In light of the kick-off of the Unfiltrd X Brett Rossi tour, I figured it would be fun to write a blog about what it is like to be a professional feature dancer who tours and dances at many different clubs around the country. I have been a feature dancer since the early stages of my career and started touring the country in 2012. I have countless costumes and sky-high pleaser boots to match as well as a dozen suit cases that I go through annually. I’m sure some of you are wondering, “what exactly IS a feature dancer?” A feature dancer is basically a burlesque dancer who gets totally naked and is the ‘special feature act’ of the night at strip clubs. Usually feature dancers do unique shows and have fancy costumes to hype up the crowd. The main goal as a feature act is to pull in more guests for the club. Some feature dancers use this opportunity to make it their actual career while others feature dance here and there in order to give their fans the ability to meet them as well as supplement their income.
For me, I do both however, feature dancing is and has always been my primary source of income. Typically, I do an annual tour and take the summers off from dancing around the country just to give myself a much needed break. The tours can be grueling and taxing not only physically, but mentally as well. You deal with many different clubs, environments, personalities, staying up ridiculously late at night and of course, the chaos of traveling almost constantly. I think for me, the traveling is the hardest part of the job because traveling can be very difficult to navigate as well as incredibly unpredictable. Not to mention, I’m not a very big fan of flying. However, the payoff is financially rewarding and it’s always great to meet fans all around the country who have supported my career. When I do my tours, I like to give my fans the opportunity to purchase merchandise from me, obtain signed autographs, take photos and sometimes even a lap dance (for an elevated price of course).
My favorite part about touring though, are the opportunities I get to explore different parts of the country that I normally wouldn’t and meet many different people along the way. Sometimes I go to big cities and I get to catch a fun show or tour a neat museum while other times, I’m in a small town and get to learn about what life is like at a much slower pace and I take the opportunity to just slow down and relax. Every time I go to a new city though, I make it my goal to at least visit a museum, a zoo, or at the very least, go on an adventure and explore the city.
On my tours, I regularly get asked how one can become a feature dancer. I’m sure there are many different avenues as to how one can become a feature dancer such as getting into competitive pole dancing, moving up from being a house girl, or in my case, being a Porn Star with a large following. I like to tell everyone, feature dancing is definitely not for the weak. To be successful in this career, just like every career, it takes a lot of time, thought and dedication. It is especially important to make good relationships with the clubs so you continue to get re-booked. Networking and establishing solid relationships are the key to success in any business, however for feature dancing I find it is especially important to have a solid reputation. It is important to be punctual and have a great attitude as well as always being professional on the job.
As you can see, feature dancing can be an extremely rewarding profession for someone looking to mix things. Not to mention, it’s fun to be able to perform, dance and dress up in a fun costume while making people smile and laugh. I’m not sure how much longer I’ll feature dance, however I have some plans for the future that I want to do to elevate my feature dance career to the next level and I hope you’ll come along with me on the journey.
Xo
Brett Rossi
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