Pole dancing isn’t just for strippers. In fact, it predates strippers by 1000 years long before thong clad women in platform heels stripped on poles in clubs.
Pole performance was a sport, a game and an art for men
Chinese Pole is one of the oldest pole arts, dating back to the 12th century. Circus professionals wore full body costumes and laces their poles with rubber to achieve acrobatic trick to trick movement as opposed to fluid motion.
Mallak Hamb, a.k.a Indian pole originated over 800 years ago as a training method for wrestlers to improve strength, stamina and flexibility. And it was also played as a competitive game.
Pole performance developed in the US in the early 1900s when women in the Girl Shows of traveling fairs mimicked ‘exotic’ foreign dancers to boost sex appeal and further entice crowds. And these women began using the center pole of the circus tent as a prop. As the performance style gained popularity women began incorporating acrobatics reminiscent of Chinese Pole and Mallak Hamb. The earliest recorded striptease pole dance in the US didn’t occur until 1968.
So Why Is Pole Dancing So Popular Nowadays?
| #1 Because people have realized it is a sport! |
To hold that position below, you need incredible flexibility, strength and balance.
Pole dancers make everything they do look so easy, but that is only achieved through years and years of training.
| #2 Progress in pole dancing is extremely visible. And not only through increased strength, but also in the fluidity, flexibility and vocabulary of tricks |
Now the beauty with this is that you feel like you can do anything now. And this attitude will radiate into other areas of your life. So, it overall puts you in a positive, go-lucky state of mind.
| #3 Now let's not forget to mention the obvious: it makes you ripped |
You'll barely realize it's sculpting you. Yes, you'll hurt here and there but the payoff is tremendous compared to the pain.
I wish I had a before and after photo to show you guys my progress. I went from having a chubby little belly to a six pack in under a year.
| #4 It is so so so fun! |
| #5 It caters to many individual preferences for physical activity |
Then there's actual pole fitness, which is directed towards those who do it for the sake of fitness and just for the fun of sculpting the body and learning new tricks.
And then there’s the sauciest of all: exotic pole! This involves a lot of hip movement, hair chucking and seductive glares, but is nonetheless just as challenging as the before mentioned pole styles.
Furthermore, male pole dancing has become more of a thing lately. National and World Championships now tend to include male categories.
| #6 It's becoming more socially acceptable as pop culture, media and fitness are all commercializing it |
| #7 It's HOT! |
I’ve seen dancers of all sizes, shapes, genders and features. It doesn’t matter what they look like. If they know how to move to rhythm and are able to demonstrate their pole-skills, as a viewer, you can get absolutely hooked.
The only people who are unhappy with this sport are those who hold some pre-conceived judgement about it and have not experienced it yet.
The best thing I found to do with these people, is to teach them a pole trick. They then come to this magical realization of how hard it is.
It’s like a lightbulb just flicked up in their head. Every time!
| This article is sourced from: quora.com. This transformative remix work constitutes a fair-use of any copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US copyright law. “Why Is Pole Dancing So Popular Nowadays” by Sharon Lynn is licensed under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 License – permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution. |
