Let's Hear It For the Boy!

This is Elroi, who is five-years old. Today, he became the school’s first, and youngest, danseur and is the newest member of the Creative Ballet class.

The studio was really buzzing when he walked in with his family, who was in complete attendance-Dad, Mom and older brother were clearly supportive of Elroi’s passion for ballet. He appeared in the requisite white shirt, black tights and black ballet shoes this morning. (In the afternoon, he will be shooting hoops with his big brother at the community basketball court.)

In traditionally patriarchal societies, you might say that it is uncommon to observe encouragement and even approval of this kind. “Think of ballet, and you think of pointe shoes, tutus and pirouettes,” says one CNN report. Male ballet dancers are stereotyped as “feminine, dainty, fragile” in an earlier study. And then there is the heartbreaking story of Palestinian Ahmad Joudeh, who faced death threats for teaching dance in Syria where ballet is taboo for boys. His life changes dramatically though, after he was filmed dancing in the ancient Roman ruins of Palmyra where in January this year, the terrorist group Isis had executed teachers, civilians and soldiers. Dutch National Ballet artistic director, Ted Brandsen, who saw the documentary on Joudeh, helped fund his travel to Netherlands where he is now studying dance.

“Dancing in the Palmyra theatre was my way to fight Isis. It was my way to tell them: you can kill people, but you can’t keep me from dancing. It was a dangerous thing to do, we couldn’t stay there longer than one hour, and it was 50C (122F) in the sun. But I did it because I knew I would never have the chance again. And I was right. Isis have destroyed the theatre now. I cried for two days when I heard the news,” said Joudeh of his dance of defiance.

Few are liberal-minded and smart enough to see that ballet is actually more demanding, more rigorous than a lot of sports out there and requires the discipline, dedication and long hours of a PhD education.

Male ballet dancers not only possess the athleticism and physicality to lift and assist ballerinas, they have the power and strength to spring high while turning and twisting in mid-air (all this time seeming effortless), and are expected to be graceful dance partners as well.

A Ballet Education has a more humourous take in its “Manly Ballet” post which lists the top  misconceptions about male ballet dancers. Here’s a few:

While skateboarders do 720s using momentum V-force, men in ballet do it from a static position.

While track athletes jump hurdles that stand 42”, ballet dancers are clearing more air while looking relaxed.

While football boasts the manliest sport, they are still basically wearing tights.

While soccer players are drilling for foot speed, ballet dancers are drilling for foot speed in exact positions.

While regular guys are at the gym lifting weights, male ballet dancers are lifting women for eight hours without grunting and straining their necks.

While baseball players are coordinating catches, male ballet dancers are coordinating catching women.

Let’s get serious for a moment here. For me, the greatest strength a danseur has is the courage to be vulnerable when dancing. And Jacquelyn Bernard said it best in her article, “The Male Dancer: Exploring, Identifying, and Breaking Down Stereotypes.”

“A male dancer has a specific talent that requires more than just his physical being; it requires his emotional being, too. Unlike many athletes who can express their feeling sthrough various forms of physical activity, a male dancer may use his body to express his feelings onstage, making him vulnerable to the world. He shows his heart and soul in his movements, which is a beautiful and rare talent in the dance community,” writes Bernard.

Kudos to the exclusive London Boys Ballet School, founded in 2014. It challenges stereotypes of male ballet dancers and champions ballet for boys by focusing on strength, skill and power. Bravo! Ivan Putrov for his “Men in Motion”,  a male dance project which tracks the evolution of male dancing over the century in a show which boasts a cast of international danseurs performing 100 dances in 100 minutes (raw footage below).

Teacher Vic downplays all the brouhaha over ballet and men. But given all the developments in ballet, where males are concerned, you could tell Teacher Vic has big plans for Elroi.

So, let’s hear it for the boy! Let’s give Elroi a hand (of support)!