Comments on: Can Boys Dance? http://www.balletformen.com/2009/07/28/can-boys-dance/ For Men who want to Dance Fri, 25 Nov 2011 12:24:08 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2 By: Daniel http://www.balletformen.com/2009/07/28/can-boys-dance/comment-page-1/#comment-895 Daniel Tue, 06 Jul 2010 17:24:44 +0000 http://www.balletformen.com/?p=48#comment-895 I think a lot of the "All the men are clearly gay" thinking comes from the fact that we live in a world that most straight men could not conceive of, let alone occupy. I see it teaching ballroom dance. My boss is a beautiful woman, but my bosses have almost always been beautiful women. I see the look in the regular guy's eye as I take frame, or lead a dip where her body is balanced delicately against mine. It is a mixture of envy and fear. Most guys meet the most beautiful woman in the room and get tongue-tied. We strip down to the barest essentials in rooms filled with women so beautiful that the world must see them dance, and then find beautiful ways to wrap our exquisitely crafted physiques around each other. But it isn't only the other straight guys, even (especially?) a Super Feminist has issue with two very attractive people being in the positions dancers take and perhaps enjoying it. Newsflash--dancing is considered romantic for a reason. Yes, dating/marrying other dancers is a terrible occupational hazard and the reason for the split of many great dance couples, but that is a great equalizer: male or female, gay or straight dancing is romantic, and a great dancer is an object of desire. If a viewer can't have the dancer, then it is much safer to assume they are gay, taken or otherwise unfit so the envy of them and the fear of rejection can be ignored. Sorry to write an essay in your Comments David, great work as always and you are free to put this in an article all its own if you like. I think a lot of the “All the men are clearly gay” thinking comes from the fact that we live in a world that most straight men could not conceive of, let alone occupy. I see it teaching ballroom dance. My boss is a beautiful woman, but my bosses have almost always been beautiful women. I see the look in the regular guy’s eye as I take frame, or lead a dip where her body is balanced delicately against mine. It is a mixture of envy and fear.
Most guys meet the most beautiful woman in the room and get tongue-tied. We strip down to the barest essentials in rooms filled with women so beautiful that the world must see them dance, and then find beautiful ways to wrap our exquisitely crafted physiques around each other.
But it isn’t only the other straight guys, even (especially?) a Super Feminist has issue with two very attractive people being in the positions dancers take and perhaps enjoying it.

Newsflash–dancing is considered romantic for a reason.

Yes, dating/marrying other dancers is a terrible occupational hazard and the reason for the split of many great dance couples, but that is a great equalizer: male or female, gay or straight dancing is romantic, and a great dancer is an object of desire. If a viewer can’t have the dancer, then it is much safer to assume they are gay, taken or otherwise unfit so the envy of them and the fear of rejection can be ignored.

Sorry to write an essay in your Comments David, great work as always and you are free to put this in an article all its own if you like.

]]> By: The big issue; Men in ballet. http://www.balletformen.com/2009/07/28/can-boys-dance/comment-page-1/#comment-629 The big issue; Men in ballet. Thu, 22 Apr 2010 13:51:46 +0000 http://www.balletformen.com/?p=48#comment-629 [...] from the others! Let’s not kill their dreams before they get a chance to fulfill them! Can boys dance? at Balletformen.com Challenging gender stereotypes in ballet, written by Catherine at 4dancers, at [...] [...] from the others! Let’s not kill their dreams before they get a chance to fulfill them! Can boys dance? at Balletformen.com Challenging gender stereotypes in ballet, written by Catherine at 4dancers, at [...]

]]> By: “Challenging Gender Stereotypes in Ballet” via My Son Can Dance http://www.balletformen.com/2009/07/28/can-boys-dance/comment-page-1/#comment-326 “Challenging Gender Stereotypes in Ballet” via My Son Can Dance Thu, 28 Jan 2010 09:13:35 +0000 http://www.balletformen.com/?p=48#comment-326 [...] If you are interested in reading more about gender and ballet, take a look at one of my earlier posts as well, “Can Boys Dance? The male dancer stigma of men’s ballet” [...] [...] If you are interested in reading more about gender and ballet, take a look at one of my earlier posts as well, “Can Boys Dance? The male dancer stigma of men’s ballet” [...]

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