Las Vegas Dancers Alliance
Encyclopedia
The Las Vegas Dancers Alliance was an organization of adult entertainment workers in Las Vegas founded in 2002 by Andrea Hackett in response to regulations adopted by Clark County, Nevada
that criminalized lap dances. It grew to include 1,000 members from strip clubs throughout the Las Vegas valley including Crazy Horse Too
, Spearmint Rhino
, and many others. Yet, despite its size, L.V.D.A. was unable to bring about substantive changes to the law or the adult club industry as a whole. Part of the blame fell on workers unwilling to participate in rallies, meetings, and events. Part of it fell on Ms. Hackett's shoulders, whose colorful life overshadowed the issues at hand. But part of it fell on the club owners themselves who participated in alleged attacks on L.V.D.A. members in collusion with local law enforcement. Their tactics, combined with a hit piece on Ms. Hackett written by Taylor Marsh (now at the Huffington Post), drove many to question their allegiance and spelled the end of L.V.D.A.
At the height of its power, L.V.D.A. was covered in media outlets across the globe including CNN
, MSNBC
, CBS News
, Washington Post, LA Times, Seattle Times, and The Times of India
http://filesharingtalk.com/vb3/archive/index.php/t-3213.html. Ms. Hackett appeared on The O'Reilly Factor
on Sept. 18, 2002 to lobby her cause and was courted by Dateline
, A&E
, PBS, ABC News
and other media giants. Her struggles were also documented in an article in The Nation
by Marc Cooper
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20030421/cooper and in his latest book, The Last Honest Place in America. Ms. Hackett penned a memoir in 2006 and has been interviewed for documentaries in a variety of countries including France, Canada and the United Kingdom.
tipping. Indeed, all who travel to the Las Vegas Strip
and place a buck in a stripper's garter
owe a debt of gratitude to the organization. It also focused the public's attention on unscrupulous industry practices such as house fees in excess of $100, dance fees, late fees, stage fees, missed stage fees, missed shift fees, mandatory tips
for disc jockeys, valet parking
, house moms, and floor walkers, and indiscriminate firings. As well as the practice of mandating work cards
in Las Vegas that require FBI background checks for dancers. L.V.D.A. remains the only organization of adult entertainment workers in Las Vegas to take on these issues and one of the few examples of class struggle
within the adult entertainment industry in America.
• Best American Sex Writing 2004 (Daniel O'Connor, Thunder Mouth Press ISBN 1-56025-598-6)
• "Commissioners OK Lap Dance Restrictions" (KLAS-TV Channel 8 News, Las Vegas, Carol Wilkinson, July 31, 2002)
• "New Rules Limit Lap Dancing" (KVVU, FOX5 News, Las Vegas, Shelley Bruner, July 31, 2002)
• Andrea Hackett interview with Cindy Cesare (KLAS-TV Channel 8 News, Las Vegas, Aug. 6, 2002)
• "Lap Dance Rules Have Some Hot, Bothered" (USA Today, Aug. 19, 2002)
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2002-08-19-dance_x.htm
• "Lap Dance Rules Take Effect Sept. 1" (Las Vegas Review Journal, Aug. 1, 2002)
• "County Okays Lap Dance Rules: New Regulations Less Stringent Than Initial Proposal" (Las Vegas Review Journal, J.M. Kalil, Aug. 2, 2002)
• "Lap Dance Rules: Strippers Want to Be Heard" (Las Vegas Review Journal, Richard Lake, Aug. 4, 2002)
• "Sex, Not Gambling, Built Las Vegas, But We Remain Uneasy With It" (John L. Smith, Las Vegas Review Journal, Aug. 4, 2002)
• "Critics Say Lap-Dance Law Does Not Sit Well" (Las Vegas Sun, Adrienne Packer, Aug. 6, 2002)
• "New Lap Dance Ordinance" (Mercury Magazine, Aug. 1, 2002)
• "What I Saw at the Lap Dance Revolution" (Mercury Magazine, Aug. 2002)
• "Las Vegas Strippers Protest New County Law on Lap Dancing" (Reno Gazette Journal, Sept. 1, 2002)
• "LVDA Call to Reopen Lap Dance Debate" (Adult Industry News, Nov. 10, 2002)
• "Performers Unite to Save Sin City's topless tradition" - AP, January 4, 2003
• "Union Busting? Strippers Charge Cheetahs With Labor Violation" (LV Mercury, Lynette Curtis, Feb. 6, 2003)
http://www.lasvegasmercury.com/2003/MERC-Feb-06-Thu-2003/20617480.html
• "LVDA Files Initiative" (Adult Industry News, Mar. 19, 2003)
http://ainews.com/Archives/Story4678.phtml
• "Tough Task? Dancer Can Hack It" (LV Sun, Susan Snyder, Mar. 23, 2003)
• "Vice Close Las Vegas Club" (Adult Industry News, Apr. 5, 2003)
http://ainews.com/Archives/Story4755.phtml
• "The Naked Truth: The Strange Life of Andrea Hackett" (CityLife Magazine, Apr. 17, 2003)
• "The Naked and The Red" by Marc Cooper (Nation Magazine, Apr. 21, 2003)
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20030421/cooper
