So you want to dance: Part 22 of series Part 24 of series Postings discussion This link allows you to see others thoughts on this piece and contribute to the debate yourself if you want. We look to guarantee this link for a number of years, though after 3-6 months the page may be closed to further additions. Ballet.co's Doing Dance forum reviews by Anjuli Bai

Hi, Tony, nice to meet you.

As you can see I’m a guy, but I think I want to take a ballet class.

No “but” about it, being a guy and taking a ballet class is not mutually exclusive!

Well, it seems to me that people think ballet is for women.

There was a time when people thought that ballet was only for men.

Really?

Absolutely! When ballet became part of the entertainment and activity of the French Court, women didn’t dance. It wasn’t considered “the right thing to do” and besides they wore those heavy long frilly gowns and it was hard to walk let alone dance. So, when the ballet story called for a female character, men danced it. It was called “en travesti.” Only gradually did women begin to participate. Even as late as the early part of the 1800’s men dominated the ballet.

What changed it?

Pointe shoes. In the Romantic Era stories (poems, literature, dance) women were supposed to be ethereal, mystical creatures like the wilis in the ballet “Giselle” or swans in “Swan Lake,” or a sylph in “La Sylphide.” When pointe shoes began to be used by the ballerinas this fit into that view of women because they could now balance on the pointe of one foot and it looked very unreal – like they could fly away. So, they began to stand in front of the man so he could lend a hand to support them and as a result he literally began to fade away into the background.

However, this has changed very much in the last one hundred years and now both men and women are definitely equal partners on the ballet stage.

Well, that’s good to hear! But still from what I’ve seen the classes have a lot more women than men.

That’s true, unfortunately….but that shouldn’t affect you. What do you think will happen to you if you are the only man in class? Do you expect to be mobbed?

(Laughing) No, no – I’m sure I won’t be.

Well, what else do you expect to happen? Sometimes when you have a nebulous feeling or fear about something it’s a good idea to confront it on a concrete level and see what it is exactly that is upsetting. So, what bothers you about being in a class full of women?

Maybe the things I’ll be doing – the steps – uh - will make me look like a girl.

There isn’t anything that would make you look like a girl. Seriously, the stuff guys do and the stuff that girls do – is different. Even if it’s the same step, it’s done differently. It looks different, the timing is different, and the preparation is often different, too. When a woman does something it looks feminine, when a man does something it looks masculine. But, in addition to that there are some steps that only men do and some that only women do.

Really? Like what?

Women do bourrées (lots of little tiny steps) either on demi-pointe or full pointe – men do not. Men do grand jeté entournant (barrel turns) women do not. Men and women do the reverence at the end of class differently. But, even when men take pointe class they don’t look like women – they look like men on pointe.

Men in pointe shoes? Oh no – I don’t want to do that!

Don’t worry you don’t have to! Some men chose to do it because they want to strengthen their feet, or they want to teach it, or they just want to know how it feels, or they want to choreograph for women on pointe so they want to understand it better. But, it is never “required.” At least I’ve never heard of it being required.

There are a couple of roles – character roles – in ballet that call for the male to dance on pointe. And, you’d be surprised how manly it looks – not all feminine.

Well, okay….so what do I do to get started?

First you talk to a teacher – you can start with a man or woman teacher at the beginning. Eventually you want to find a good male teacher, but for a beginner a female teacher is fine. Ask her/him what kind of clothes she/he wants you to wear.

Uh oh – that’s the part I’m REALLY upset about – that tights business!

Most teachers will not require a male student to wear tights in the beginning classes. You can wear some kind of gym pants with a t-shirt. As long as the clothes allow you to move freely and at the same time allow the teacher to see what your body is doing so she can help you.

However, as you progress you will find that you might very well want to wear tights – you’ll get over the problem of “everyone is looking at me” that most beginners deal with.

But isn’t it true – isn’t everyone looking at everyone else?

Not true at all. You will find that everyone is so busy trying to figure out what to do and how to do it, there’s no time or energy left for simply “looking at everyone.” Even when others seem to be watching, they might very well be going over the choreography in their mind. But, even if someone watches someone else it’s just as likely they’re thinking positive thoughts. We shouldn’t assume they are thinking negative thoughts.

Anything else I should ask the teacher?

Yep. Ask the teacher to recommend the type of slippers you’ll need.

ARGH! Pink shoes!

No, no – they come in black. Besides pink doesn’t affect your hormones – you still are what you are. I’ve worn black slippers and I’m still female.

But – one thing you will need is a sports belt for support. I can’t help you with much information about this. You should talk to a sports outfit place, or another male who is into sports and/or dance.

Oh yeah – guess I should do that. Well, that’s different from the rest of the class of women.

Not really. Women wear support.

They do?

Think about it.

I will - ! (Laughing)

After you’ve studied ballet for a while you begin to change the way you see your body and how you see other bodies in dance class. You start to focus on the body as an instrument for what you want to accomplish in dance rather the as the almost exclusively sexual object our culture emphasizes. It becomes your equipment to dance and you learn to take care of it and critique it with that in mind. People who aren’t dancers have a hard time understanding this.

You mentioned I should eventually have a male teacher – why is that?

Like I said, men move differently than women do. Their timing is different. They jump higher and therefore their takeoff and landing is different. For that you need different music. Even in a beginner class, when you start jumping, make sure you get music that is a bit slower than the music the women use. If you don’t your body will get “cramped” and it could result in Achilles tendonitis. So, be sure the teacher does this for you. She should know to do this, but some teachers don’t.

Also a male teacher will approach pirouettes a bit differently. Men are terrific turners and their approach is different. I’ve learned a lot from male teachers when it comes to turning.

So, ok, I’m getting convinced. But will the women feel like I’m butting into their class? Will they resent me?

You know, in the four decades in which I’ve both danced and taught I have never seen the women resent a male student. They don’t talk about him, ridicule him, or resent him. As long as he is polite, they are polite, just like it would be with any other student.

I use to love dancing down the diagonal in class doing the big jumps with the men because they really move and it presented a challenge to me. I had to dance behind them so as not to impede their progress and of course I could never equal them, but it made me really mooooooooooooooooove and I loved it.

Actually, most of the time women enjoy having a male in class. It’s interesting – and I mean that in a positive way. Its fun watching men jump – the burst of power is electrifying. Watching a man cover space is marvelous. Having a man in class is another dimension.

That’s it. I’m convinced. I’m going to be “another dimension.”

Go to ballet class and allow yourself the enjoyment of that dimension. Notice the word “men” within the word “dimension.”