Midnight ballerina films elderly woman on the pole getting showered with dollar bills. Then they get up there—and get crickets: ‘I paid $100 to work’

With how taboo the world of exotic dancers and SW in general is (despite reports saying they’ve been around since ancient Greece), most people rarely get to hear about what goes on in the background.

Content creator Billie (@butchbettiepage) recently pulled back the curtain by sharing some details not everyone knows, along with the story of an unusually wild night at the club.

“Paid $100 to work haven’t made a dime then [this] happens,” Billie wrote in the video’s text overlay, filming their face with an incredulous expression.

Then the camera flips, and an elderly woman can be seen twirling around the pole clumsily as countless dollar bills rain over her.

“Went on stage after her and not a single person tipped btw,” Billied added in the on-screen text.

“Genuinely fighting for my life btw,” they wrote in the video’s caption.

Do Exotic Dancers Have to Pay to Work?

Sources suggest the practice is very common in the industry.

According to MEL Magazine, most clubs don’t charge dancers to perform during the day shift, which starts before noon. But for nights, there’s often a flat fee of $20 to $150 on a regular day, or around $400 for an event night.

After that, any tips the dancer makes, they get to keep for themselves.

When it comes to VIP rooms, clubs may charge a flat fee per customer, the magazine notes.

On Reddit, commenters claimed the same.

“It’s pretty common these days, and one of the reasons the industry is rolling downhill,” one commenter noted. “When I started going to clubs, dancers generally got shift pay and didn’t have to share their tips… As clubs went ‘upscale’ and added private rooms and such, they started cutting dancers base pay and demanding a share of tips. And, soon enough, charging dancers for working.”

Another commenter, who identified themselves as a dancer, said the fees can vary. “Yes, we pay to dance. It may be a little or a lot. Girls also pay a portion of the dances they sell, typically. The highest house fee (cost to dance) I’ve personally seen is 150 but i know it gets higher than that,” they wrote. “It may be as low as like 20 dollars,” they wrote. “It is possible for a dancer to leave with less money than she arrived with.”

Commenters React

In the comments section, viewers had mixed reactions. Some were confused that Billie had to pay to work, while others pointed out that tipping should be part of the club experience.

“I’m confused.. you paid $100 to work?” one commenter asked.

“Don’t hate the player…” another joked.

“As a dancer I’m never hating on the next dancer. Get ya moves up,” a third said.

“Absolutely not,” another said. “It should be required to tip the dancers a certain amount if the space is being rented out.”

@butchbettiepage genuinely fighting for my life btw #skipper ♬ original sound – billie ౨ৎ

The Mary Sue has reached out to Billie via TikTok messages for comment.

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