• "Hostess with the Most Zest" (Guardian Unlimited, Duncan Campbell, June 1, 2003)
• "Lap Dancer Strips Veil Off Las Vegas Casinos" (The Guardian, Duncan Campbell, Jun. 18, 2003)
• "Strippers Need to Have a Role in Crafting Fair Regulations for Industry" (Las Vegas Review Journal, Opinion, Jan. 29, 2005)
• "Union Between Dancers, Organized Labor Would be Timely Match" (John L. Smith, Las Vegas Review Journal, Aug. 10, 2005)
http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:suWvUsFQ2icJwww.iwpr.org/PDF/05_Proceedings/Majic_Samantha.pdf+%22las+vegas+dancers+alliance%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=14&gl=us
• "Naked Naivete" (CityLife Magazine, Nov. 27, 2003)
• "Strip Wars" (Las Vegas Review Journal, Sept. 11, 2004)
• Articles on the Populist Party website:
http://www.populistamerica.com/andrea_hackett
http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:Nw1bOJUUxYYJ:wrin.unlv.edu/new/pdfs/2003_leadership_agenda.pdf+%22las+vegas+dancers+alliance%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=11&gl=us
• Nevada State Libertarian Party ("Our Liberties at Risk" Guest Speaker: Andrea Hackett, Oct., 2003)
• Dartmouth College, Center for Women & Gender, Visionary in Residence Program ("Women, Justice and the American Sex Machine" Guest Speaker: Andrea Hackett - engagement cancelled)
Clark County, Nevada
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 1,375,765 people, 512,253 households, and 339,693 families residing within the MSA. The racial makeup of the MSA was 71.6% White , 9.1% Black, 5.7% Asian, 0.8% American Indian and 12.8% of other or mixed race. 22.0% were Hispanic of any race...
that criminalized lap dances. It grew to include 1,000 members from strip clubs throughout the Las Vegas valley including Crazy Horse Too
Crazy Horse Too
Crazy Horse Too was a strip club located at 2466 Industrial Road in Las Vegas, Nevada, Nevada on Industrial Road a few blocks west of the Las Vegas Strip. The club was patterned after the original Crazy Horse Saloon club on Paradise Road, which was owned by Jack Galardi .The club was owned by...
, Spearmint Rhino
Spearmint Rhino
Spearmint Rhino is a chain of strip clubs that operates venues throughout the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Central Europe, Russia and Australia. The club opened in 1989 as a supplement to the existing Peppermint Elephant Restaurant. This first Spearmint Rhino was located in Upland,...
, and many others. Yet, despite its size, L.V.D.A. was unable to bring about substantive changes to the law or the adult club industry as a whole. Part of the blame fell on workers unwilling to participate in rallies, meetings, and events. Part of it fell on Ms. Hackett's shoulders, whose colorful life overshadowed the issues at hand. But part of it fell on the club owners themselves who participated in alleged attacks on L.V.D.A. members in collusion with local law enforcement. Their tactics, combined with a hit piece on Ms. Hackett written by Taylor Marsh (now at the Huffington Post), drove many to question their allegiance and spelled the end of L.V.D.A.
At the height of its power, L.V.D.A. was covered in media outlets across the globe including CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
, CBS News
CBS News
CBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. The current chairman is Jeff Fager who is also the executive producer of 60 Minutes, while the current president of CBS News is David Rhodes. CBS News' flagship program is the CBS Evening News, hosted by the network's main...
, Washington Post, LA Times, Seattle Times, and The Times of India
The Times of India
The Times of India is an Indian English-language daily newspaper. TOI has the largest circulation among all English-language newspaper in the world, across all formats . It is owned and managed by Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd...
http://filesharingtalk.com/vb3/archive/index.php/t-3213.html. Ms. Hackett appeared on The O'Reilly Factor
The O'Reilly Factor
The O'Reilly Factor, originally titled The O'Reilly Report from 1996 to 1998 and often called The Factor, is an American talk show on the Fox News Channel hosted by commentator Bill O'Reilly, who often discusses current controversial political issues with guests.The program was the most watched...
on Sept. 18, 2002 to lobby her cause and was courted by Dateline
Dateline NBC
Dateline NBC, or Dateline, is a U.S. weekly television newsmagazine broadcast by NBC. It previously was NBC's flagship news magazine, but now focuses on true crime stories. It airs Friday at 9 p.m. EST and after football season on Sunday at 7 p.m. EST.-History:Dateline is historically notable for...
