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Lead Section: Western stereotype of the male ballet dancer

In Western society, ballet is a highly feminised activity with a strong stereotype attached to male dancers. Despite males historically participating in ballet, in modern times it embodies feminine ideals of gracefulness and expressions of emotion, which are not associated with masculinity by broader society. Therefore, male ballet dancers, or danseurs, are challenging the foundations of masculinity, and participating in an activity which can lead to social suspicion about their gender performance. Through fulfilling gender expectations in ballet by making it macho, they work to combat the stereotypes that are prevalent in public opinion. Also through education and media exposure, there are changes emerging regarding the perception of male ballet dancers.

History

The style of ballet originates from the fifteenth century Italian and French courts, where noblemen would perform to demonstrate their position in society. Louis XIV founded the first ballet school, the Royal Academy of Dance and it was only after this that ballet became the profession that is known today. Until the 1830s men were dominant in European ballets, however it was the romantic ballet era that ended this when more clearly defined gender roles were created due to the new prevalence of pointe shoes. This is when ballet became feminised within western societies, to the point that men were prohibited from being professional dancers in the 19th century except to fulfil the role of lifting and being the support for female dancers. Some factors influencing this shift included the change in audience members when ballets moved from being performed in palaces to theatres, as well as a cultural shift that created more ethereal themes. Some research into the history of male ballet dancers suggests that there weren’t clear cut prejudices until the 19th century, but they have persisted since.

Gender Expectations and Performance

Because of ballet's features, it has the strongest association as a feminine activity of all the different dance styles. The negative connotations associated with a man acting too feminine can lead to 'unmanly' stereotypes. However, males are expected to perform ballet differently from females, as there are clear cut gender roles particularly in pas de deux. Men are expected to be a strong, solid base to lift their female partners. Males in ballet have to contend with countering the hyper feminine image that is associated with ballet, and adding masculine elements like larger jumps and strong arm lines is the way this is done..

Making Ballet Macho

From the 20th century onwards, there has been a trend of trying to validate males doing ballet by making it hyper-masculine. In the United States of America, Ted Shawn formed an all-male ballet company that toured from 1933-1940, attempting to make ballet seem more masculine to the general population. At this time ballet was very feminised, so Shawn was distancing himself from this and trying to include more athletic elements . Matthew Bourne's 'Swan Lake', the longest running ballet on London's West End debuting in 1995, attempted something similar, casting all male swans with 'dynamic, almost primitively aggressive' qualities.

In the 1960s and 70s, Russian ballet dancers Rudolf Nureyev and Mikhail Baryshnikov's lifestyles promoted ballet as manly, with paparazzi photos of them with glamorous women as well as playing heterosexual movie characters making them out to be 'real men' despite the fact that Nureyev was homosexual (one of the traditional negative stereotypes associated with male ballet dancers). They were both also promoted as 'athletic' rather than graceful like their female counterparts. A more recent example, Ukrainian dancer Sergei Polunin was part of an advertising campaign in 2012 for Dior Homme, which focussed strongly on his heterosexual desirability

Expectations in the Dance Studio

A study carried out in the United Kingdom, exploring dance teachers view male students found that they view boys as the deviant 'other' in the ballet world. One dance teacher is quoted as expecting boys to be 'more physical... they've got to look strong on top, not effeminate'. This was a common finding, that dance teachers expected boys to act masculine as opposed to the girls in the class.

Another study done in Queensland, Australia found that even though boys are often privileged with opportunities in the dance world, girls are much more strongly encouraged than boys to leave school in order to pursue ballet. Even though dance studios and the dance community is a 'safe space' for males doing ballet in Western society, the gender-normative ideas present in larger society are still persistent.

