This forum is an echo chamber for varied tastes, but one thing many of us seem to agree on is that some performers have “got it”, but some haven’t. A few performers have sold enough cards to get an immediate Take2. Many beautiful girls don’t sell enough, in spite of rave reviews and appearing to do all the right things. We all claim to want different things (big breasts, small breasts, real breasts, bare feet, xxx, tat-free, redheads, the list goes on), but then an awful lot of us instantly buy all Belka’s cards. And Nici, Avery and Sasha, and in the past Melisa, Valeria, Gloria, Hilary, Lucy – all instant Take2s. Our personal peccadilloes sell cards to individuals, but not in Take2 quantities.

So what is it that makes an instantly successful card series? It’s not physical beauty that we are all drawn to, either face or body – there are plenty of examples of beautiful performers without a Take2. It’s not necessarily the good dancers, the pornstars or the pro strippers. Whatever it is, if we could bottle it and send it to Totem, we’d enjoy more good shows and they’d make more money.

Well we can’t bottle it and Totem don’t know, when they book a performer, how she’ll turn out. I don’t think they always know when she’s done a few shows. They just publish and hope for the best. But I suspect there are common characteristics in hit cards. Here’s my list for starters. Maybe the directors can coach the girls to be greater.

1. Engagement with the viewer, eye contact, camera engagement. The hit shows all create a link between the performer and viewer and it’s the eyes that do it.

2. Expressiveness, humour, playfulness, characterisation and play-acting. Maybe get the girls to define a theme and then act it out, rather than deadpan the strip. Maybe plan “surprises”, such as costume incidents, and tutor the girls to react and involve the viewer.

3. Variety, either in dance or mood. Sometimes driven by the costume, but the performer really needs to buy into it and have a list of things to do in her head when she starts. Different for each show, if poss.

4. A sense that they are enjoying what they do. Confidence and willingness to be explicit, even if they’re playing shy (really being shy never seems to earn a Take2).

Is this list correct and in a sensible order? What have I forgotten? Or is the ability to project personality, while stripping, innate and untrainable in the limited time available to the Totem directors? Or is it about something other than performance? This isn’t the thread for demanding more nun costumes or stuff specific to you, but what do you think makes certain card series winners?

Nicely said @pantalone.

The interaction between the girl and the viewer, the interplay is a vital part of a good show. Certain girls like Camilla Wallace and Agatha Vega (to name just two) possess that magical quality to make you actually watch the face even when everything else is on show.

Variety also is crucial. I do not want to see a girl do six shows in lingerie with the same hairstyle and the same moves in all of them - by the time I've seen two I've seen it all. Again, to use Camille as an example, three shows to date with every one in a different outfit, different hairstyle and different routine (she only started using the pole in the third show and she did not make a bad job of it).

But I do also wonder how much may be down to the director - because does the performance of the girl reflect the coaching and the ideas of the director? How many times have we seen a show where the girl removes her clothes in the same sequence every time? How many shows where the girls wear dresses or skirts but you get no upskirts? How many where a blouse gets pulled off over the head instead of being unbuttoned? If the girl is a porn star or a model, she may not be aware of how to strip seductively - but the director who does the job day-in-day-out should know and should guide.

Thanks @pantalone for setting off this thread.

@pantalone

I think you've nailed to. It's a perfromance and the more of herself the model puts into it, the better.

For me explicitness isn't so important, but I'm sure it matters to many customers.

Suggestions are always not a bad Idea but, (it's only my humble opinion) to answer the Question
what makes a great Performance "could be" impossible.
That Remembers me on > What makes a good lesbian card...?

https://www.istripper.com/forum/thread/44493/1

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I mean Dudes with Dicks (and at least one Girl) talking about Lesbians ...
But i see only one Girl in this Topic, shouldn't there be more Girls talking about Lesbian Love?
No ***** meant, not trying to insult anybody.

Or another Example > Alya Stark & Veronica Leal duo pole show?

https://www.istripper.com/forum/thread/44943/1

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And i was fixed myself from that Video, provided by yoursef @pantalone and for sure i Love that.
And i would Love to see more Shows from that in the Future.

