Protecting your identity as a dancer

Two names, two lives

Most dancers run on a stage name from day one, and the point is not glamour. It is a wall between the person on stage and the person who signs a lease, picks up kids or works a Tuesday office job. The wall only holds if you build it everywhere, not just in the club.

Decide early what belongs on which side. Your stage name, your work photos, your schedule and your tip links sit on one side. Your legal name, your home address, your car, your family and your day job sit on the other. Anything that crosses over becomes a bridge someone can walk across.

Things that leak more often than people expect:

• Your car. Regulars learn plates and models fast. Park where security can see, or get dropped off, and never let a customer walk you to it.
• Your phone. A personal number handed out once is out forever. Use a second number or a work-only app for anything club-related.
• Payment apps. Some show your legal name or a profile photo to the sender. Check what a stranger sees before you share a handle, and set up a work-only account if you can.
• Mail and deliveries. Never let a customer send anything to where you live.
• Friends and coworkers. A casual "her real name is" from a drunk coworker undoes months of care. Decide who knows, and tell them it matters.

Paperwork and licences

Many clubs and cities require ID, a licence or a permit before you dance, and that paperwork carries your legal name. That is normal and usually unavoidable. What you can control is where copies end up. Ask who sees the file, whether it is locked away, and do not hand your ID to a DJ or a bartender to "run to the office." Rules differ by state, county and club, so check the current rules where you work.

If you are an independent contractor, you will usually be paid under your legal name for tax purposes, and the two names will meet on paper. That is fine. The paper lives in a drawer at home, not on a phone you hand around.

Online

Search your stage name and your legal name together, and run your photos through a reverse image search. Do it every few months. Keep location tags off your posts, strip metadata from photos before uploading, and never post from home with recognisable windows, street signs or mail in frame.

On VestaModels your profile shows your stage name, the city you choose and the links you choose. Nothing else is required, and the public cannot message you through it. Keep your legal name out of your bio, your handle and your link slugs on every platform, and the wall stays standing.