Public Opinion

William L. Earl's 1988 exploration of American stereotypes asked upper-middle class mall shoppers to describe male ballet dancers, as a whole, using up to 15 words or phrases. The most common responses were: "Pretty boys afraid to soil themselves with honest labor", "Snobs!", "secretive", "neurotic", "narcissistic", "soft", "vain", "frail", "homosexual", "Momma's Boy", “irresponsible", "probably hard workers", "creatures of the night", "flighty", "afraid of intimacy", "use people", "cold", and "fancy". Similarly, in a 2003 sociological study, male ballet dancers reported several stereotypes they had been confronted with including, "feminine, homosexual, wimp, spoiled, gay, dainty, fragile, weak, fluffy, woosy, prissy, artsy and sissy". Christine Mennesson also found that male ballet dancers in France were most often given the "sissy stereotype". A study of American school children found that boys described the idea of them doing ballet as "'weird', or 'pointless', or just 'gay'". Another study of male ballet dancers in the US found that most responses to finding out they take ballet were to 'drop gay jokes', or 'think that I'm girly'.

In preparation for their 2009 anthology on masculinity and dance, Jennifer Fisher and Anthony Shay interviewed several male dancers from different age groups, ethnic backgrounds, and sexualities. In the interviews, the men were asked questions pertaining to the biased picture of male dancers such as "Do you think you're now surrounded by any stereotypes about men and dancing?" and "Are there perceptions about men who dance that you think need changing?". One of the dancers interviewed, Aaron Cota, came up against unfair prejudices but helped dispel them. He took some time off to enter the Marine Corps. He tells of his fellow Marines' reaction: "When they found out that [I would be earning a] dance degree, they were like 'What? You're what?'. They were kind of confused. You just have to explain it to them. When the guys in my unit would see some of the things I've done, or they see videos of other people dance, and they're like, 'Holy crap, how can they do that?' ... and they're like 'Wow, that's amazing,' and 'That's kind of opened my eyes ...'". Another dancer, David Allan, experienced very negative effects of the stereotype growing up. He tells of the time he performed in his school's talent show at age eleven, "I was so excited about doing A Dance from David, my first choreography. So, when I came out in my pretty white tights, there was a big roar of laughter.... Later I met some guys in the hallway of my school who were making rude comments ... 'You're that dancer guy' would turn into being thrown down the stairs."

Justifications of Public's opinion

The negative stereotypes attached to male ballet dancers are often justified by society because ballet is a 'feminine' activity. Because dominant masculinity has generally been viewed as 'superior' over the last century in patriarchal western societies, men face pressure to conform to masculine traits and behaviours. Men are expected to display qualities such as dominance, independence, authority, strength, and a lack of emotions. Female stereotypes, on the other hand, include submissiveness, dependence, compliance, vulnerability, and emotion. Stereotypes of dance are linked closer to female stereotypes as dance is an expression of emotion. In ballet, one must be vulnerable to the people around them, whether it's to trust others to lift, catch, or move in a synchronized manner.

Masculinity in itself is a social standing that associates with certain roles and practices. Masculinity creates a symbolic meaning of what it means to be a man, which involve many stereotypical male qualities. As a social standing, masculinity is pressured on men by society, and if unfulfilled, society freely ridicules and ostracizes men for their failure to effectuate its symbolic meaning. Since dance is an expression of emotion that is based on vulnerability, men thus open themselves to mockery by displaying different characteristics than the expected male attributes.

Effect on participation

In a study done on peer attitudes of participants in "gender specific" sports (e.g. ballet and American football), teens ages 14–18 were found to have strong stereotypical views. Males who frequently participated in a "sex-inappropriate" athletic activity were perceived as more feminine than those who did not. The study also suggested, "This stereotyping of athletes may have an important impact on the willingness of athletes to participate in certain sports. Likewise, these stereotypes may tend to filter out certain types of potential participants — e.g., macho males ... in athletic activities which are 'inappropriate' for one's gender." Victoria Morgan, a former principal ballerina with the San Francisco Ballet now an Artistic Director and C.E.O. of the Cincinnati Ballet, relates "... I feel there is a stigma attached to ballet in America that doesn't reflect the reality.... This makes it difficult to attract some audience members and boys for ballet companies".

Safe learning environments like university programs or dance schools encourage boys to do ballet, but as shown by Victoria Morgan above, many are reluctant to continue pursuing it outside of these One participant of a study carried out in the United States explained that 'one of the reasons why I eventually gave up ballet was just because of the constant harassment'. But in the same study, the majority of participants explained why they continued dancing despite the negative public opinion, stereotypes and harassment.