But at the Moment iStripper has 15959 registered Members (some of them are Ghost Accounts for sure),
and every Single User has different Wishes and Needs.

And also we don't have to forget the new Generation of Users who will come for sure to the
iStripper Universe in the Future, and they also have different Wishes and Needs.

I think Totem is on a good Course for now, and i think also they hear us.

https://www.istripper.com/forum/thread/44931/1?post=667195

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And also we all know how to Freak out when we see a gorgeous Girl.

https://www.istripper.com/forum/thread/45000/1

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But we didn't see any Performance from her yet ...

So at the End it could be difficult to answer that Question What makes a great Performance.
And hopefully my Post was not insulting or to harsh maybe. That shouldn't be the case.

@Stanston

Your post is far from harsh and I take your point that it could be impossible to rate performance.

While everybody has different wishes and criteria for judging whether or not to buy a card, there are a few performers who appeal to a disproportionately large audience. Those performers clearly sell a lot more cards to get a Take2 and I wanted to get some views on why that is.

Lesbian shows aren't to everyone's taste and I can't think of any that have sold enough to qualify for a Take2. I tend to put those shows in the "special taste" bracket, along with the never-to-be-seen nun costumes, the schoolgirls, the cosplay and the nurses. No ***** in that, it's part of the variety Totem offers, but it doesn't necessarily mean a performer hits the mark every time (or 2 performers).

Still photos of a pretty girl cause ripples of excitement in the normally placid (!) population of users and, yeah, we freak and sales of her first card will be high. But sales of subsequent shows, and any Take2, will, I suspect, depend on whether the first show was any good. We've been here before and beautiful girls have bombed.

And I question whether Totem is on a good course. The games and SECs are apparently generating revenue, but they are liable to take management attention away from the central reason we're all customers - the pretty girls performing naked. If they take their eyes off that ball, the whole product will go down the pan.

Oh no I've started mixing metaphors again. More wine needed....

@pantalone

Your post is far from harsh

Puuhhh ... got Luck :)

and I take your point that it could be impossible to rate performance.

Not Impossible but Difficult 😉

While everybody has different wishes and criteria for judging whether or not to buy a card,
there are a few performers who appeal to a disproportionately large audience.
Those performers clearly sell a lot more cards to get a Take2 and I wanted to get some views on why that is.

Sure, because these few performers you mentioned got someone special Attention.
Like in my case Merry Pie, Viola, Gloria, Tina, Agatha Vega, Li Moon and so on, so on, so on ...

But at the end, that is not important, we are her to have Fun with the Girls.
And there are many many Shows where the Girls definitely have Fun to Tease us.
So i think everything is Fine :)

Lesbian shows aren't to everyone's taste and I can't think of any that have sold enough to qualify for a Take2.

That is a good Example, i have Lesbian Content for example from

girlsoutwest.com
wowgirls.com
uralesbian.com

and in my Opinion you can't compare these Movieclips with the Shows on iStripper.
Because it's a complete different Setting, the hard Stageground for Example.
But it would be sad, when there are no more Lesbian Shows on iStripper in the Future.
So this should be a keeper, for some Future Cards/Girls.

And I question whether Totem is on a good course.

We as a Customer doesn't need to ask those Questions, we can only see it on the Development
in the Future for iStripper. And we can make/have anytime influence for that.
And for myself i Like/Love the Product 👍

The games and SECs are apparently generating revenue,
but they are liable to take management attention away from the central reason we're
all customers - the pretty girls performing naked.

I think that's the wrong Topic for this annoying "SEC Discussion" 😉

If they take their eyes off that ball, the whole product will go down the pan.

Time, Opinions, Wishes and Needs will always Change, it's an unstoppable process.
I think that isn't really something new to us.

So what i will say, Lean back, Relax, enjoy your Shows brought you trough iStripper,
and let the Team do their Work. They know what to do, but they can't know every single
Wish and Need of every single User and from those who become one in the Future.

You can make always Suggestions, nothing wrong about that but at the End Totem
has to make Decisions, and not we self as the Customers of iStripper.
The only thing we Customers can make, take influence for the Decisions of Totem.
But at the End they have and they will always Decide, it is her own Company.

And the last Promotion for Example showed exactly that Totem isn't ignoring us.

