Maahi Shah

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the term pole dancing? Most often, the dance form is associated with being sleazy and erotic. Or at least it was—for a long time. Its diverse history dates back nearly 800 years, and its evolution is replete with layers of connotations, stereotypes, and judgments. In the West, pole dancing is said to have originated from the travelling fairs of ’20s America—the country was undergoing an economic depression and a group of dancer…