Why Don’t Men Dance?
by Good dancers are so sexy. So why are so many men resistant to it?
On last week’s episode of House there was a boy who had been born with both male and female chromosomes. His parents chose to raise him as a male, and his mother was a bit overprotective about any gender issues. So when he told her he wanted to take dance classes, she freaked out and told him to choose between basketball and hockey. The House episode dealt with some other aspects of him being intersex, but the dancing issue is what caught my attention.
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Personally, I don’t see anything wrong with men (including heterosexual men) dancing. In fact, I (and many other people) find a good dancer very attractive. My best friend is a lesbian and even she finds men sexy if they are good dancers. Some styles of dancing are considered acceptable for straight men, like break dancing and hip hop, but some men even avoid learning salsa because they are afraid people will think them less of a man. Ballet is especially avoided as a “woman thing.” The resistance to men dancing ballet is not universal because I know Russian boys are encouraged to become ballet dancers, as well as gymnasts and ice skaters. I’ve been to several professional ballet performances and all the programs feature mostly Russian names for the male dancers.
I used to take ballet classes when I was younger and every year I played a boy in the party scene of the Nutcracker because we never had any real boys to be in the show. Which brings up another issue; why is it easier for women to take on male roles than for men to do anything considered remotely feminine. If a man does so, he is immediately assumed to be gay by many observers. I wish people were not so quick to judge. It must be really difficult for men to constantly maintain a “manly” appearance just to avoid being unfairly judged by society.
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Post CommentBrion
On May 12, 2009 at 2:54 pm
I took ballet as a teenager up until I was 15 years old, at the time I was living with my aunt who insisted that I learn to dance. I hated it at first, and even thought I was a “sissy”; I never told anyone that I taking ballet. I am now 52 y/o, and I can count on 2 fingers those who I have mentioned that I once learned to dance. As I matured in life, I often reflected back in my past and as I aged, I gained a fondless of the dance; and I have even considered taking lessons once again. Unfortately, there are few opportunites at my age, though many studios offer adult classes. As a teenager, after school, I would go home to change in my dancewear, black opague tights, leotards or white tee shirt, and of course, a dance belt as appropriate attire was required. The last year I took dance, age 14-15, by that time I did not mind taking lessons, and in fact, I looked forward to it, I just did not tell anyone. I believe that anyone who wishes to do what their heart, soul and mind dictates, should and not worry about what others would think or say; perhaps I’ll even take my own advise someday. A human form in tights is a marvel, regardless of man or woman; both are beautiful and to be behold.