✨ A Brief (and Sparkly) History of Pole Dance—Especially the Aussie Bit

by Ally Cat

If you’ve ever found yourself upside-down in 8-inch heels wondering, “How did we get here?”—you’re not alone. Pole dance, in all its glittery, gritty, gravity-defying glory, has a long and fascinating history. And while today’s pole scene includes everything from booty-shaking babes to sensual storytellers and Olympic-level athletes, the roots run deep—and in Australia’s case, wildly innovative.

So buckle up (or rather, strap into those Pleasers), because we’re about to take a spin through the badass history of pole.

💄 The Strip Club Connection

Let’s get one thing straight: while pole dancing has some historical cousins, the pole industry as we know it was born in the club. Full stop. Strippers created the artform, developed the style, and brought it into the public eye.

The story of pole appearing in clubs started in the 1920s and ’30s, when traveling burlesque performers in the U.S. danced around the poles of their circus-style tents—turning everyday hardware into sultry stage props. 

Then, in the 1960s and 70s, dancers in clubs began using a stage pole not just as a static prop but as part of their performance. What started as sensual movement around the base evolved into spins, climbs, tricks and transitions—moves that would eventually become staples in pole classes around the world.

This was no accident. It was radical innovation. Strippers were creating the blueprint for modern pole. The pirouettes, the body waves, the heel clacks, the hypnotic floorwork—all choreographed under neon lights by women redefining movement, power, and pleasure.

And while pole has since expanded into studios and sports arenas, we owe everything to the club. Honouring that legacy means respecting the dancers who pioneered this craft—often in the face of stigma, judgment, and double standards. The pole industry didn’t clean up an art form—it borrowed, built on, and benefited from a rich, subversive history of sex work and survival.

🇦🇺 The Aussie Revolution

In the early-mid 2000s, before pole studios were really a “thing” anywhere in the world, Aussie trailblazers—most notably Bobbi, founder of Miss Pole Dance Australia and Bobbi’s Pole Studio, and Kennetta Hutchens, founder of Pole Divas—decided to share the power and play of strip club pole with the public. And just like that, the pole community was born.

Australia was one of the first countries to open dedicated pole studios and offer it as a class. Bobbi’s in Sydney and Pole Divas in Melbourne quickly became iconic, blending stripper-style pole with choreography, sass, and sheer athleticism. It was sexy, sure—but also empowering, disciplined, and inclusive.

This model caught fire. Soon, studios were popping up everywhere, and pole was suddenly the new and exciting way to build strength, confidence, and a killer drop split.

🔮 Modern Pole vs. Ancient History

After the pole industry exploded into the mainstream during the 2000s, dancers started exploring beyond the foundational club tricks. Eager to create new shapes and movement pathways, some polers began looking elsewhere for inspiration.

Enter: Mallakhamb, a traditional Indian sport involving strength-based movement on a vertical wooden pole, and Chinese pole, a circus discipline where performers scale twin poles with jaw-dropping precision. These weren’t origins—they were fresh ingredients tossed into the melting pot of modern pole.

As pole dancers began to push boundaries of what was common in the clubs (and with the advent of social media to assist), they began experimenting with how these athletic feats on wood and rubber could translate to their own metal rods. The result? A burst of innovation that gave rise to entirely new tricks, transitions, and pole vocabularies.

So yes, history played a part—but pole’s true roots are firmly planted in the strip club. Everything else? Fabulous new branches.

💪 From Clubs to Competitions

Thanks in large part to Australia’s studio boom, pole transformed into a global phenomenon. Competitions like Miss Pole Dance Australia, Pole Theatre, and the Australian Pole Championships created platforms for dancers to experiment—whether channeling old-school striptease or full-blown performance art.

And while some corners of the pole world leaned toward fitness-only branding, much of Aussie pole remained proudly slutty. Heels weren’t tossed aside—they were weaponised.

That fearless fusion of strength and seduction became a defining feature of Australia’s pole culture—and an inspiration for dancers everywhere.

💖 So... Why Does This Matter?

Because where pole comes from matters. Acknowledging the sex work and strip club culture that built the foundation of our art form gives us more than just historical credit—it gives us depth, integrity, and connection.

Whether you're in class for fitness, fierceness, or just plain-old exhilarating fun, you're part of a lineage that spans cultures, continents, and even centuries! And when it comes to pushing pole forward, the Aussie scene has been a true game-changer—helping turn a once-taboo artform into an international movement.

So next time you nail a trick, glide into a body wave, or strut your stuff in 8-inch heels, remember: you’re dancing in the footsteps of innovators, trailblazers, and badass women who did it first—and made it fierce.

Stay strong, shine hard, and never forget whose heels you’re dancing in. 💋

Know Your Pole History.pdf

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