Editing Lap dance (section)

{{Short description|Type of erotic dance}}
{{About||the song|Lapdance (song)|the film|Lap Dance (film){{!}}''Lap Dance'' (film)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2015}}
[[File:Lapdance demonstration.jpg|thumb|Lap or couch contact dance [[Demonstration (teaching)|demonstration]] at the 2008 [[AVN Adult Entertainment Expo]]]]

A '''lap dance''' (or '''contact dance''') is a type of [[erotic dance]] performance offered in many [[strip club]]s in which the dancer typically has body contact with a seated patron. Lap dancing is different from [[table dance|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 recipient is seated on a [[couch]].

With full-contact lap dances, the dancer may engage in [[non-penetrative sex]]ual contact with the patron, such as "[[Grinding (dance)|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.

In some places, a "block session" of lap dances (usually half an hour to an hour) can be booked in a "[[champagne room]]" or "VIP room", which is a private room usually located in the back of a club. In many clubs, the duration of a lap dance is measured by the length of the song being played by the club's [[DJ]]. Charges for lap dances vary significantly.