Women’s Sexuality is the “Problem”, Not the Pole
In the metaphorical, and literal, sense of the term I wanted this dance experience to “turn my world upside down”. For my ethnographic study of a dance I attended a pole dancing class at Aerial Bliss in Madison, and it was one of the most fun things I have ever done. My instructor, Regan, created a very open, accepting, and safe environment. There were six people participating in the class, all of which appeared female, and we were encouraged to be creative and expressive in our movements. While I had respect for pole dancing before this class, I now recognize the strength and confidence that has to go into pole dancing to make it graceful. Even though I loved the class, I wasn’t comfortable
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An example of this is ballet versus belly dancing. Ballet traditionally presents women as demure and modest, whereas belly dancing is exotic and sensual. Both put a woman on display, but people were more accepting of ballet because the female fit her traditional roles, but belly dancing was sexy and broke the “rules” of traditional gender roles. One of the best arguments that the pole is not the issue is through the history of pole dancing. The origin of pole dancing has many roots with different purposes. One form of pole dancing originated in China during the 12th century. It was used in circus acts and the pole was used for showcasing strength. Another early account of pole dancing was in India, where men would use the pole to train for other sports, such as wrestling. As demonstrated throughout historic examples, both men and women have used pole for training and entertainment, and they were respected for it. Circus performers in China even showed off their burns from the pole as if they were medals (“History of Pole”). Conversely, people who do pole today are often afraid to admit they pole in fear of judgment. They try to distance themselves as much as they can from the sexy version of pole dancing by citing that men originally pole danced. This only perpetuates the idea that pole dancing is less acceptable when a woman does it because doesn’t fit the ideals of modesty for women …show more content…
She informed me that most people who attend her class are female, but she’s encountered a whole range of genders and ages. She’s even had 60 year old women come in because she wanted to build strength and confidence (Regan). While I believe that pole dancing should be for everyone, the idea of a man or an older lady pole dancing doesn’t come with the same critique that it does for a young women. When an old lady pole dances, the effect is more comedic or impressive than sexy, which is why they would be more likely to be praised for trying something like pole dancing. A perfect example of this is when a 70 year old woman pole danced for Italia’s Got Talent and all of the judges’ remarks were about how impressive that was considering her age (Bitette). If a man pole danced, they would be criticised for taking on a feminine role of sexuality, which further proves people think pole dancing is just about female sexiness. Men who pole dance are fearful of getting comments like “Get your heels on,” or “That’s a woman's place,” more so than being called a slut
Before the Lindy-Hop became popular and long before tap dance was established in the United States, Black Bottom dance was popular among both Blacks and Whites in Harlem, New York. The dance craze, appropriated from the blacks in Harlem’s nightclubs, became a big rage when brought to the white community and put on stage. Black Bottom dance, also known as “Swanee Bottom” was an popular dance among lower class African Americans in the early 1900s. Beloved to be introduced by Alberta Hunter, a popular blues singer, Black Bottom was a dance that emerged from African American culture. Although Black Bottom is not a family recognizable dance today, the popularity of the dance at this time caused a great ripple in the dances that came later on down the line.
Strictly Ballroom, with a ballroom and romance plot is more difficult to project the male stereotype. However even in this difficulty area, it manages to still capture the following masculine traits – mateship, trivialised larrikinism, physical apperarance, durnkenness, determination to win the ballroom dancing championship using new steps –the macho Spanish pasodoble.
Jensen, Jill Nunes. "Transcending Gender in Ballet’s LINES." When Men Dance: Choreographing Masculinities Across Borders (2009): 118.
Young girls and women symbolize femininity with being a ballerina. Kelso comments that in the shadows of the spotlight lurks an abusive world of eating disorders, verbal harassment, fierce competition, injuries, fatigued, and malnourished dancers (Kelso, 2003). In today’s world of ballet, dancers suffer from always being in pain, worrying their body image is not the right look they need to have to get lead roles resulting in the development of eating disorders, and male ballet dancers are stereotyped as being homosexual when most of the male dancers are in fact heterosexual.
