Nuni, who had begun to strip in her home state of Colorado while obtaining her bachelor’s degree, said she prefers “white strip clubs” over “black strip clubs” because of what happens behind closed doors.
According to Nuni, the clubs are labeled “black” or “white” based on the clientele. Manhattan strip clubs generally have a mostly white and wealthy clientele. She said the strippers at those clubs are 65 percent white, 10 to 20 percent black, 20 to 30 percent Latina and less than 10 percent Asian.
Queens is generally home to clubs that mostly feature black and dark-skinned Latina strippers with synthetic bodies, dancing for a mostly black and Latino clientele, usually with rappers and special guests in attendance.
Nuni said a big difference between the two types of clubs is the dancing.
“White strip cubs are mostly talking and black clubs are mostly twerking,” said Nuni.
Nuni, who was used to dancing in what she called “a liberal college town,” said she experienced a huge culture shock when she moved to New York and danced for the very first time at Angels.
“I had already danced on and off for three years so I felt like I was equipped to dance in New York,” said Nuni. “I danced for one day at Angels. It was terrible. I didn’t last more than five hours.”
When Nuni was called by Angels to come in, she said the manager told her she wouldn’t have to be topless. However, when she arrived wearing a red leather mini dress, she was asked, “You’re used to white clubs, aren’t you?” and was then told, “You need something more revealing like a two-piece, so put that on.”
In addition to the uncomfortable change of attire, Nuni said she was charged the $60 house fee at the start of the night. The house fee is a set number that dancers are expected to pay the club in order to dance there.
“I was surprised that the house fee was drastically low,” said Nuni. “If a club has a high house fee, it means they expect you to make a lot of money to pay them. But if a club has a low fee, it means they don’t want to hear you complain at the end of the night that you don’t have enough money to pay them.”
Nuni, who was used to walking up to men and engaging in conversation, said at Angels the strippers walked up to men who had stacks of one-dollar bills and just began dancing on them.
“I tried talking to some guys at first, but it was like they weren’t used to speaking to women,” said Nuni. “It was weird. I was confused. To me it was like I’m trying to make you feel special so you can spend money on me. Also, when you twerk for them, they get to touch you and at white strip clubs, it’s a no-no.”
