Tucked away between the Hilton Theater and the Sports Book at the Las Vegas Hilton is the Tempo Lounge. Reminiscent of the 80’s with its tubular Plexiglas go-go-girl stations that are suspended over certain tables, it’s only natural this intimate venue features Moore and Gendal on Tuesday nights and weekends. The pop-and-rock duo keeps the audience on their feet. Llyda Moore and Mark Gendal interact with their fans and create an atmosphere that feels more like a private party than a casino lounge act.
A familiar figure on Ladies Night, Tuesdays, and on the weekends, is *Don Sueño. The attractive, trim and mature gentleman looks like any dapper entrepreneur, until–perhaps on a silent cue–Moore and Gendal break out a Michael Jackson or Prince standard. The dance floor clears. The low-key regular springs into a crowd-pleasing dance routine that leaves men green with envy and women calling for more.
Born into a military family in Palm Springs, young Sueño travelled the world with his parents, until fate and a natural ability to dance led him in the mid-eighties to become a male stripper at a nightclub in El Paso, Texas.
“I was twenty-five, recently divorced, and working as a bouncer in a strip club,” says Sueño, who has a third-degree black belt. “One night the girls insisted I go with them after hours to a certain club. There was a dance contest and the grand prize was a thousand dollar.”
The girls, who’d been witness to Sueño’s natural dance ability, assured him there was no doubt he would walk away with the grand prize. The only drawback was that he had to strip down to a “t-back”; the equivalent of a g-string (but enhanced, no doubt). Sueño’s love of dancing (and no shame about baring his butt) set a new and very lucrative career into motion.
“There I was boogying on stage with my stripper-girl fan club to the right. And, there to the left was my ex-wife in total shock. Her girlfriends were going wild.” Sueño won the contest and became a regular stripper at the club. He immediately began earning three grand a week–cash. An unexpected perk, aside from the generous tips, was “lots and lots and lots of sex.” He laughs. “I wasn’t a prostitute or a gigolo. I didn’t charge any of the women.”
Sueño’s career expanded when a customer at the club insisted he contact her friend who owned a strip-o-gram company that he wanted to sell. Sueño was reluctant to give up his night job, but he did. He took over the company and within three years he was grossing $400,000.00 annually. He drew the attention of another entrepreneur and literally cashed the business out for a million dollars.
Sueño followed more mundane career choices later on. He lives in Las Vegas now, and, ironically, has left his stripping days behind. “I’ve looked into it here. All the dancers strip down to the nude. It’s a personal choice to me not to do that.” He adds that male strippers have become the equivalent of gigolo’s and prostitutes.
“When I was doing the strip-o-grams, I would have bridesmaids ask if I would come back on behalf of the bride.” At first, Sueño couldn’t wrap his mind around it. “These women were already engaged.” However, it became so common that at last, he relented.
“Were you thinking a bride shouldn’t be left with regret?” I ask. “That she should have a last hurrah?”
“I never took any money,” is all s Sueño says.
“Were there any personal relationships that sprang from the many sexual encounters that went along with your profession?” I pursue the subject.
“None.”
Sueño is single these days. He goes out to dance several nights a week at the Tempo Lounge. He insists he is not and never has been a gigolo or a prostitute. Even today, his dance moves draw the attention of scores of women. “I have lots of phone numbers from women across the nation asking me to keep in touch.”
Historically, a common story among female strippers is, “I only do this so I can feed my kids!” (Think Demi Moore in “Striptease”). Sueño claims he was a stripper because he loves to dance, he loved the money, and he certainly appreciated the mega-sex. There is sincerity in his voice and no trace of apology.
In the age where a female adult porn star can become a bestselling author, (“Jenna Jameson’s Memoir, How to Make Love Like a Porn Star: A Cautionary Tale, Debuts at No. 9 on The New York Times Best Seller List.”) I wonder if the still sexy Don Sueño regrets indulging his passion but maintaining his personal integrity.
Guess I’ll have to hit the Las Vegas Hilton on a Tuesday night to find out.
* The dancer has asked this writer to use a pseudonym for personal reasons.
