‘I went to a ladies’ night and I’m no prude – but I was shocked by what I saw’

Rather than watching Strictly at the weekend, Dawn was gyrated against by naked male dancers (Picture: Getty Images) Usually at home on a Saturday night with a cup of tea in front of Strictly Come Dancing, last month, Dawn* ended up being involved in a totally different kind of performance. The health visitor had been convinced by her sister to go to a local ‘Ladies’ Night’ and, despite being ”no prude’, Dawn says she was left gobsmacked by the experience. ‘I’m far from being prudish, but I’m not a huge drinker and I’d rather a quiet night out than a big one,’ she tells Metro. ‘My little sister Vix* is 38 and had been on at me for ages to come on a night out with her, so I finally agreed.’ But what the 44-year-old thought would be a fun night out at a theatre, soon turned into something else, as she was gyrated up against by several entirely naked male dancers. ‘Vix knows I’d have cancelled if I knew what it was,’ laughs Dawn. ‘So by the time we were on the way I was roped in. I’ve seen films like the Full Monty and heard about things like Magic Mike but I must admit I was shocked by what I saw. ‘Yes, there was dancing and acrobatics and stuff like that and I suppose a bit of me was expecting some full frontal nudity – but I certainly didn’t expect to have a penis rubbed against my back.’ Look beyond the headlines Get a curated list of the most important stories of the weekend every Sunday from our weekend editor Jess Austin. Look beyond the headlines with exclusive articles, emotive interviews and must-read explainers from our expert team of reporters across news, lifestyle and entertainment. Sign up here. Dawn is one of many women in the UK who attend ladies’ nights held across the country every weekend. Recently, one event made headlines for all the wrong reasons thanks to some X-rated antics. The night at Banbury FC last month brought the group into the headlines (Picture: John Woodward) According to onlookers, the Pleasure Boys night at Banbury FC last month, descended into a ‘Roman orgy’, with videos sweeping social media of a woman giving oral sex to one of the male dancers. John Woodward is the manager of the group who performed that night and was in attendance himself when the incident took place. Ask Metro Use AI to go deeper into the stories you care about – powered by Metro and trusted publications. Speaking to Metro, he says: ‘It was a split second that’s cost a huge amount. ‘They’ve made out that the whole show was some big sex-and-orgy type thing. It was a three-hour show, with all sorts of choreographed routines, acrobats and fire-breathers. The whole thing has been boiled down to one final routine that lasts about three minutes.’ John, who was a dancer himself for over a decade, explains that the menoften can’t feel their penis when they’re performing. John Woodward says ‘The whole thing has been boiled down to one final routine that lasts about three minutes’ (Pictures: Supplied) ‘We go through a procedure that keeps blood flow in the penis before we start,’ he says. ‘It’s called tying and it actually gets to the point when you’re performing that the penis feels numb. ‘The dancer in question was tapping the top of the woman’s head with his penis and she put it into her mouth. He’s been removed from the troop while we investigate what happens – but at the end of the day, this is something that does happen from time to time. ‘Ladies get excited – it’s nothing new; it’s been happening for years,’ John adds. ‘The only difference here is that people were filming, and they decided to clip it down to a certain bit. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video ‘Our guys are close-to-the-knuckle performers. They jump into the crowd, they perform naked, they jump on tables and things like that. Sometimes women get a little excited and get hold of certain parts of the anatomy. ‘Theygrab it and sing into it like a microphone to whatever track is playing. Other people want to slap it. Some try to put fingers up bums. ‘There’s no right in this. It is what it is.’ While Dawn did her best to stay as far away from the action as she could, she was still shocked by what she witnessed. ‘Some of the women I was with thought nothing of grabbing onto the dancer’s penis when they were in the crowd,’ she recalls. ‘These are respectable women I know, who hold down full time jobs and families, but after a few proseccos and some peer pressure they totally changed.’ ‘It’s supposed to be a little raunchy, but not sexual’ (Picture: Supplied) John adds that calling out the behaviour or stopping the performance entirely wasn’t an option on the night, but since the videos of their Banbury FC night went viral, the Pleasure Boys have lost several bookings. ‘The guy it happened to can’t just pull away and run off; they have to style it out,’ he insists. ‘They’re showmen and performers. The dancer in question stroked her under the chin as he pulled away, but it was part of the performance. ‘Yes, he went off-script a little bit. He wasn’t paying attention, or, for whatever reason, he let it happen. I don’t know exactly why. ‘I took him out of the show as soon as it happened, so it was clear we were doing something. We wanted to make sure it wasn’t something he’d done before or was going to continue doing.’ While the performance Dawn saw might not have been her ideal night out,John says these events are usually a harmless place for women to let loose and have a good time. ‘There’s a line that gets dangerously close to being crossed’, says Dawn (Picture: Getty Images) ‘Overall, it’s a fun night. It’s supposed to be a little raunchy but not sexual. We create excitement by dancing around, jumping on tables,’ he says. ‘People want to hold the dancer’s penises for photos. It’s a bit like going to see a parrot and having a photo with it on your shoulder. “Some of these women aren’t even drunk. A lot of them are, but a lot aren’t. They just get caught up in it. ‘There might be a group of eight or ten of them, all egging each other on. They’re excited, and someone says, “Go on, you grab it”. ‘ While Dawn says she escaped unscathed from her raunchy evening, it’s not something she’s keen to do again. John is the manager of the group and has been performing for years (Picture: Supplied) ‘I get it’s fun and a laugh for lots of women but it’s not for me. There’s a lot of sexual frustration in women – my friendship group often talk about being unsatisfied – so I can see why these nights appeal,’ she explains. ‘But there’s a line that gets dangerously close to being crossed and it’s not something that makes me feel comfortable.’ With John’s investigation into what happened that night at Banbury FC still ongoing, he says such events are unfortunate but can happen in the heat and pace of the act. ‘Honestly, people could easily judge and say, “Oh, we shouldn’t have done it,”, but you’ve got to be there. You need to see how fast the guys are moving to realise how hard it actually is.’ Arrow MORE: I flew back to Greece for a fit waiter I’d met once Arrow MORE: Grandma had dementia – but she never forgot my pronouns Arrow MORE: I couldn’t stop drinking – but I’m not an alcoholic The Sunday Edit Look beyond the headlines with exclusive articles, emotive interviews and must-read explainers from our expert team of reporters across news, lifestyle and entertainment.