Poles were used far back in other manners, like Mallakhamb in India with gymnastic poses, the athletic feats of the Chinese Pole, Panjat Pinang climbing games, or even the Maypole. The use of a pole for more modern dancing purposes came out of circus tents in the 1920s with the Hoochie Coochie side-shows where women dancing took to utilizing the tent poles as part of their act. The striptease itself comes out of Burlesque shows of the 19th century. Originally these shows were a mix of singing, dancing, comedy, pretty girls, and much more. Lydia Thompson is credited with bringing this show to America in 1868 with chorus lines of beautiful, scantily clad women called her "British Blondes". The girls were hugely popular in burlesque shows and over time became more and more of the acts. Stripping evolved out of some of the risque acts just before the turn into the 20th century. The can-can as well as the belly dance (which inspires the Hoochie Coochie) are also popularized in the 19th century. While the combination of pole dancing and stripping makes its way into bars in the 1950s, the first "official" pole dance was in 1968 by Belle Jangles in Oregon at a strip club. Nightclubs as well as strip clubs picked up the hugely popular new style, and with the boom of the strip club in the 1970s it spread easily.