So you see by yourself there is always the possibility that one or the other Suggestion,
heard from Totem, gets in a practical use from them.

And as long as we Customers and Totem came to a respectable Discussion,
and not these "whining and *****" thing, we will all benefit from it.

1. Engagement with the viewer, eye contact, camera engagement. The hit shows all create a link between the performer and viewer and it’s the eyes that do it.

2. Expressiveness, humour, playfulness, characterisation and play-acting. Maybe get the girls to define a theme and then act it out, rather than deadpan the strip. Maybe plan “surprises”, such as costume incidents, and tutor the girls to react and involve the viewer.

3. Variety, either in dance or mood. Sometimes driven by the costume, but the performer really needs to buy into it and have a list of things to do in her head when she starts. Different for each show, if poss.

4. A sense that they are enjoying what they do. Confidence and willingness to be explicit, even if they’re playing shy (really being shy never seems to earn a Take2).

I like your list. Anything else I might add would be second-tier--things that would turn a 4-star into a 5-star performance. Things like dancing and pole skills. The ability to fake an orgasm convincingly if they're not having a real one. Even beauty is second tier--the highest rating I'll give a performer based on looks is three stars, i.e., barely enough to keep me from deleting the card. OTOH, I've given 4 and 5 stars to performers that I'm not particularly attracted to.

The things you list are exactly the sorts of things I come back to time and again when I'm rating and reviewing cards. A given performer can do a lot to make up for a lack of skill. I've seen performances where it's obvious the performer doesn't know what the ***** they're but they've decided to just say ***** it and have fun. Think Carolina Abril or Jia Lissa. They wouldn't win any contests on technical ability, but damn, those shows are fun to watch! What makes them so? Engagement, expressiveness, a sense they are enjoying what they do.

I think a perfect show, or one as close to perfect as it gets, combines technical ability with the factors you list--most especially the performer having a goal of what they wish to accomplish with the show and using that goal to focuss what they do. Think Sasha Meow. She knows what she wants to do and every movement, every nuance in her expression, the make up, the costume are all calculated to achieve what she wants. Skill and creativity come together and OMG does that work!

1. We are here to watch the female form.
2. The girls must have a stunning female form.
3. The best shows involve the girl showing that form in as many ways as possible that is why we obsess over---
Tease
Twerk
Open leg
Splits
Flexibility
Pole Dance skills
Smiles
Real Dance
Touching
Table routine

The girls who put this into every show are generally the highest rated in 2020. And that is why shows from nudity only are so frustrating and are low rated despite the beauty of the performer.

@pantalone said(paraphrased by me);

...Maybe the directors can coach the girls to be greater...

1. Engagement with the viewer, eye contact, camera engagement. The hit shows all create a link between the performer and viewer and it’s the eyes that do it.

2. Expressiveness, humour, playfulness, characterisation and play-acting. Maybe get the girls to define a theme and then act it out, rather than deadpan the strip. Maybe plan “surprises”, such as costume incidents, and tutor the girls to react and involve the viewer.

3. Variety, either in dance or mood. Sometimes driven by the costume, but the performer really needs to buy into it and have a list of things to do in her head when she starts. Different for each show, if poss.

4. A sense that they are enjoying what they do. Confidence and willingness to be explicit, even if they’re playing shy (really being shy never seems to earn a Take2).

Is this list correct and in a sensible order? What have I forgotten? Or is the ability to project personality, while stripping, innate and untrainable in the limited time available to the Totem directors? Or is it about something other than performance? This isn’t the thread for demanding more nun costumes or stuff specific to you, but what do you think makes certain card series winners?

You made some solid points! I agree wholeheartedly on your list 1-4. I think it comes down to all around performance & AVAILABILITY of the model for a Take 2..
I personally go with someone I'm attracted to & doesn't have fake; boobs, lips, etc.. The show only gets better for me if she has confidence and can actually dance, let alone have actual pole dancing skills. Confidence & variety go a long ways! (I do enjoy some of the more ameture and awkward shows though!)
✌💚😎

@orclover said;

1. We are here to watch the female form.
2. The girls must have a stunning female form.
3. The best shows involve the girl showing that form in as many ways as possible that is why we obsess over---
Tease
Twerk
Open leg
Splits
Flexibility
Pole Dance skills
Smiles
Real Dance
Touching
Table routine

The girls who put this into every show are generally the highest rated in 2020. And that is why shows from nudity only are so frustrating and are low rated despite the beauty of the performer.

