3.6. I'm a man. I feel funny about taking ballet classes. I mean, isn'tit...er...a little...?
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This article is from the Ballet and Modern Dance FAQ, by Tom Parsons twp@panix.com with numerous contributions by others.
3.6. I'm a man. I feel funny about taking ballet classes. I mean, isn'tit...er...a little...?
Well, it isn't easy for a man to start ballet, at least in English-
speaking countries. There are a number of reasons for this.
(1) There seems to be a persistent feeling, at least in our culture,
that dancing of any kind is somehow *unmanly.*
(2) We wear those tights, showing off our legs, our butts, and our
male endowment: surely no "normal" man would go about dressed like
that, even on stage!
(3) Some of the movements in ballet, especially the use of the arms,
look a little...well...flowery.
(4) Many male dancers have been gay and have made little or no attempt
to conceal the fact.
Let's look at these points.
(1) When I was a kid, nobody ever said explicitly that dancing was
unmanly, but the idea was somehow in the air. (In grade school they tried
teaching us folk dancing; the girls loved it; we boys hated it.) If you've
internalized this attitude, then you have a real obstacle to overcome if
you've ever contemplated ballet classes or have had them urged upon you.
All I can say is that a ballet class is not a lot of effeminate flouncing
about. It's damned hard work, demanding precision, discipline, concen-
tration, and control. It's not for wimps. Take one ballet class, and
you'll discover that; it will hit you like a ton of bricks, and the next
day you'll ache from one end of your body to the other.
I should point out that classes aren't like performances. Most
of the classic ballets are about legends, fairy tales, or supernatural
beings like enchanted swans. This kind of thing tends to be off-putting
for many men, and the notion that this must be what classes are like
is likely to repel any man. But ballet classes are nothing like that.
They aren't about swans. They're about speed, coordination, stamina, and
strength. You can be sure Knute Rockne didn't send football players to
ballet classes so they could imitate swans on the playing field.
(2) Dancewear is related to those demands. Dance involves your
entire body, and there is great emphasis not only on how you move, but on
how you hold yourself. In performance, every movement must be shown off
to best advantage to the audience, and in class, every movement must be
subjected to the minutest scrutiny from your teacher. The ideal, I
suppose, would be to dance naked, but since this is generally unacceptable,
the clothes worn must reveal everything, especially the muscles of the legs
and hips. Hence the use of leotards and tights, designed to be as
revealing--and unforgiving--as possible within the limits of decency.
(3) The movements in ballet arise from three traditions: folk
dancing, the body language of the 16th-century French court, and fencing.
(Think of how a fencer holds his free arm, for example.) The use of the
arms was strongly influenced by the last two of these traditions and was
further refined as ballet was transformed from an amateur activity to a
professional, theatrical art. If it bothers you when the teacher tells
you to move the arm slowly and gracefully...well, that's just part of the
tradition, and you just have to get used to it.
(4) As for gay men in dance, sure, there are many gay dancers.
There are also many gay accountants, athletes, clergymen, construction
workers, engineers, journalists, lawyers, policemen, politicians,
professors, scientists, writers...the list goes on and on. If gays are
more visible in ballet, it's probably because there has been, historically,
less prejudice in the performing arts and, in ballet, more emphasis on
sheer ability.
But the gay guys are in class for the same purpose as the straight
guys and the gay and straight women--to develop and improve their technique
and style in one of the most difficult and exacting arts known to man. If
being around gay men makes you nervous, then yes, you are going to be
uncomfortable in a ballet class (and lots of other places as well). I can
only suggest, repectfully, that you do what I had to do myself: grow up and
become more secure in your own sexuality.
Many times, actually, you'll find you're the only man in the class.
If you're serious and work hard, the women will love having you there. You
will be surrounded by young women who are as scantily clad as you are. You
are there to work, not to ogle, but there's no denying that it's *very*
pleasant to work in such company. And yes, it's a great place to meet
girls. And when you dance across the floor, you can watch the girl in
front of you and try to dance with her, as if the two of you were partners.
It isn't as good as actual partnering, but it adds a great deal to the
enjoyment of a class, and I think it improves your dancing.
I'll tell you this: once you are caught up in a ballet class and
struggling with the work, you don't have time to be worried about
"manliness."
And if you contemplate a professional career, the prejudice will
work in your favor. Aspiring ballerinas are abundant, but male dancers are
a scarce commodity. Someone once told me that, in the 1950s, all a man had
to do to get a job with American Ballet Theatre was be able to walk without
crutches! That's no doubt an exaggeration, and very unfair to ABT and
their dancers, but it suggests what the employment situation can be for a
man.
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