Portland Strip Club History Celebrated in “Cheers!” Documentary

Quirky City of Roses is the Strip Club Capital of the USA

Portland, OR is known for a lot of things. Portlandia the statue and Portlandia the television program. Coffee. More coffee. Craft beers. Homelessness. The Unipiper. Food carts. Legal weed. Spirited protests. Coffee. Liberals. Powell’s Books. Best of all, a highly tolerant First Amendment that makes it possible to have a legal Naked Bike Ride and enough fully nude dancers and strip clubs to become the unofficial Strip Club Capital of the USA.

An upcoming documentary aims to provide more than a peepshow peek into the history of the Portland strip club scene as told by some of the people who were and are there. For decades, the “City of Roses” has had more clubs per capita than any other metropolitan area, as well as a proud reputation for being progressive. Now, it is the focus of the upcoming feature-length movie, Cheers!, directed by PNW native Megan Ashley Alan.

The openly queer Alan’s first directorial effort, her goal with Cheers! is to find out why Portland has had so many clubs, what it’s like to own one (or more), to be a patron at one (or more), and to dance in one (or more). According to Willamette Week, while growing up in a Southwest Washington suburb, Alan had heard stories of Portland’s exotic dancer bars and gentlemen’s clubs. She had questions. With the help of executive producer, Ken J. Griggs, she has answered at least some of them thanks to the shooting of Cheers!, their documentary on the subject.

Thanks to interviews with people who literally have skin in the game, Alan learned that there was, and is, more to the Portland strip club scene than fully nude dancers bending over on a stage located inside of a quirky building with at least one liquor-stocked bar. Dancers, regulars, club owners, club managers, and industry experts tell their tales of life in and around the industry with unexpected candor.

Performers Vanna, Izhonny, Isaiah Esquire, Johnny Nuriel, and Elle Stanger, who is also a writer and sex worker activist, talk about the work environment and culture. What they have to say will surprise those who question how rewarding or creative a job as an exotic dancer can be. Those familiar with Portland and its copious strip clubs may recognize their favorite establishments’ interiors or parking lots, fellow patrons, dancers known for putting on a particularly unique show, and the management that supports and finances it all.

Cheers! will premiere in Portland at Cinema 21, located at 616 NW 21^st Avenue on Thursday, September 12. The documentary is not yet rated.