adminBongani Ndlovu Showbiz Correspondent
THE life of a striptease dancer in Zimbabwe is no walk in the park. While the dancers seem popular among men at night because of their raunchy performances, their daily life is fraught with rivalry, running battles with the police and hatred from many who have labelled them “whores” and “hookers”. “Life out there isn’t very rosy,” says striptease dancer Brenda “Coco” Chitsiga as she described the trials and tribulations of being an adult entertainer in Zimbabwe.
“We’re used to people hurling insults at us when we dance on stage, calling us prostitutes. The level of verbal abuse that we’re subjected to week in and week out is tremendous but we’re now used to it.
“At first I used to be enraged as it would bother me that someone would have the nerve to call me a whore, but I don’t care much anymore,” said Coco.
Coco, the leader of a four-member group, La Dolce which was formed in 2012 after she defected from Zoey and the Red Angels, said they specialise in striptease, pole, chair and lap dancing. The group, which comprises Thandazani Mtize, Candice Namatika and Samantha Zhuwawo, will be performing at Metropolis Night Club in Bulawayo tonight.
When she launched her dancing career in 2012, the mother of one said she had a rude awakening as she was nearly beaten up by patrons in Murewa during one of their shows.
“We were nearly beaten up at one of our first shows as the female patrons bayed for our blood. They said the way we danced wasn’t part of our culture.
“We’d to run from the stage as they wanted to beat us up. They couldn’t accept our type of entertainment,” said Coco.
The raunchy dancer was last year arrested for violating her dancer’s licence.
“Last year Candice and I were arrested at the Airport Lounge in Harare for violating our dancing licences which don’t allow us to be in contact with patrons. We spent three days in the cells and went to court. In all this I wasn’t deterred and continued to be a pole dancer as this puts food on my table and feeds my son Shawn,” said Coco.
She said their business was no longer as rewarding as compared to when they started.
“When we started, business was booming as we were just a few, if not the only ones doing that type of dancing. As the years went by, more groups were formed with these other girls charging next to nothing, just to be in the limelight. This has compromised us as we’ve had to review our charges down,” said Coco.
“We now focus more on private shows to supplement the shows we used to have. Instead of getting about $300, we now charge as little as $100. It’s lucrative though as there’re many people who want our services.”
Turning to their debut show in Bulawayo, Coco said revellers should brace themselves for a memorable event.
“The show won’t be for the faint-hearted as people will get teased sexually. They’ve never seen what we do as our acts involve candles, bananas, lolly pops and cigarettes. Those interested who want to know what’ll be done with these tools should come see for themselves,” said Coco.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter