Lana Hoffman

What my show actually looks like

I grew up on hip-hop, and my striptease is real choreography with an erotic layer on top rather than the other way round. It sounds like a small distinction and it shows immediately: my steps were learned rather than invented on the spot.

I do technical twerk — muscle isolation controlled across four different speeds. That is what separates what I do from what people see in clips, and anyone who knows movement sees it within three seconds.

My club line is high energy and works with the room. I turn, I look, I respond to whoever responds. It is a show people talk about afterwards rather than one they watch in silence.

Who I suit

A stag night for a young group. That is home, and the more noise the better I work.

Loft parties, urban evenings, a birthday for someone in their twenties. A young company event too — in the clean version it reads as a dance performance you can show anyone.

Where I fit less: a quiet evening for two or a room looking for slow tension. There I am surplus, and I will say so in advance.

Where it works

Three metres and a hard floor. Lofts, large living rooms, rooftops. I do not need a high ceiling or special equipment, which makes me one of the easiest bookings.

I work across Florentin, Jaffa and the metro area, plus cabins and rooftops.

What I do not do

I do not work on carpet. Isolation needs grip on the floor, and on thick carpet half the movement simply does not happen.

No touching unless I invite it, which matters more with me — a high energy show confuses people and sometimes makes them think everything is open. I decide when and with whom there is interaction.

No filming. The show ends when it ends, with no afterwards.

How I got into this

Dance from eleven, mostly in street crews. Two years in a group that performed at festivals, and at twenty I understood it does not pay and that I did not want to teach children.

I came to private work through a friend already doing it. At first I was certain I would have to drop the choreography and do something generic, and very quickly found the opposite: it is exactly what sets me apart.

I am twenty four, four of those years performing. I still train three times a week, because isolation disappears fast without work.

What I bring and what I need from you

Two outfits, shoes and the music — hip-hop, trap, R&B. I bring my own playlist and you can request tracks in advance.

From you: three metres, a hard floor and a decent speaker. The speaker matters with me, because all the movement is built on the beat.

And light. Not darkness — hip-hop reads well when you can see the precision, and in the dark everything blurs together.

Mistakes people make when they book me

A carpeted living room. The most common, and if you tell me in advance I will build a show that does not need the floor.

A weak speaker. Without a proper beat the whole choreography falls apart.

Turning off all the lights. Unnecessary with me. In the dark you cannot see the precision, and that is the entire point.

Thinking I am a dance class. I pull someone in briefly and that is part of the show. I do not come to dance with the whole room.

What I ask before I confirm

Floor or carpet. My first question, because half the programme depends on it.

What speaker there is. The second, and it matters more with me than with most.

How many of you and how old. I work best with a young group and less well with an audience that came to watch quietly.

Whether you want interaction. Some rooms prefer to watch and I adapt accordingly.

What happens between booking and the door

After we agree you get the hour, a request about the floor and speaker, and that is it. I am one of the least demanding in the gallery.

On the day I message when I leave, usually twenty minutes ahead. I arrive dressed normally with a small bag.

I change in two minutes and start. At the end I dress, take the payment and go — I do not stay for the evening, and that is true for all of us.

What is included and what is not

In the price: the show, the costume you picked, the music and travel within the metro area. No costume surcharge and no service charge.

Not included: a speaker, lighting and a floor. If there is no speaker, hiring one is cheap and changes more than anything else you could do to prepare.

What technical twerk actually means

I get asked about this a lot, usually in a tone of “is it not just…”.

No. The basis is isolation — the ability to move one muscle group while the rest of the body stays still. Without it you get a whole-pelvis movement, which looks crude and unimpressive. With it you get control, and you can work four different speeds over the same beat: very slow, on the beat, double, and a sharp cut.

Most of the effort is actually in the core and thighs rather than in what you see. That is why I train three times a week rather than assuming it will stay.

It is also why I ask about the floor: isolation needs stable grip. On thick carpet the feet sink slightly, the grip disappears, and instead of control you get a smeared movement.

When somebody else suits you better

If the evening is quiet, intimate or premium, not me. I would suggest Michal Rosen for a slow tempo, Shira Leon for the elegant line, or Tamar Gold for something close.

And if you liked the idea of real dance but want a different style, Yonit Dror in latin and Tala Dorian in eastern work come from the same place.

Booking me

Name, hour, address, how many guests, and floor or carpet.

Standard price, no deposit. The whole gallery is here. If you are unsure about the floor, send a photograph of the room — I answer within a minute and arrive prepared rather than improvising on the spot.