The other night I went and watched a ballet for the first time in my life. At first, I was sceptical asking, “There’s no talking? It’s literally just dancing?”, and then it started, and I was transformed. We’ve all seen dancing, in movies and in videos online, and, if you’re like me in your own mirror. But I had yet to see a ballet in the flesh, and there’s something about it, the sheer beauty, flexibility and emotion put behind the dancing.
I saw a contemporary ballet, and it was a triple program; the first one called “Faster” drew inspiration from the 2012 Olympics and displayed athleticism and grace into something I had no interest in, to begin with. The second, “Squander and Glory”, was all about negative space and using the body to carve out shapes. But the one that stuck with me, and moved me in so many ways, was “Infra” the last performance. It was, quoted directly from the choreographer and taken from my program, Wayne McGregor, “... a series of human intimacies, bared from under the skin – prosaic, imperfect and fragile… Infra has become simply about people.”
The dancing was beautiful, set under this banner showing figures walking back and forth, with, probably the highlight for me, some of the most heart-wrenching music I’ve heard.
And the beauty of all these dances got me thinking; why is there this stereotype around male dancing? And in another extent, around female dancing too? If you’re a male dancer, you’re automatically assumed to be gay, and considered less of an “athlete” than someone who plays football, or soccer, or tennis. And it’s a “sport” that’s less accepted because it’s automatically thought of as “girly”. But that’s just not the case. Male dancers, and particularly those who do ballet or contemporary ballet, are so graceful and so powerful and without them, a lot of what is beautiful about ballet wouldn’t be possible.
I’m sick of hearing the stereotype that all male dancers are gay, and if there is a bigger percentage of LGBTQ+ men found in dance, it’s because straight men don’t feel like dancing is ‘appropriate’ for them, or the patriarchy says it’s for girls, and for queer men. Enough of this detrimental and gross stereotype.
(Obviously, some dancers, both male and female, will be in the LGBTQ+ community, and I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that, just the assumption that ALL male dancers are, or should be is a stereotype – like straight men can’t do ballet because it’s a “girly sport”.)
Also, to a lesser extent, but still a very gross stereotype, assumption and judgment, is that female dancers (and all female athletes) are “manly” because they have muscles and they’re strong and fit. This is the societal expectation that women should all look a particular way (normally like pre-pubescent children, but with boobs). And it’s gross because there is nothing to be ashamed of if you have muscles – or you’re just bigger or wider.
I just want us all to stop the judgement of other people, especially when it’s aimed at people just following their dreams or going down a career path they care about, and they love. Judgement is always gross, and it’s hard to rid yourself of it, but can we just normalize dancing? Normalize male dancing; accept it and love it because it’s hard and impressive, whether the man is a part of the LGBTQ+ community or not? Can we stop stereotyping dancing, especially ballet, as a sport only for females? Can we normalize the idea that females aren’t all going to look the same, and that there is no such thing as a “manly” body, just because someone has muscles?
If you want to read more about the triple bill performances I saw, here is the website.
