Article written by Sharyn Reeve, March 8th, 2007 with thanks to Nikki Gledhill for the Editing and Assistance.

Since people are so precious about articles that they put out in the public domain, I decided to write my own history on Pole Dancing.
Written in New Zealand, by a New Zealander (or two), for New Zealander's!

Pole Dancing has been around for many years in one guise or another.
Public perception of Pole Dance in the past has been based upon the knowledge people have of strip bars and burlesque clubs, places which often have images of ill-repute and display negative attitudes toward women. This has inevitably given pole dancing a 'sleazy' image.
Moreover, any literature on the subject is inevitably biased in opinion due to the traditionally 'immoral' view of the men's clubs where pole dancing was popular. It's therefore hard to find any concrete facts on pole dancing as an art form.
Pole dancing as we know it today is believed to have originated in Vancouver, Canada in the 1980's. But due to it's relatively underground history, it wouldn't surprise me to hear that pole dancing originated elsewhere.

Many credit pole Dancing as a spin off from other exotic dances, one of the most frequent themes seems to be the ancient Sumerian's who have a myth about the Goddess Innana who descended into Hades seeking her lover Damouz. At each of the 7 gates of Hades, she had removed a Veil and a Gem. Myth says that while Innana was on Earth, the Earth was barren. But when she left and returned, the Earth was again abundant and fruitful.
The very famous "Dance of the Seven Veils" was brought into the history books by Salome, who danced of King Herod in the Old Testament - entertainement in the bible was not so far from entertainment of today!
Today many women learn the arts of Belly Dancing and dancing with Veils which has been carried over from these legendary events, from Sumeria and into Mesopotamia, then through the Asia's where it was picked up by the Gypsies and brought through greater Europe.

Another idea which seems to be very dominant is the derivation of Pole Dancing from the Maypole which was seen to be a pagan ritual and is considered by some the origin of dancing with a pole. Some see maypoles as a phallic symbol which may well explain why they link it to the pole dancing of now.
Maypole celebrations were actually banned in the United Kingdom by the Puritans because the English were so uptight about the theories that they were linked to heathens and the underworld as well as licentiousness.

The sport and fitness aspect of Pole Dancing and the appreciation of it as a sensual form of dance has only become apparent and publicised over the last 5 or 6 years and for the most part of that period was an underground movement just waiting to turn mainstream. With amazing women like Fawnia Mondey pushing the boundaries of people's comfort levels by releasing DVD's teaching Pole Dancing the doors have been opened to hundreds of thousands of women all over the world. Thanks Amazon!

Pole Dance has moved from the bars to the Dance Studio, bringing with it a move that is empowering and strengthening women all over the world. It is no longer a seedy underworld culture that people are afraid of. It has become an attractive and fun addition to dance shows, public performances and galleys and has even recently made moves towards the corporate sector - featuring in some exciting performances for business promotions.

While some see it as an art form, or for display, there are still others that would love to see it become a national sport, with the US leading the way with their major competition circuits becoming goals for pole fitness and dance fans throughout the country. The Pole Fitness Competitions have earnt some big sponsors and are facing such a huge increase in growth, that it is easy to see how the only way is up and they will just get bigger and better - giving Pole Fitness even more of an edge and more publicity. Who knows, we may yet see those pushing it achieve their goals of making it an Olympic Sport!

The media has played a huge part in the development of a culture that has fewer personal restrictions and fewer inhibitions.
With the popularity of the Internet, even more people are dropping the level of what is acceptable and human nature is evolving at such a rate that where 5 years ago people would have hidden their pole obsessions, today they happily tell all of their friends and bring them along to classes!

While we all know that "good things take time" (you will get that if you live in NZ) it is very exciting to see the years of work and training starting to pay off now as the world has opened it's eyes and admitted that it wants to give it a whirl!
While the wait has been long, now with media projecting the image as one of fitness, fun and boosting your self-confidence. It now seems that every-day people can see that if they get bored going to they gym, then Pole Fitness is an interesting alternative allowing them to stay healthy, lose weight, tone up and all the while, have fun!

There is always and will always remain those who will only ever see Pole Dancing and think of the under elements. But thankfully those are a minority!
Most people who come along are tantalized by the fantasy and myth that surround it, They are attracted by the idea that it might be taboo, and if we are honest with ourselves, we want to know how to be sexy! We want to be able to move our bodies in a way that feels and looks sensual and we want to be looked upon as being confident and comfortable with our bodies and minds. We want to be taught to move in a graceful, fluid way that shows our skills and strengths and gives us the imaginative release of creating a combination of exotic movements that make up a beautiful dance.
I believe and teach that being able to achieve this is not only keeping our bodies healthy, but also our minds and hearts as happiness is the key and we can only be truly happy, if we are comfortable in our own skin.

The 00's are all about "girl power" and celebrating our sexuality and empowering us to reach further and push harder.
Pole Fitness really is the embodiment of this era as finally, women are not just breaking, but destroying the past negative images! We're doing this without taking our clothes off, and we arent letting old-fashioned ideas get in our way!

In 2007, Pole Dance has become widespread and popular with women from all age groups and walks of life. People are picking up Pole Dance as a sport and a fitness routine which in itself presents an interesting shift as the original Pole Dancing seems to have been quite a different story.