When you think about pole dancing the first thing that comes to your mind is the women at gentleman's clubs and strip clubs.  You see them on that pole dancing, some are naked, while some aren't completely naked with their g-stings and skimpy tops. They allow men to put the money into their g-stings, or throw it on the floor to them.  

Today pole dancing isn't for only the club.  Pole dancing has become a popular form of exercise!  It takes a lot of upper body strength to pull your body weight up and down that pole, and pole dancing helps to burn calories.  It is also a great way to lose some of those extra pounds that we all carry around.  Pole dancing tones and shapes the muscle area in the stomach, and biceps.  

Pole dancing helps women to bring out their sexual side.  We have stars putting stripper poles in their bedrooms, and everyday housewives are putting poles in the bedroom.  Pole dancing takes a lot of physical strength to do, so you should be in good physical condition before you take up pole dancing.  You can easily hurt yourself trying to do moves that you aren't used to doing.  There are other sexy exercises out there for those who can't do pole dancing.  Check out your local health fitness centers and see what they offer beside pole dancing.  If you want to try pole dancing then do it, just be careful.  Check with your doctor before you start this rigorous type of exercise.  

Square dance is also called, folk dance, and has four couples, placed in a square. There is one couple placed on each side. Couple one faces away from the music, going counter-clockwise until getting to couple four, while couples one and three are the head couples. Couples two and four are known as the side couples. The dance starts and ends each sequence with "sets-in-order" in the order of a square. The dance was first related in the 17th century in England, but was also known in France, and is similar to the Scottish Country Dance. Its association was also in the United States due to historic progress in America. There are nineteen U.S. states that consider the dance as their official state dance.

There are different square dance calls as well. The "call" is the name of a specific dance movement.  The "call" is a phrase used by the caller to let the dancers know which dance and which steps or movement of that "call".  Dance means, an event of a person  playing one piece of music, or just dancing. Most calls require anywhere from 4 to 32 "counts" (roughly a step).  With Traditional square dancing the timing is dictated by the tradition. Where as modern Western square dancing, there are many calls give to formally specified durations, based on direct observation of how long it takes a dance to execute then.

Here is one link to check out about the callers, the website is www.callerlab.org. There are other websites you can check out for more about the history of square dance, as well as other types of dancing.   

Stripping.  When most people hear that word the thoughts that go with it are not exactly pleasant.  Many people associate strippers with sleezy night clubs, drugs, and sex.  For some this may be the case, but for most this stereotype is not even close to reality.

Most bars or clubs that have strippers do not allow them to get completely naked.  State regulations allow all but the underwear to be removed.  Typically, you will see the women walking around in exotic outfits until it's their turn on stage, and then everything is taken off except panties and high heels.  

The strippers, aka dancers, also do private dances in rooms under video surveillance.  Customers simply request a particular dancer they want, pay the required amount, and then the dancer finds them when she is available.  The typical private dance lasts anywhere from ten to twenty minutes, depending on how much the customer is willing to tip.  

Private shows, away from the club, are also scheduled.  Up to four girls, and a bodyguard, go to a designated job sight so the girls can work.  Sometimes their dressing room is nothing more than a bathroom stall, and the men are drunk, obnoxious, and don't follow the show rules.  It can be very frustrating for all involved if the job was hours away, they didn't make much money, and the customers were unpleasant to work for.  

Here are a few quick facts about the working world of a stripper. There is no touching from the customers that are watching the girls, all contact is done by the girls themselves.  All money made at private shows is split evenly amongst the girls, minus a percentage to the bouncer.  Flirting while on the job is okay, giving out your number is not, you will be fired if you get caught.

Hip-hop dancing has been one of the fastest growing dance types all over the world. It has created a whole new way to workout that people are falling in love with.

Hip-hop dancing became very popular because of a man named Kool Herc. In 1973, he traveled to the United States from Jamaica and used turntables to create beats that people loved to dance to. This is when the beats of hip-hop became very popular and people started to think of new ways to “jam” out to it. Hip-hop started in the streets of New York and became what we know today.

There are so many different forms of hip-hop dancing, that it becomes almost addicting to some people. In hip-hop, there is popping, locking, breakdancing, and freestyle. Doing all these different types of dances can improve flexibility, help you lose weight, get in shape, and have fun. Many people have created their own versions of these dances that will target certain areas of your body. You can go to any fitness store or gym and more than likely find a video or class that will include hip-hop in it for weight loss.

So whether you want to learn hip-hop to get into better shape, or impress your friends with what you can do, there is no denying that this is a great way to dance and have fun. Almost anyone can get into hip-hop dancing and be good at it. So get out there and try it. You will more than likely enjoy it and lose weight while doing it.

Although almost everyone attributes the term, Jitterbug, to Cab Calloway, it was actually a trombonist, Harry Alexander White, who coined the term “Jitterbug.”  Cab Calloway’s trumpeter, Edwin Swayzee, overheard White using the term and wrote a song  for Calloway entitled “The Jitterbug” which was recorded in January, 1934.  The beginning of swing dancing that lasted for decades, albeit under many different names, e.g. Jitterbug, Lindy Hop, Jive, Shag, Bop, and even Rock and Roll.

Swing music can be attributed to Benny Goodman, who, in the summer of 1934 took his band on tour across the United States.  He had been told to play the standards, but implemented some of his own music from time to time.  He had many flops before reaching California.  His first stop was Sweets Ballroom in Oakland.  There, young people lined up for blocks to hear and dance to this  new sound.  This was the historical start of the Jitterbug craze and the Big Swing Bands. Goodman couldn’t believe his own success!  From California he made a triumphant stop in Chicago before returning to New York.  The Paramount Theater, hearing of his great successful tour, hired him for an appearance in 1936. The newspapers reported the band’s success and the “Jitterbugging in the Aisles.”  After that day, the term “Jitterbug” was here to stay.

Jitterbug’s center during the 1930s was Harlem’s Savoy Ballroom.  Musical giants such as Basie, Goodman, and Calloway played for the legendary dancers. It was the first art form to break the color barrier. Blacks and whites danced together at the Savoy.  This softened the economic depression distress. A documentary film, "The Call of the Jitterbug” vividly evokes the rich past of this form of dancing  and is available for sale or rental through the Filmmakers Library.