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This has been around for much longer than many of us would think, but how did pole dancing originate and where did it come from? The form of pole dance that we know today and its origins can be traced back to the exotic performing arts of dance.
The first recorded striptease dates back to a myth from ancient Sumerian times involving Inanna, the goddess of love, and her descent into the underworld to find her lover Damouz. At each of the seven gates, she would remove a piece of clothing or jewelry. As long as Inanna remained in hell, the earth was barren. When she returned, the land was once again abundant and fruitful. Some believe that this myth evolved into the ‘Dance of the Seven Veils’ of Salome from the Bible.
The Bible records Salome dancing, but the first mention of removing the veils comes from Oscar Wilde’s 1883 play ‘Salome’. Some have claimed this is the origin of modern striptease, but other influences may have come from the Parisian era and the Moulin Rouge striptease. to Middle Eastern belly dancing and American burlesque.
Today many women learn the arts of Belly Dance and Veil dancing. Belly dancing has been inherited from these legendary events. The ability has traveled from ancient Sumeria to the counties of Asia. It is believed that it was collected by the gypsies who brought Belly Dance to Europe.
Ancient Middle Eastern belly dancing was thought to induce fertility in women and strengthen their bodies in preparation for childbirth.
Throughout history, many forms of dance have emerged. Many grew out of sensual roots and brought with them a lot of controversy.
Another sensual form of dance, the rumba, is a dance of temptation and teasing. Tango has its origin in brothers from ancient Argentina. The ‘gouchos’ arrived after working in the fields and the girls encouraged them to go up the stairs, dancing with their heads slightly turned to avoid the smell.
In the early 1900s, strip dancing was added to burlesque shows to entice men to return. These featured famous strippers including Gypsy Lee Rose. Traveling tent shows had striptease acts. The smaller dancers in the tent began to use the pole in the center of the tent to dance. These tents became known as the dance pole tents.
Another idea of where pole dancing really started is related to Maypole. This pagan ritual was seen by some as a phallic symbol, which may explain why some link it to pole dancing as we now know it.
The earliest recorded pole dance was in 1968 with a performance by Belle Jangles at the Mugwump strip joint in Oregon.
The current pole dance craze is believed to have started in Canada in the 1980s at exotic table and lap dance clubs. Fawnia Mondey, originally from Canada, is one of the first pole dance champions in the world. During the 1990s, Fawnia began teaching everyday women pole dancing. She produced the first pole dance instructional DVD.
Pole dancing quickly spread to the US followed by the rest of the world, with the help of various corporations such as Spearmint Rhino. Pole dancing is recognized throughout the world, including Europe, Australia, and even parts of China.
Lap dance clubs in the UK grew in the 1990s with pole dancing on stage. From the year 2000 onwards, pole dancing has become more acceptable to the general public.
Pole dance as we know it today consists of dancing around a vertical pole. The old strip tease became a precursor to the updated modern variation. Pole dancing offers a display of acrobatics and strength, combined with a mix of feminine, flowing and sensual dance moves to form the art of pole dancing that we now know and recognize.
The modern form of pole dancing has only been documented since the 1980s, but the origins seem to go back many years before this. Only in recent years has pole dancing become more acceptable. The stigma attached to this art may be one of the reasons the dance appears to have little documented history and seems to have been ‘underground’ for many years.