, A&E
A&E Network
The A&E Network is a United States-based cable and satellite television network with headquarters in New York City and offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, London, Los Angeles and Stamford. A&E also airs in Canada and Latin America. Initially named the Arts & Entertainment Network, A&E launched...
, PBS, ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
and other media giants. Her struggles were also documented in an article in The Nation
The Nation
The Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. The periodical, devoted to politics and culture, is self-described as "the flagship of the left." Founded on July 6, 1865, It is published by The Nation Company, L.P., at 33 Irving Place, New York City.The Nation...
by Marc Cooper
Marc Cooper
Marc Cooper is an American journalist, author, journalism professor and blogger. He is currently a contributing editor to The Nation. He wrote the popular "Dissonance" column for LA Weekly from 2001 until November 2008...
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20030421/cooper and in his latest book, The Last Honest Place in America. Ms. Hackett penned a memoir in 2006 and has been interviewed for documentaries in a variety of countries including France, Canada and the United Kingdom.
Organization
Las Vegas Dancers Alliance was established as a non-profit corporation in Nevada in the summer of 2002. Its purpose was to advocate on behalf of adult entertainment workers and meditate issues between its members and management. By October, club representatives had been elected from twelve of the twenty-one gentleman's clubs in the region and served as its Board of Directors. To lobby candidates and local officials, a political action committee was established (LVDA-PAC). A third organization was created in 2003 (The Committee to Protect Dancing). That organization educated its members on the initiative process and coordinated a signature drive to overturn the so-called Lap Dance Ordinance.Achievements
Throughout its short life (2002-2003) L.V.D.A. was credited with derailing efforts to institute business license fees for dancers in Clark County and efforts to prohibit the popular practice of G-stringG-string
A G-string is a type of thong underwear or swimsuit, a narrow piece of cloth, leather, or plastic, that covers or holds the genitals, passes between the buttocks, and is attached to a band around the hips, worn as swimwear or underwear by women and men...
tipping. Indeed, all who travel to the Las Vegas Strip
Las Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
and place a buck in a stripper's garter
Garter
Garter can refer to:*Garter , an item of clothing used to hold up stockings*Order of the Garter, the senior British order of chivalry*Ladies of the Garter , female members of the mediaeval Order of the Garter...
owe a debt of gratitude to the organization. It also focused the public's attention on unscrupulous industry practices such as house fees in excess of $100, dance fees, late fees, stage fees, missed stage fees, missed shift fees, mandatory tips
Mandatory tipping
Mandatory tipping]] is a tip which is added automatically to the customer's bill, without the customer determining the amount or being asked. It may be implemented in several ways, such as applying a fixed percentage to all customer's bills, or to large groups, or on a customer by customer basis...
for disc jockeys, valet parking
Valet parking
Valet parking is a parking service offered by some restaurants, stores, and other businesses, particularly in North America. In contrast to "self-parking", where customers find a parking space on their own, customers' vehicles are parked for them by a person called a valet...
, house moms, and floor walkers, and indiscriminate firings. As well as the practice of mandating work cards
Work card
A work card is like an Identity Card which verifies that a person has been given work, or is eligible to perform work in a given profession or jurisdiction...
in Las Vegas that require FBI background checks for dancers. L.V.D.A. remains the only organization of adult entertainment workers in Las Vegas to take on these issues and one of the few examples of class struggle
Class struggle
Class struggle is the active expression of a class conflict looked at from any kind of socialist perspective. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels wrote "The [written] history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggle"....
within the adult entertainment industry in America.
