Stop budding Billy Elliot in his tracks...?

[MunkyNuts]

My DS is 3 and has just started school in Spain. We signed him and DD up for extra curricula activities and put them both down for dance classes (age 3 to 5)after receiving assurance from the organiser that other boys would be doing dance. However the list has just been put up and DS is the only boy in the whole group, there are 20 or so girls and him. Are we asking for trouble? Will he get picked on bearing in mind its a relatively macho culture. What would you do? The other options don´t really appeal to him and are also rather female biased. He goes to swimming classes twice a week should we just leave it at that?

[halfcut]

I would let him do the dance classes if he wants too

[HecatesTwopenceworth]

Let him do what interests him. Don't start letting the opinions of other decide what he can do in life.

[islandofsodor]

Let him dance, boys are so in demand, hopefully he will find it fun and he will be the envy of his mates later in life surrounded by all those girls.

[UniS]

agree, let him go as long as he enjoys going, surely he has friends who are girls? my lad (age 3.5)has now got his best boy friend going along to ballet too after starting the term as the only boy. IMHO billy elliot has changed people veiws on boys that dance ( at least some people). for those that don;t get it, just blame it on his sister. Its easy for them to go together and he wants to join in and play not sit n watch.

[MunkyNuts]

Thanks, think you´re all right and if he enjoys it he should do it. Think I´m a bit over protective because my brother was bullied at school (not for dancing) and I can´t bear the thought of DS being subjected to something similar.

[Chaotica]

If he is bullied (which hopefully he won't be), there are plenty of famous male dancers (ballet and flamenco) from the Spanish speaking world who you can tell him about.

(I don't think that 'macho' means 'doesn't dance' in every stereotypically macho culture - Gypsy, Arab, Persian and Turkish culture are all "macho" but the men often dance; in fact, they'd be picked on if they didn't )

[madwomanintheattic]

lol, ds1 has been doing dance since before 3 (he's nearly 8 now). at his last dance school there were a couple of other boys, but we have moved and there are none again now (he's at his fourth dance school as we move a lot). the only time we had any bother was last year with a few little witches in his class who kept taunting him with 'ballet is for girls, not boys'. ho hum. 7 yo girls, for you, i guess. (he has older and younger sisters who have no problem at all that he dances)...
this year he has decided not to take ballet (no doubt due to the attitudes of the few) but is taking musical theatre and hip hop (neither of which have any boys in the class either lol) but he is loving every minute.
let him do it - come 5 or 6 he might not want to do it any more anyway, we have always let ds1 make the decision at enrolment time what he wants to do - and so far he is still keen.

[madwomanintheattic]

oops, forgot my main point lol - ds1 is an army brat lol - there ain't much more macho a culture you can get it's the 7yo girls that are the issue

[MunkyNuts]

Good to hear your son enjoys dancing Madwomanintheattic and perseveres despite sniggers from the girls. Imagine his peers are going to find him quite cool once he´s got some hip hop moves down. Quite fancy learning that myself!