hadn’t gotten in trouble for the incident. It was an honest mistake, and the stage area, to be fair, is shoddily constructed. The top of the pole is nearly level with the lights, so if we swing a little too high, it’s not uncommon to kick a light every now and again. I’ve kicked a light before, but thankfully it was one of the sturdier stage lights, like the kind one might see in a community theater. Anyway, the point being, Ecstasy has managed to hang on for this long, so it would be hard to imagine her getting kicked out for one fight. Still, it was a spectacle, and I doubt I’ll be seeing that new girl anytime soon.