A lap dance is a specific type of erotic dance offered in some strip clubs or (somewhat more formal) gentlemen's clubs in which the patron is seated, and the dancer is either in immediate contact (contact dancing) with the patron, or within a very short distance. Lap dances can involve touching of the dancer by the patron, the patron by the dancer, neither, or both. This is generally dictated by the laws and culture of the city and country in which it takes place. The dancer may be naked, topless or fully clothed depending on the local jurisdication and community standards where the club is located. A couch dance is a lap dance where the customer is seated on a couch.

In many clubs the duration of a lap dance is measured by the length of the song being played by the club's DJ. Charges for lap dances vary; a typical price in a U.S. strip club is $20 per three minute song.

Lap dancers are commonly (but not necessarily) exotic dancers. Sometimes sexual partners will perform lap dances for their partners as a teasing kind of foreplay.

In a particular form of lap dance, the patron will be seated, spreading his or her knees apart, and the dancer will gradually remove his or her clothing while standing between the patron's legs.

Full-contact lap dances in strip clubs typically involve intense dryhumping where the stripper may straddle the patron and rub her lap against his, slap her breasts against his face. Local jurisdictions and community standards typically determine how much and where the patron can touch the dancer during the lap dance. In some cases, any touching by the patron is forbidden.

Some jurisdictions in the United States outlaw lap dances and enforce a minimum distance between dancer and patron.

History

Lap dancing clubs are a development of the earlier strip clubs, in which strippers danced on stage and were paid a wage. In the 1970s, one New York club owned by Jaqk Lynn ^{citation needed]} introduced audience participation. In 1980, a San Francisco club changed its policy so that customers could have dancers come to sit naked on their laps for a $1 tip. The practice quickly spread. It suited club owners, because it brought in more customers and it meant they had to pay less to the dancers. Sitting on customers laps evolved into lap dancing, as the clubs and the dancers went into competition with one another on how far they could go and still stay the right side of the law.

In 1994 – in a ruling which was to have an impact throughout the English speaking world – a Canadian court ruled that lapdancing did not contravene laws on public decency and defined what lap dancing should mean. This was a huge victory for the sex trade. A number of conflicting judgements were passed in the years that followed, including decisions to close certain bars in which sex acts took place on the floor of the club and other rulings in which patrons were allowed to touch the dancers as long as an actual sex act didn’t take place. Finally, in 1999 the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that lap dancing was legal. This led to the displacement of strip clubs and table dancing clubs in Canada and the United States by lap dancing clubs. Lap dancing arrived in Britain, with the American Spearmint Rhino clubs, in 1995.

The economic position of the dancers, as employees of the clubs, has also changed. Over time, the clubs stopped paying the dancers. The stage dancing became a showcase to advertise the bodies of the dancers, whose money came from the tips – or standard charges, depending on the club – that the patrons gave them for lap dancing. In the majority of clubs, dancers are simply charged a percentage of their takings. However, the latest development in many countries, including Britain, the United States and Canada, is that many clubs charge dancers a fee to appear. Given that they are paying to be there, some clubs allow as many dancers as possible to appear on any given night. Fees charged to the women can range from £25 to £200/night (between US$45 and $350,CAN $50 - $400) in Britain.

See also

• Striptease