A lap dance or contact dance is a type of erotic dance performance offered in many strip clubs in which the dancer typically has body contact with a seated patron. Lap dancing is different from table dancing , in which the dancer is close to a seated patron, but without body contact.
Variant terms include couch dance , which is a lap dance where the customer is seated on a couch. With full-contact lap dances, the dancer may engage in non-penetrative sexual contact with the patron, such as " grinding " or " twerking " their body against the patron.
Depending on the local jurisdiction and community standards , the participants in lap dancing are sometimes allowed to touch or be touched by each other. In some clubs any touching by the patron is forbidden. In others there is no oversight by the club and various levels of contact are negotiable between the participants. Clubs vary widely with regard to their enforcement of rules, and some turn a blind eye to any violations. Lap dancing usually occurs with both participants being either clothed to more or less the same degree, or naked, or the dancer being partially or fully naked, depending on the laws of the jurisdiction and the club's policies.
Some jurisdictions require a prohibition on alcohol if various degrees of nudity are allowed. In other jurisdictions nudity is only allowed where skin contact does not occur between the dancer and the patron, requiring at least one of them to wear clothing.
Where specific licensing exists for an establishment to allow prostitution , the dress requirements may also be dependent on that licensing. As the dancer is rarely dressed to a greater degree than the patron, lap dancing is sometimes seen as a submissive act by the dancer.
