Seasoned strip club dancers will tell you first comes dancing, then it's on to the real money making.

Between lap dances, chatting with customers and nightly "tip walks," dancers can triple their income just with a smile and a shake. But if voters uphold the Mandan City Commission's ruling on conduct for adult cabaret dancers Tuesday, dancing might be the only option.

Ordinance 964 requires background information and licensing of adult entertainment businesses, cabaret managers and entertainers. Dancers are prohibited from "mingling" with the public for private dances or entertainment, eliminating lap dances or any direct contact between dancers and customers. Performance areas must be separated from the public by at least 6 feet and cordoned off with a 3-foot high rail. The cabaret also must have a sign stating entertainers are not permitted to engage in any type of sexual conduct or appear semi-nude or nude. They also can't accept tips or gratuities in advance of performing or receive tips directly from customers - they would be placed in a special receptacle.

Luke Berger, owner of Mandan's Silver Dollar, says there isn't a problem at his bar and he said he believes the city will affirm that. Mandan Mayor Ken LaMont said at a June 17 city commission meeting that he respects Berger, but he's supporting his board.

"What I think is irrelevant. It's part of the ordinance that was voted in," he said.

Clark County, Nev., also recently made its regulations on dancer conduct stricter. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported the rules, which took effect Sept. 1, 2002, as prohibiting contact between a female dancer's breasts and customer and customers placing bills in dancers' G-strings and requiring private dances to be visible, whether directly or through electronic monitoring equipment. Initial rules were stricter but were relaxed after a compromise with strip club attorneys.

The city of Las Vegas has its own rules, including requiring all communication - whether verbal, visual or physical - between customers and employees to take place in a visible area, and patrons are not allowed in private rooms with employees. In addition, no fondling or caressing is allowed between customers and employees.

Berger said he and the dancers at the Silver Dollar don't have a problem with background checks or licensing Ordinance 964 provides, even though it will require more paperwork. He said it's workable, although he said he thinks it will be more difficult to get dancers to come to the bar. But the rules barring lap dancing and requiring 6 feet between customers and dancers aren't OK with Berger.

"It's going to affect their livelihood all together. They're not going to be able to make any money, why come up here and work?" he said.

Berger said dancers make between $100 to $200 a night, although dancers the Tribune contacted reported making more than that on good nights. While they didn't want their names used because of possible repercussions from the public, dancers said prohibiting contact with customers would drastically cut into their income.

So far, Berger said, he's not giving visiting dancers a complete picture of what's going on, partly because he doesn't know himself. He and LaMont both said the city and clubs had planned on sitting down to fine-tune the ordinance. That didn't happen because the ordinance must appear on the referral ballot as it was passed. LaMont said he doesn't know what's next for the ordinance.

"(The city) changed so many things so many times," he said.

Tim Johnson was a bouncer at the Iron Winds before it was shut down. He said the going rate for a lap dance is $20, but some dancers can get up to $50.

"It all depends on the girl," he said.

Dan Ulmer, Mandan city commissioner, said the commission acknowledged problems dancers had with Ordinance 964 at meetings, but it's up to the community now.

"If you ask me what I think about it, I'll tell you after the election," he said. "It's their choice, not mine."

Ulmer said Berger is stating the general sense of the community when he says his bar isn't hurting anyone, but public policy has to affect all the businesses.

"We struggled with how to do this and not hurt the good guys, and that's the hard part - we have to treat everybody equal."

(Reach reporter Angie Buckley at 250-8255 or angiebuckley@ndonline.com.)