That was well said! So very true!✌💜😎

@pantalone thanks for setting up this thread, i think it's a succinct way to give constructive feedback on the subject to Totem.

My two cents on the subject:

1 - Contact with the viewer

• Like mentioned previously, eye contact is a must to make the viewer feel that connection
• Genuine smiles and laughter also help, nobody wants to see a lady paid to do something she doesn't want to do.
• Authentic sounds - when a performer orgasms (legitimately or fake), as long as it comes across as authentic then the viewer will almost certainly always have a good time.
• Sounds part 2 - when orgasming, we all know a lady does not climax at the drop of a hat, a bit of work needs to be done and if it feels too rushed, the viewer will notice and it can mar the experience.

2 - Costumes

• I'm guilty of this, but sometimes I simply don't choose a girl based off of the costume she wears - my biggest gripe are those weird kitten heel things, the ones that dont hold the back of the foot like slippers do, and the ones with the little puff ball over the toes - for some reason it's a major turn off.
• Some costumes are so vibrant that they stay in your mind (thinking of melissa in the banana yellow corset) and it matched her summery smile and her happy movements that it worked and brings me a smile to watch.
• Some costumes just don't add to the performance, or the performance doesn't utilise the costume - as said, if you have a miniskirt, show some upskirt, or use it to tease. Long dresses can sway and when used with the motion (of the ocean) of the performer can be hypnotic to watch.
• Sometimes the costumes don't make it into the XXX portions of the show. Eva Elfie kept the costume till the end of the XXX show and it was awesome, sometimes the outfit magically disappears - my advice is to split it, one XXX show with and one XXX show without, to give the viewers some choice in the matter.
• Now this is not to say that Totem should abandon costumes which haven't worked, or indeed to try new ones - i feel change is required to keep us entertained and ensure things are fresh, so we unfortunately need some duds to remind us how good we otherwise have it.

3 - Format

• as @pickle1 will attest as he's seen my comments in the mobile forum, some shows are remarkably improved by vitrue of the mobile platform - Kristina - subtle reminder - is incredible on phone, the swing set just works in my opinion, all zoomed in and in high def. I never would have purchased her set otherwise.
• Fullscreen also has some ramefications, with some of the wonderful scenes the community has created, i have fallen in love with some of the models who otherwise were 'meh' in my books. Nancy A is gorgeous, my most favourite porn performer, but on here her shows are not too exciting (i still buy them, i'm in love). Now in fullscreen mode she gets given a setting and zoomed in, some context gets afforded and she looks a bit more focused on me.

4 - Sound

• why is it that sound really only gets afforded to XXX shows? i can have a number of cards where i only hear the lady speak in the opening set and the final three xxx sets
• it creates that immersion, hearing the footsteps, clothes being thrown, vibrators vibratin', laughs and giggles as she messes up
• Conversely some of the english from the ladies is so bad that it too can be a turn off, but sometimes with her voice it can be a turn on - the duality of porn...
• Melena is hot as chips! but the way she says daddy (deehhhhdeeeeee) just makes my skin crawl - yet i persevere because her orgasms are just on another level

5 - Access

• I am a different case to some of you who frequent the forums, i don't have enough cash to buy every single girl so naturally i'm a bit more choosy and guarded in my purchases, this could explain why some of the more established performers do better than others, but also why Take2's don't always take. We get the first lot of the model but actually regret the choice, however totem thinks we did like it and gets her again.
• Also the previews in my opinion don't always show the bits i need of the show in order for me to purchase, it's like the opposite of a movie trailer, it has none of the best bits. (that sounds harsher than i meant it to, apologies)
• conversely sometimes seeing the preview sells me on an outfit - so swings and roundabouts...

I think that's enough for now.

TL:DR -
Models should be engaging
Models should smile and have genuine fun
Costumes need to be used if they are chosen
Not everyone can buy every card as they are released.

