The community I have chosen is the dance community, but specifically the problems and stereotypes boy dancers face. I chose this community because I did competitive dance for five years with my cousin, Devon. He is so passionate about it and really loves what he does. All of the pictures I have chosen to write about are from different competitions we have been to.
This picture is from a dance competition a couple years back and works really well with my community. I was competing at this competition, but was there for my cousin Devon before he went on stage. In this picture from left to right is Devon, his coach, Shannon, and his duet partner, Megan. They were getting ready to perform but wanted a picture all together, and since I was there with them I took the picture. Devon and Megan worked really well together and were always so in sync during their performances. Shannon was not only a good coach for them, but also a great friend. When Devon experienced some of the stereotypes and bullying from boys at school Shannon was always there for him to talk to and give advice. Some people were confused as to how he was the only boy in the whole studio, but I think he really loved it. Not just because he was surrounded by girls all the time, but it allowed Devon to be in a lot of dances. He was a great asset to a lot of the teams.
I took this photo at a different dance competition two years ago. This year Devon did two duets with two different girls, along with many other team dances. The girl in this picture with Devon is Hannah. The two of them started the year competing this dance, but about half way through Hannah injured her ankle and another girl had to take her place. Both girls are Devon’s best friends to this day and really have been with him from almost the start. Hannah had left the original studio we all started at a few years back and started dancing at another one. When I quit, Devon decided to switch to the studio Hannah was at because it seemed like a better fit for him. He is still the only boy there but has made so many new friends. Hannah has definitely helped Devon through everything and I know they will stay friends for a very long time.
I took this video at one of the smaller competitions we went to. This was just last year, so I had already quit and Devon was dancing at the new studio. This was his first year doing a solo, which he was pretty nervous about, but did really well. He scored high at most of the competitions and he was very pleasantly surprised by that. His friends at the studio were very supportive and helped him be able to perform the best he could. At competitions there really aren't many boys that are there dancing, but everyone that is competing, no matter what gender, are usually very nice and are fun to be around. Since Devon is so busy with dance and school work it’s good he has some of his best friends at the studio that he gets to be with all the time. He’s had some guy friends in the past that knew he danced and didn't really care or think that it was weird, but there have also been a couple that have judged him for it which is never a good quality in a friend. I think the biggest problem he has faced is other guys thinking that dancing is a sport more for girls which is definitely not true. No matter what gender you are, people should be able to play any sport or be involved in whatever they want to do.
My first secondary source is an article I found on the University’s library website. It’s called , “Barre None” by Harriet Barovick. It is about how more boys are starting to take ballet classes and how a bunch of these ballet programs are starting across the country. There is a public middle school in Pikesville, Maryland were boys take a ballet class twice a week. Their teacher and former professional dancer, Tim Fox, does not share with the boys that they are actually doing ballet. They run around and follow his instructions but just see it as something fun to do. He also teaches a class for boys ages 11 to 14 and one of the sophomores, Tres McMichael is very serious about a career in dance. In the article he says, “Do I get teased? Of course! But the girls in high school think guy dancers are very cool” (Barovick, pg. 1). I like this quote because it really is what I am trying to show about my community. In the article, another place that is helping the boys in this community is The American Ballet Theatre in New York City started offering classes just for boys about a year ago and so many have signed up since. A lot more than they had expected. I really enjoyed reading this article because it shows how a lot of places around the country are helping to get boys more involved in this sport.
My last source is another article I came across on the university’s library website. This one is called, “On Education” by Rhee Gold. It is mostly about how to get boys more interested in dance. He writes about how most studios attract girls because of how they are decorated and that the instructors are mostly female. Gold writes, “As a former dancer who had to overcome male stereotyping in the dance world, I’m often asked how teachers might attract more boys to their classes or schools” (Gold pg. 1). This part really stuck out to me because it’s personal to him and he experienced the stereotypes first hand.
I am very pleased with the sources I have used because each one shows a side of my community that some people that don't know much about it can learn. Overall, I think this is still a big issue in this particular community, and hope that people can overlook the stereotypes and accept others for what they love to do.
Bibliography
Barovick, Harriet. "Barre None." N.p., 02 July 2012. Web. 12 Oct. 2015. <http:// eds.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?sid=1521a271-4f16-4d22-87bc- ed13fbd70192%40sessionmgr4002&vid=1&hid=4211&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl
2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#AN=77355797&db=a9h>.
Gold, Rhee. "On Education." N.p., 2003. Web. 2015. <http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=ad1a9c6d-e495-430b-a5d3- d1d65f5bc334%40sessionmgr4005&vid=11&hid=4211
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