When it comes to pole dancing, it would not be uncommon for most to think of sex, women and clubs. However, the history of pole dancing tells another story. One that is far removed from female strippers and the raunchy venues of red-light districts.

 

A quick google search reveals that pole dancing originated in India and China over 2000 year ago.  Both conceptions of the exercise were primarily for men and were platforms to display strength and stamina (IPDFA 2016).

 

It only attracted sex appeal in the nineteenth century in circus arenas where female dancers danced around the centre pole of the circus tent in scantily clad attire to attract crowds.

 

The sexually-fueled form of pole dancing recognizable today, only emerged in the mid-20th century, with the first strip tease pole dance first recorded in 1968 in the United States (IPDFA 2016). 

 

Pole dancing remained a primarily underground form of erotic entertainment until the advent of recreational pole dancing which has witnessed the proliferation of the activity in mainstream western society as a legitimate form of exercise.

 

While pole dancing is increasingly seen as a legitimate form of exercise, this is not a new phenomenon, it is simply a re-emergence. 

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Association, I.P.D.F. 2016, History of Pole, viewed 4 October 2016, <http://ipdfa.com/about/history-of-pole/>.