As sport acts as a microcosm of society, many issues found in sport such as gender stereotyping, female discrimination, sexploitation and racism, can also be found outside of sport. The cultural level holds immense power in influencing all levels of the framework, with socialisation of factors regarding race, culture, femininity and masculinity filtering through each level and either directly or indirectly impacting the individual level. Both male and female participation in dance is influenced by gender stereotypes with hegemonic beliefs about masculinity and femininity limiting or enhancing both genders equity and access into dance. Within our media saturated society, females dancers are urged to sexualise themselves in order to serve the
In today’s society we as a culture have set the standard of how a person is stereotyped. The cruel truth is that being judgmental of others simply because of that person’s clothes, gender, or language, is damaging to that person’s identity and also damaging to the trust that could have been built between individuals.The decision to choose which social group a person decides to be a part of should not define who the person is as an individual. People just like to do different activities that make them happy. A male cheerleader has the abilities that some girls may not, such as demonstrating strong muscle power in necessary situations. Cheerleading may make some males happy and they can do tricks or other things many females won't dare to do.
Throughout this research, we have reviewed pertinent information needed to understand drag performers and their vibrant culture. Exploration of definitions, the diverse culture, and the positive and negative views in society associated with drag performers has brought us to this point, hopefully much more educated and understanding of the individuals involved in this fascinating world. By the nature of its performance, drag will continually evolve and never fit neatly into a rigid definition. Continuous research such as this will be needed more than ever as our society continues to diversify, allowing us to stay proactive and understanding of the world developing around us. In this case, that world is drag.
Further to stereotypes, the dance styles seen in Save The Last Dance portray traditional gender norms which are prescribed within society. The idea of masculinity, where males must possess qualities traditionally associated with men, such as being dominant, competitive, strong and aggressive, compared to the passionate and beautiful physicality for female dancers is very prominent within the two different dance styles in the film (Ravaldi). Hip-hop which is the main style of dance in the film, is characterized as hyper masculine, defined by the exaggeration of male stereotypical behaviour (). This is evident as we see many of the male characters at STEPPS who womanize and exhibit consistent aggression or self-proclaimed invulnerability. The choreography consists of
does our society fail to respect dance as a sport? Dancing as a career requires an incredible
... social dance. Many people in today’s society enjoy social; dancing. Chapter eleven dance concert, properly planning and establishing a dance concert is of the utmost importance. The partnership with the lighting designer usually takes priority over all other factors. One of the most important issues concerning customers has to do with mobility. The dancer must be able to move comfortably in the costume. The task of producing a dance concert is an overwhelming and tiring one. Chapter twelve dance in education and career in dance, many dance educators present the argument that teaching and learning dance as an art form is obviously absent from the American student education. There has always been and always will be people who have a love, desire, and passion to instruct and learn the art of dance, will ensure an important place for dance in higher education.
However, New York Public Schools offered ballroom dancing classes to low-income students of color, which allowed the arts to be included in their curriculum. Watching the film, I observed the positive reaction the children had to the dance classes. Overall, they were exposed to different cultures, made new friendships, became more confident, and aware of different career options such as professional dancers or singers (Agrelo, 2005).
Some typical sexist remarks include throwing like a girl, saying that a certain sport isn’t for women, or in general that women can’t do something that men can do. “Throwing like a girl” is not because women being inferior to men in terms of athleticism but because they are conditioned to move a certain way in a patriarchal society. This brings back the restriction of movement due to the contradiction women face in that society. Although women are of human existence, they are still limited in subjectivity and transcendence by existing in a patriarchal
“Just as musicians have their instruments, dancers have their bodies” (Price and Pettijohn 991). The body is the only tool in which a dancer has to create art and express themselves. For this reason, there is a constant focus on the body. This constant focus, and constant pressure, can cause the dancers to develop concerns and a negative body image. The term body image can be defined as “the way in which people see themselves in the mirror everyday: the values, judgments, and ideas that they attach to their appearance” (Kelso 1). From childhood people perceive themselves in a certain way. They learn of how to feel about their ...
The first social dance explored was ballroom dancing. Ballrooms were a place of courtship; therefore, these dances were always performed by a male, female couple. Traditional gender roles began the dance as the men always asked the women to dance. As the dance began, the bodies were transformed into vehicles to connect these opposite sex partners. However, societal rules applied to this dance because partners must be from within the appropriate class, the intentions proper, and the movements executed in a specific manner. The woman’s role was essentially to avoid a misstep of tripping on the man’s feet, since the male always led the dance.
Dance is an ancient human practice, however the earliest record of human dance remains a mystery. By