Changing Perspectives

On 22nd August 2019, ‘Good Morning America’ host Lara Spencer laughed at Prince George for taking ballet, and commented ‘We’ll see how long that lasts’ (Dance Magazine). Her comments reflect the Western view of male ballet dancers over the last century. However, she faced huge backlash from all over the world for her comments, with a petition for her to include a section on the show promoting the benefits of boys doing ballet ending up with over 41,000 supporters. Well known male ballet dancers including Robbie Fairchild responded to the comments on social media, saying 'Prince George... I hope your love for ballet lasts forever. The haters will hate. The ignorant will judge'. This is just one of many comments made by individuals on social media reacting to the comments made by Lara Spencer.

Larger companies, including performing arts school also responded. The Australian Company of Performing Arts, located in South Australia responded to the comments with a 3 minute video promoting the benefits of boys dancing, and showcasing examples of the success and joy which boys have at the school. On the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) News, Perth Ballet also responded to the comments by showing the skills of male ballet dancers but commenting that European male dancers are imported to Australia due to low local numbers. Facing the backlash, on the 26th August 2019, Lara Spencer apologised on air of 'Good Morning America' and interviewed 3 male ballet dancers including Robbie Fairchild to promote the benefits boys doing ballet and other forms of dance. On the same day as this aired, 300 dancers gathered in Times Square outside the Good Morning America studio to perform a ballet class in demonstration.

Media can also help influence the perspective on male ballet dancers. There are examples of male ballet dancers in many western TV shows and movies, including the Australian 'Dance Academy' which features multiple male dancers as main characters. The Simpsons episode 'Homer vs Patty and Selma' also features Bart taking ballet unwillingly at school, but coming to realise that he loves it. The Western stereotype of male ballet dancers is very clear in this episode but it also shows Bart persevering through to keep dancing (season 6, ep 17 1995). This is a change of approach from Gene Kelly's 1958 television show ‘Dancing is a Man’s game’ which tried to make ballet more masculine, relating it to sports like baseball and boxing in terms of athletic ability to promote its 'manliness'.

After the British movie Billy Elliot was released in 2000, dance classes experienced a dramatic increase in male enrolment, and for the first time the Royal Ballet school admitted more boys than girls. The movie 'Centre Stage' also features a male ballet dancer who does not fit any of the typical stereotypes. Documentaries including Norwegian 'Ballet Boys' and the Ukrainian film about Sergei Polunin have also positively impacted enrolment rates for boys. Reality shows like Dancing with the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance have also impacted enrollment rates in a positive way. Many students credit these shows as the spark to start dancing and study ballet.

However, Jennifer Fisher found that while trying to dispel stereotypes, media can also reinforce these, especially the one that 'all male ballet dancers are gay'. When reviewing dance movies from recent times back to early Hollywood, she discovered that male ballet dancers' heterosexuality was always established always within the first three minutes of their appearance.

Appearances in Media

• In The Turning Point, it is said that Wayne Rodgers was considered homosexual because he was a ballet dancer and he made love to Deedee to prove he was straight. Their youngest child, their only son, also takes ballet and is planning on dancing professionally.

• The 2000 British film Billy Elliot tells the story of an 11-year-old aspiring dancer from a working class origin, dealing with the stereotype and negative reactions from his community.

• In The Company, the Artistic Director of the Joffrey, Alberto Antonelli remarks when he wins an award from the Italian community that when he was taking up ballet, he especially had to keep his ballet secret and asks the Italian community to encourage any of their sons who dream of a life of dance.

• In the 2004 film Shall We Dance, the main character, played by Richard Gere, asks his friend why he hides that he is a dancer. The man tells Richard Gere's character that he was teased, called gay, and beat up as a kid because he danced.

• In the Australian teen show Dance Academy, Season 1 episode 5 called 'Real Men Don't Dance', Sammy's father tries to pull him out of the ballet academy to follow a 'sensible' career. Attention is also drawn to the that Sammy has to wear pointe shoes to strengthen his ankles, which is the butt of jokes because 'boys don't do pointe'.

• An Argentinian beer commercial features a young man drinking in the pub before going to his ballet class where his friends see him in very intimate poses with the female dancers. Most of the poses are outlandish and unlike ballet, but the ad is showing the benefits of ballet for men.