Recession-hit Wall Street high-flyers turning pole dancers, strippers

New York, Mar 29 (ANI): Women who got kicked out of their plush jobs are now showing off their moves as "gentlemen's club entertainers" at upscale jiggle joints in Manhattan.

These ladies, who earlier worked as stock agents, fashion executives and real-estate agents, are now pole dancing and stripping for as much as 1,500 dollars a night.

And other than big bucks, these girls love their new job because they like the flexible hours.Randi Newton, 28, who lives in Midtown, was a financial analyst at Morgan Stanley before the crash but was fired.

"A few nights after I got laid off, I went with friends to a strip club to get drunk and forget my unemploy ment troubles. The manager offered me a job as a dancer. I thought it was different. And fun," The New York Post quoted Newton as saying.

And now, Newton calls herself an "independent contractor," and pole dances at Rick's Cabaret in Murray Hill three or four nights a week and says she makes "160,000 dollars a year on tips alone."

"It was very odd seeing a strip club being better run than a major brokerage firm, not to mention I've never had problems with sexual harassment at Rick's," she said.

Peter Feinstein, owner of the Sapphire Club on East 60th Street, which opened in January, said: "I am receiving a lot of applications from women who recently lost their jobs -- in particular New York City real-estate agents."

Another girl-Becky, 24, who lives in the East Village, used to work as a pastry chef and has now become a "massage girl" at Rick's.

"I couldn't find anything after I got laid off because it's hard to land a chef job these days," said Becky.

Jiggle-joint owners have said that because of a surge in business they are hiring more "talent" than ever right now.

A rep for Flash Dancers said that it receives 40 applications a month to fill just five positions.

On the other hand Rick's president, Eric Langdan has said that 50 candidates a week vie for positions at their club.

"These places give men hope. Even in the worst of times, for us it's the breast of times," said Langdan. (ANI)