Sex And Social Dance Analysis

“Sex and the Social Dance” was a streaming video which examined the sexuality of social dances around the world. Regardless of geographical location or decade of popularity, dance conveyed social values. In particular, the sexuality was expressed through physical contact or lack thereof, in the gender roles of the dance, and in the purpose of the dance. 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.

The social dance was an integrated aspect of the culture; therefore from birth, children were taught to wiggle their bum. Both males and females were vital to this dance, because males brought energy while females conveyed beauty. The social dance required both genders to work in unison. This attitude of teamwork rather than gender hierarchy was an essential characteristic apparent throughout their culture, as exemplified by the collaboration used to build canoes and roads. Interestingly, the females asked the males to dance. This act clearly illustrated the important role females played in the society. Although there was no body contact, males and females danced flirtatiously as a public expression of their sexuality. The dance reflected the Polynesian cultural attitude that dance was a healthy public display of physical vitality and sexuality and not