Books
• The Last Honest Place in America by Marc Cooper (Nation Books 05/2004 ISBN 1-56025-490-4)• Best American Sex Writing 2004 (Daniel O'Connor, Thunder Mouth Press ISBN 1-56025-598-6)
Television
• O'Reilly Factor (Guest: Andrea Hackett, Sept. 18, 2002)• "Commissioners OK Lap Dance Restrictions" (KLAS-TV Channel 8 News, Las Vegas, Carol Wilkinson, July 31, 2002)
• "New Rules Limit Lap Dancing" (KVVU, FOX5 News, Las Vegas, Shelley Bruner, July 31, 2002)
• Andrea Hackett interview with Cindy Cesare (KLAS-TV Channel 8 News, Las Vegas, Aug. 6, 2002)
News Articles
• "Las Vegas Strippers Become Advocates" (New York Times, Jan. 4, 2002)• "Lap Dance Rules Have Some Hot, Bothered" (USA Today, Aug. 19, 2002)
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2002-08-19-dance_x.htm
• "Lap Dance Rules Take Effect Sept. 1" (Las Vegas Review Journal, Aug. 1, 2002)
• "County Okays Lap Dance Rules: New Regulations Less Stringent Than Initial Proposal" (Las Vegas Review Journal, J.M. Kalil, Aug. 2, 2002)
• "Lap Dance Rules: Strippers Want to Be Heard" (Las Vegas Review Journal, Richard Lake, Aug. 4, 2002)
• "Sex, Not Gambling, Built Las Vegas, But We Remain Uneasy With It" (John L. Smith, Las Vegas Review Journal, Aug. 4, 2002)
• "Critics Say Lap-Dance Law Does Not Sit Well" (Las Vegas Sun, Adrienne Packer, Aug. 6, 2002)
• "New Lap Dance Ordinance" (Mercury Magazine, Aug. 1, 2002)
• "What I Saw at the Lap Dance Revolution" (Mercury Magazine, Aug. 2002)
• "Las Vegas Strippers Protest New County Law on Lap Dancing" (Reno Gazette Journal, Sept. 1, 2002)
• "LVDA Call to Reopen Lap Dance Debate" (Adult Industry News, Nov. 10, 2002)
• "Performers Unite to Save Sin City's topless tradition" - AP, January 4, 2003
• "Union Busting? Strippers Charge Cheetahs With Labor Violation" (LV Mercury, Lynette Curtis, Feb. 6, 2003)
http://www.lasvegasmercury.com/2003/MERC-Feb-06-Thu-2003/20617480.html
• "LVDA Files Initiative" (Adult Industry News, Mar. 19, 2003)
http://ainews.com/Archives/Story4678.phtml
• "Tough Task? Dancer Can Hack It" (LV Sun, Susan Snyder, Mar. 23, 2003)
• "Vice Close Las Vegas Club" (Adult Industry News, Apr. 5, 2003)
http://ainews.com/Archives/Story4755.phtml
• "The Naked Truth: The Strange Life of Andrea Hackett" (CityLife Magazine, Apr. 17, 2003)
• "The Naked and The Red" by Marc Cooper (Nation Magazine, Apr. 21, 2003)
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20030421/cooper
• "Hostess with the Most Zest" (Guardian Unlimited, Duncan Campbell, June 1, 2003)
• "Lap Dancer Strips Veil Off Las Vegas Casinos" (The Guardian, Duncan Campbell, Jun. 18, 2003)
• "Strippers Need to Have a Role in Crafting Fair Regulations for Industry" (Las Vegas Review Journal, Opinion, Jan. 29, 2005)
• "Union Between Dancers, Organized Labor Would be Timely Match" (John L. Smith, Las Vegas Review Journal, Aug. 10, 2005)
College Papers
• LIVE! NUDE! Organized Workers? Examining the Organization of Sex Workers in Las Vegas, NV (Samantha Majic, PhD., Cornell Univ. Jun. 2005)http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:suWvUsFQ2icJwww.iwpr.org/PDF/05_Proceedings/Majic_Samantha.pdf+%22las+vegas+dancers+alliance%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=14&gl=us
Opinion pieces
• "The Industry You Love To Hate" by Andrea Hackett (CityLife Magazine, Mar. 20, 2003• "Naked Naivete" (CityLife Magazine, Nov. 27, 2003)
• "Strip Wars" (Las Vegas Review Journal, Sept. 11, 2004)
• Articles on the Populist Party website:
http://www.populistamerica.com/andrea_hackett
Speaking Engagements
• Women In Public Leadership Conference, UNLV (Guest Speaker: Andrea Hackett, Jun. 19, 2003)http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:Nw1bOJUUxYYJ:wrin.unlv.edu/new/pdfs/2003_leadership_agenda.pdf+%22las+vegas+dancers+alliance%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=11&gl=us
• Nevada State Libertarian Party ("Our Liberties at Risk" Guest Speaker: Andrea Hackett, Oct., 2003)
• Dartmouth College, Center for Women & Gender, Visionary in Residence Program ("Women, Justice and the American Sex Machine" Guest Speaker: Andrea Hackett - engagement cancelled)