MONEYGAME, created by American photographer Elizabeth Waterman between 2016 and 2020 in strip clubs across the United States, documents dancers as workers, performers, athletes, and self-directed participants in a complex nightlife economy.
Developed through repeated visits to clubs in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, Las Vegas, and other locations, the project explores stripping as both performance and work: dancers rehearse demanding movements, cultivate clients, manage personal brands, and use their earnings to pursue goals such as paying tuition, supporting families, purchasing homes, or starting businesses. This emphasis counters representations that frame sex workers exclusively through victimhood or spectacle.
The photographs move between energetic stage scenes and quieter intervals backstage or at home. Waterman records bodies suspended from poles, illuminated by neon, strobes, and colored club lighting, alongside images of dancers applying makeup, adjusting costumes, taking breaks, and counting money. Color photographs retain the saturated atmosphere of the clubs, while black-and-white images often isolate gestures and expressions from the surrounding visual noise. Close framing and shallow focus direct attention toward individual performers rather than presenting them as anonymous bodies, producing a mood that alternates between theatrical intensity and private reflection.
Waterman worked primarily with 35mm film. She adapted her approach to the pace and conditions of the clubs, learning to anticipate movement, work within shifting light, and respond quickly to unfolding moments. By returning regularly, assisting dancers, and spending time in dressing rooms, Waterman gradually built the trust required to photograph spaces where cameras are often restricted. As relationships developed, observation sometimes became collaboration, with dancers choosing how to pose or perform for the camera.
The series received a Gold Prize in the documentary category at the 2018 Prix de la Photographie, Paris, and later formed the basis of Waterman's 2021 photobook MONEYGAME. Photographs from the project have appeared in exhibitions in Paris, London, Boston, Los Angeles, and New York, and in publications including the British Journal of Photography and the Los Angeles Times.