These are all good lists. But every performer has different strengths and the key is for the director to play to each one's particular talents. Some are very good dancers, so that should be highlighted. Others are experts at the tease--just enough to drive us crazy without rushing to the nudity, but not too much so we lose interest.

Sometimes, Take Two is better left to the imagination. Some models have an outstanding first session, then come back a few years later looking like those years had not been kind to them. They are still beautiful, but the light has gone out of their eyes. They make me want to hug them and comfort them, but they don't make me want them. I will not name any models because I don't want to be mean.

No card has achieved 5-star status since I began the new scoring system I came up with this year. It has seven elements, graded on a score of 1 - 5 each. The average of the factors is the card score. Each factor is, of course, highly subjective, and they overlap and affect each other. A model with a great personality can bump up her attractiveness score a step, for example.

Attractiveness: I assess the model's appearance on the whole; I don't break it down to face/boobs/butt/legs/hair, etc. I tend to prefer petite women, but a thick model with huge knockers will still score high if she has a beautiful face. As I stated above, a great personality can make a model appear more attractive than she otherwise would. A 2 score in this category is rare. I can't imagine ever giving a 1 here. I'm not mean enough for that, and I don't think iStripper has any 1-grade models. If they did, I certainly wouldn't buy the card, and I only review cards that I have bought.

Personality: Lots of smiles and eye contact are sure to score well here, but there are other ways to score high, too. Feigned bashfulness works, and I love when a model loses her balance, recovers, and then laughs. Anything that lets me see the "real" her, or makes me believe that I'm seeing the "real" her, is going to score high. Belka and Melena Maria Rya have 5-star personalities. Both are very beautiful, but neither is among the most beautiful that iStripper has to offer, in my opinion. But they are sexy and they know it. And they let you know they know it. I'll buy any card from them.

Performance - stage: This includes anything that isn't a table clip. Standing, pole, swing, etc. Pro dance moves and great pole work obviously are helpful here. Graceful movements and exaggerated but fluid leg swings appeal to me. Stiff, wooden, and uninspired dance moves are a turnoff. But this is also where the art of the tease comes in. If the model can't dance, but knows how to make me want to see more--and if the director focuses on that talent--she can still score well in this category. Also, sometimes, personality can affect how I feel about a performance. For example, Silvie Deluxe has a card where her dance movements are a bit awkward, but it somehow seems charming with the personality that she is showing.

Performance - table: Same as above, but for table scenes. The great dancers have an advantage on the stage, while the great teasers have the advantage on the table.

Eroticism: Basically, how sexy is the show? This can affect the scores of the other categories, as well. An XXX show with toys, insertions, and/or lesbian play will usually score a 5, but not always, if it's not convincing. And a very sexy model can score a 5 without doing any of those things. Generous open views, touching, and enchanting hip movements work well here. If I can imagine myself being the pole, that will lead to a high score. A 4 in this category means the card makes me want to grab a tissue. A 5 means the card makes me NEED to grab a tissue! 😄

Outfit: Sheer stockings or fishnets will always score well. A revealing outfit that hides just enough to keep my eyes glued to the model, hoping to catch a slip, will score well, too. (Vicki's swimsuit in "White Spider" comes to mind). Costumes aren't usually my thing. I don't mind them, both they usually won't score a 5. More see-thru outfits would be nice.

Shoes off: I like feet--especially in stockings. The shoes don't have to be off in every clip to score a 5, but they need to be off in some of both standing and table clips, or the best I'll score the card in this category is 4. For a high score, the model needs to do something sexy with her feet once the shoes are off, too. A 0 means the shoes never come off in any clip, and that will do severe damage to the score of an otherwise very good card.

Most of the cards I have reviewed with this scoring system have ended up in the 3.5 - 4.5 range. 4.5 is an exceptional card.

@sh42n81

But every performer has different strengths and the key is for the director to play to each one's particular talents.
Some are very good dancers, so that should be highlighted. Others are experts at the tease--just enough to drive us
crazy without rushing to the nudity, but not too much so we lose interest.

For me, this is the most important part of your Post, not every Girl is the same, we are all Individuals.
I appreciate every Girl, which is be able to showing me naked in front of a Camera.
Regardless her Skills, and if a Show is not so good then this is Ok by me.

