Boys and Ballet
Ballet has always been associated with females. When little girls are asked what they want to be, they always want to be a ballerina. It may seem a little odd if a little boy tells you that he wants to be a ballet dancer. There is a basis for this, it is true that most ballet dancers are females and you will seldom find male ballet dancer.
One of the main reasons for this is that somewhere across the years, the original idea that ballet dancers were men has been lost. Back in the Italian Renaissance period it was only men who danced on the stage. They would dress up as women wearing a hoop-skirt that would end at their knees. Known as a tonnelet, this would help identify their roles in the ballet as female. Over the years the number of men who perform ballet has diminished considerably and today comparatively few males enter this predominantly women’s world.
When to Start your Son in Ballet
Whose idea is it for your son to join a ballet class? You may love the idea, but the chances are that your son is going to be less than enthusiastic! You may see the reasons why ballet would be great for your son, but getting him to understand that ballet will make him stronger and more flexible won’t be easy, especially if he’s of an age to have friends who won’t support his dance style choice! Boys are very gender conscious and want to appear tough and cool – boys in ballet do not have a tough cool peer image and this is something you’re going to have to overcome in order to get him to go to class.
The main thing your child needs is to have shown an interest in dancing. Usually this surfaces at a very young age, and if you have a son you hope to enrol in a ballet school, then the younger the better! The earlier they start, the more chance you have of him establishing a routine and enjoying his dance before he gets amongst his peers and finds that this isn’t something that many boys do. The older he becomes, the more involved he will become in the traditional male activities and the less likely he will be to willing join a ballet class.
How to Convince the Reluctant Male Ballet Dancer
Hollywood has been kind to parents who want their boys to at least try ballet class. With movies such as Billy Elliot and Center Stage showing not only that boys can do ballet, but also that they can be normal cool kids – they just enjoy dancing. “So You Think You Can Dance” on TV is a great way of showing your son that although his friends aren’t interested in dancing, there are plenty of other boys who are!
If you can find a ballet school, or even a class, that’s all boys then you’ll have an easier time convincing your child that he’s not the only boy in the world taking ballet class! He will be part of a group of boys who are all interested in learning how to ballet dance and will give him a network of friends who share his dance interest. Make sure you point out how strong ballet dancers are, and how the flexibility he learns at ballet can help him in other sports.
Ballet is fun, and you need to let your son see that fun. Keep an eye on what’s happening at school to ensure he’s not getting teased or bullied for taking part in ballet. One way of doing this is to let him take part in football or soccer at school so that he is doing something that’s more traditionally a male activity. He’ll find that his ballet training helps him play better and that’s going to make him want to stay with his ballet despite what others may say!