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twenty-five clubs. Down on Dale Mabry is the most famous of all—the rather appallingly named Mons Venus. Mons' notoriety stems from a unique blend of world-class babes and nasty action— two elements that are generally mutually exclusive in the strip club universe. These gorgeous girls do totally nude, full-grind lap dances with ample fondling privileges, making a visit to Mons something of a rite of passage for the adventurous club gourmand.
    The school is held at a much tamer place—a tony gentleman's club right off Route 60 called Scarlett's. Class starts at noon, and the club doesn't open until five, so we'll have the run of the place while we study.
    Twelve of us sit in fancy armchairs placed in a semicircle around a far corner of the stage. You'd never peg us as exotic dancers, in our sweatsuits and street wear, sipping from paper cups of coffee or drawing deeply on cigarettes. We greet each other nervously, then take out our pens and notebooks as a very pregnant woman sits down on the side of the stage and introduces herself. She is Ann Marie Hayek, the owner of the Pure Talent agency.
    School is in session.
    Ann Marie, a wholesomely pretty blonde with an easy, deep-dimpled smile, used to be a dancer herself, touring the country with a dance revue she booked and managed called the Dream Girl Centerfolds. Now thirty-five, she minds the careers of sixty feature dancers who travel all over doing week-long guest stints at various clubs.
    "I want to congratulate you on being committed to your careers and coming here," she says in a measured, kindergarten teacher voice. "I'd like you to introduce yourself, tell us where you're from, whether you're working now or not, and what you hope to get out of attending this school."
    There are two classes of stripper—the house dancer and the feature entertainer. House dancers are the bread-and-butter girls of stripping. House dancers (or house girls) typically work in one club for a six-to eight-hour shift. Some clubs pay house dancers a nominal hourly wage; however, most dancers are treated like independent contractors and work only for tips. Sometimes house dancers, like me, turn into "road girls" and move between clubs, but most stay put. Features are a more exotic breed of exotic dancer. Most start out as house girls and evolve into features when they hear the call of the road—and the money. Features travel the country booking into clubs for limited engagements—from three days to a week. Features receive special publicity, perform choreographed and costumed theme routines, earn a weekly rate which varies depending on their professional profile, and can earn extra money by selling promotional merchandise like autographed Polaroids taken with customers, videos they have appeared in, and posters. A top feature earns much more than a house dancer; however, her initial investment in costumes, props, and merchandise is much greater, and the travel can be exhausting. The Pure Talent class is evenly divided between house dancers and working and aspiring features.
    Veronica and Page are two young girls from North Carolina— both corn-fed, with long, wavy light brown hair. They've only been dancing for six months, they drawl out slowly, and they both want to learn better stage technique.
    Angela, a local, is married with two kids. Pushing her blonde bangs back with one hand, she shyly tells everyone she's never danced professionally before, but plans to start once she's through with the course.
    Dark-haired Alisha worked for six years at Jill's in Wheeling, West Virginia. She says she loves dancing.
    "Why?" Ann Marie wants to know.
    "Because it's like a party," Alisha replies. All eyes are upon her while she speaks, as she's so uncommonly lovely. With wide, dark blue eyes set deep in her demure, heart-shaped face, she has the quietly devastating beauty of Vivien Leigh. She now works in Fort Lauderdale and hopes to learn new dance steps.
    Thumper—"Yes, it's my real name"—has