I don't need anytime a perfect Show from every Girl or maybe i should say, every Show
is for me a unique pleasure. I'm not here for a perfect Satisfaction, i'm here to have a nice Time.

But Yes @sh42n81 Stockings ❤️ are always a welcome present for me too.
I'm Thankful for everything which the Team can provide me through the Desktop Client.

That the Team is listening to us should be no Surprise, but that is nothing to be taken for granted,
many Companies don't listen to their Customers. And this is the next Fact for an appreciative moment/thing.
But i think also that the Team is not reading every single Post/Topic on the Forum.

And if i'm reading this Post from @celine here,

https://www.istripper.com/forum/thread/46394/1?post=691461

Tutto su iStripper / TOTEM Appreciation Thread 2020

your words go straight to my heart! Thank you so much ! In addition to being an exceptional product in more than one way, iStripper benefits from an incredible team that works tirelessly to improve ou...

i think we don't need to worry about anything, just my thoughts on it :)

@Stanston

Not only is every performer different, but every user is different, too. Some guys like big boobs, others like more petite women. Some like shoes on, some like stockings with shoes off, some like bare feet. Some like aggressively sexy performers, whilst others prefer a more demur approach.

It's impossible to please every user with every card. I think they do a good job with variety to make most of happy most of the time.

It's impossible to please every user with every card.
I think they do a good job with variety to make most of happy most of the time.

Absolutely and well spotted @sh42n81 👌 and i forgot about two other important things that the Team
is listening to us. @pickle1 was starting this Topic here

https://www.istripper.com/forum/thread/45979/1

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and @celine was responding there to an Outfit.

@shodan084 started this Topic here

https://www.istripper.com/forum/thread/44466/1

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and @Manue was responding there too.
And we got this Show with Auda Love > https://www.istripper.com/model/show/e1484
And don't forget about Savana Wildchild and her Ring of Fire,
https://www.istripper.com/model/show/e1534
an 😍 Absolutely Fantastic Show 😍 in my Opinion.
But we can't expect such an Performance from every Girl of course.

So to answer that Question for myself, What makes a Great Performance?
In my Opinion it's not possible, because

Not only is every performer different, but every user is different, too. Some guys like big boobs,
others like more petite women. Some like shoes on, some like stockings with shoes off, some like bare feet.
Some like aggressively sexy performers, whilst others prefer a more demur approach.

you can't satisfy every Taste it's simply not possible. Suggestions are always welcome to improve
Stuff and Things, no Question about that. But at the end a great Performance can only bring one
person to us, it is the Girl in front of the Camera inside the iStripper Studio.

Because she is the one (including the Team of course) which is trying to make us Happy
and bring us Entertainment. And even if many Girls like to Perform and Masturbate
in front of a Camera, not every Girl is feeling to 100% comfortable with this.
Some people might forget about this sometimes.

So like @celine was saying here,

A successful recipe that will for sure bring you even more pleasure in 2021!

and yes i think we should have trust in this, because (beside of Corona) there were many many Shows in 2020,
which are in my Collection and were bringing for myself a great Performance already.

And 😍 Elis 😍 https://www.istripper.com/model/elis is only one example for that.

@Stanston

Not only is every performer different, but every user is different, too. Some guys like big boobs, others like more petite women. Some like shoes on, some like stockings with shoes off, some like bare feet. Some like aggressively sexy performers, whilst others prefer a more demur approach.

It's impossible to please every user with every card. I think they do a good job with variety to make most of happy most of the time.

I am not sure personal preference determines how much a person likes a card though...or at least if it is entertaining to the most people. Talia Mint is about as far away from attractive as can get when it comes to my personal preference. If I saw her on the street I wouldn't look twice, but her shows are very good, she is very talented, varied, flexible, sexy, and a nympho who loves sex....so I love her shows.

I think we can all agree that to try and guess what will be a hit and what wont is a bit of a dark art - a girl can be classically beautiful and be a dud performer, while a girl can be a bit removed from the norm and smash the performance out the park!

But we can all agree that variety is the spice of life and if we dont try then we wont know.

Kudos to Totem for always experimenting and seeing what sticks.