Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

Male Impact

What: Male Impact Where: Boot Pub When: Saturday, May 10 In the interests of balanced and fair entertainment, the Boot Pub, both adored and abhorred for its steady stream of steamy female strippers over the years, has decided it’s time to give t

What: Male Impact

Where: Boot Pub

When: Saturday, May 10

In the interests of balanced and fair entertainment, the Boot Pub, both adored and abhorred for its steady stream of steamy female strippers over the years, has decided it’s time to give the girls something to gawk at. They’ve booked some hunky hulks known as Male Impact, appearing Saturday, May 10 for one night only.

These four Alberta Adonises are dancing, waxing and weight lifting their way across Western Canada to rapturous calls for more. We caught up with two of the muscular movers, Chris Klein and Jason Lee, to find out the perks, the pitfalls, the reality and the fantasy behind being a male dancer.

Imagine having hundreds of women screaming your name. Imagine girls begging you to get your gear off. But think about the down side too (no pun intended). You have to break dance in a piece of strategically placed spandex. And learn how to do seductive moves in that same skin-tight number – and all to chick songs.

There are girls wanting to tear at your tiny trunks, slap your butt and worse. Think about the hours you’ll need to spend in the gym getting in to tip-top touchy shape, plus the choreography and pyrotechnics that bring broken bones and burnt bits too. Oh yes, it’s a dangerous occupation but these guys are giving it their all.

Pique:

How did you get into male stripping?

CK:

It was in my first year of university at a local club where they had just had a ladies night. Some of the performers were still there and asked me if I’d be interested in giving it a try. They gave me a business card and 48 hours later I was having an interview with the owner of the company and another 48 hours later I was performing.

JL:

I was break dancing at a club and things started to get intense on stage as we all started to pull out our power moves. I couldn't get the rotation for one move because the friction on the floor wasn't right. I took off my shirt and used it like a glove to fix the problem and then pulled off the move with some real finesse. People were screaming and someone yelled "take it off." I just burst out laughing and walked off but was approached by an owner of some male dancers and that is where it began.

Pique:

Any misconceptions about male stripping you'd like to dispel? Like is it really a big shag fest after the show?

CK:

Some male dancers like to bed the ladies but not me. Some guys even have long-term girlfriends and they’re not at all interested in straying. In all honesty, most of us treat it as a job we enjoy and act with utmost professionalism.

JL:

We are not incompetent individuals, especially Male Impact. For instance I am a network technician and multimedia designer. Chris is a financial consultant. Tyler Haze is working towards his commercial pilot’s license and Rob Riece is a personal trainer.

Pique:

How do you deal with overzealous women and/or shy women?

CK:

We do get both ends of the extreme. You get those that arrive early, are fully revved up when you get onstage and out to have as much fun as they possibly can. Then you get the girls whose friends egg them on with tip dollars (Male Impact’s own money!). We joke with the crowd that we don’t like using loonies or toonies because some girls will put them in their drinks and chill them on the ice and that’s the last thing we need down our shorts. We’re not a disappearing act.

Pique:

How do you ensure you don't injure your "package" when doing some of those dance moves or when frenzied women just want to go for the grope?

CK:

In terms of dance moves, we just take the same precautions as when playing other sports – tuck it in. In terms of aggressive women, less than 1 per cent actually try to touch you there. Most of them are very respectful and just cheeky and flirty and want to feel our bums or muscles.

JL:

I’ve injured the package. It’s either that or my knee from too many "aerial assaults" I call them. Basically when I leave the ground I run that risk on the way down. Once you see the show you will see a few instances where that can definitely happen. And of course fire, that can be bad news if you’re not careful.

Pique:

Ever gone the Full Monty?

CK:

We prefer to just leave the act at our posing trunks, similar to what the body builders use. We find that much classier and then we can interact and dance more with the girls. If we’re nude, by law we can’t leave the stage.

JL:

No, I have never gone full Monty. Girls ask me if I find this job demoralizing and I seriously don't but if I ever had to go full Monty, I would not do it for any sum of money. You cannot be bought, I have too much pride.

Pique:

What advice do you have for men who might be interested in doing this type of job?

JL: It’s not an easy job. If you feel you can restrict the foods you eat, sometimes live with little sleep, maintain good build, learn vast amounts of choreography and really jam in the tightest of places, give it a shot. It’s not glamorous, a lot of work goes into the show. I sometimes spend eight-plus hours just vegged in front of the computer to add something new to our show, because we do not strive to be acceptable we will be the best.

Pique:

Best part of the job?

CK:

The travel. We’ve been all over western Canada. B.C.’s our favourite – it’s always a great time.

JL:

The production. As soon as we finish the theme to an act and it’s just yourself on stage. There’s a big explosion, then your back-up guy leaves so now the eyes are on you, working out the next move. It’s an adrenaline rush.

Pique:

Worst part of the job?

CK:

All the driving.

JL:

Injuring yourself and sucking it up no matter how bad it is and finishing. I recently broke a finger, we get sprained legs and some moves can completely knock the air out of you. But we always keep going until the end.

Pique:

Do you think you know what women want?

CK:

I know that women want to have fun, feel safe, respected and special, which is exactly how they will feel at a Male Impact show.

JL:

That’s like asking the meaning of life multiplied by 10. I probably know more then the next person because of how much I interact with different women but I’m still a long way off any full understanding. During the show we want the women to feel special because we put this on for them. It’s music we feel the women will like, as well as the themes we choose. The show is not for anyone else but the women watching and the girls will always get the golden treatment from us.

Tickets are $10, available in advance from The Boot. Doors open at 9 p.m. Get there early to avoid disappointment.