To think dance isn't a girly thing?

[lizrta]

I'm in a mum's fb group and there's a woman on there who has said the following about primary aged boys doing dance lessons:

^"This isn’t going to be a surprise , I can’t fucking stand it. It’s just encouraging them to go against their gender and be DifFErENT

Before you’re like it’s 2023??? You’re the only one who thinks this

LOLLL

At DC's show, when the boy came on stage I could see all the parents/grandparents looking at each other like what the actual fuck

A family I was sat next too was muttering under their breath

It’s ridiculous. Nobody wants to see it. Shouldn’t be a thing"^

My little boy dances and I know others that do. It never crossed my mind as being weird?!

Thoughts?

YANBU at all.

They’re freaks.

Men dance all of the time. Don’t they watch any films?

Dance is for everyone. She's the weird one.

It’s not just a girly thing at all. Though I will say at the 4 different clubs my DD’s have been through, we’ve only ever came across one boy, and that was one of the instructors sons. I’d have loved my little boy to go into dance but he wasn’t interested. I think parents just tend to put girls into dance and gymnastics, and boys into sports and martial arts. I’m surprised the parents acted the way they did at your show though, are you sure they were looking at each other in a sneering way? I’d be looking round in admiration

She's a daft bigot. block her.

Has she never watched John Travolta dancing?

She's stupid and a bigot. And she obviously has never seen pictures of The Divinity Also Known as Carlos Acosta.

A friend of mine is a ballet dancer. She tells me stories - all the guys are very very virile. Sexpots the lot of them (i know about 5 of her male dancer friends) only 1 is gay.

Also when my DDs did ballet there were 3 boys in the ballet school, and they were lovely. Only one continued beyond primary school, and he stopped at 13 to go into gymnastics

How does she think men become professional dancers if they don't do dance as children.

She has issues and I feel bad for her kids.

Male ballet dancers are some of the most ripped people I've ever seen, dance is incredibly athletic and not at all "just for girls" or some sort of "soft option" as some very backwards people believe.

Bollocks to her, I refuse to take seriously or engage with the Facebook posts of anyone who has an intelligence level closer to my greyhound's than my own. Block her and ignore!

YANBU and I would waste no time whatsoever in calling out this nonsense.

Male dancers are the ones doing the lifts etc. They need strength, agilty and stamina. Haven't they see an actual ballet or even just Strictly Come Dancing

Dance is a curriculum subject at DDs comprehensive and as its on the Art not the sport rotation they do it mixed. Quite a few boys enjoy it!

I'd suggest anyone who thinks that dancing is unmanly should tell these 4 soldiers that to their faces: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=600188473486705

Incidentally, one story behind the origin of Highland Dancing is that it originated as a way for clan chiefs to find their most athletic [male] warriors.

She's being ridiculous. My DD participated in a regional dance training programme which supported young people to go into professional dance training. At least half the participants were male and of her particular friends, who went onto conservatoires to study dance, four out of five were male.

I'm at a boys' school that offers Dance GCSE. Tbf I bet more boys would take it in a boys' school than in a mixed school where they might be the only boy in the class.

Yanbu OP.

It's heartbreaking how early it starts. My dd loves football and has done Little Kickers football classes since she was about 18mo. They started out approx 50-50 girls/boys. Now 2y later she's the only girl.

For the reasons above (and others), I'm a staunch defender of single sex schools. Kids can then do what subjects/sports they like without having to be in a minority sex in that class

Absolutely absurd way of thinking. Tell her to watch Billy Elliot and then get back to you.

Boys definitely don't dance.
Carlos Acosta
Sergei Polonin
Fred Astaire
Hugh Jackman (yes, Wolverine)
Ashley Banjo

All super talented and gorgeous

FWIW out of everyone that was at my dance school growing up the only one I know of who became a pro dancer (rather than a dance teacher) was the only male there. He danced for Matthew Bourbes company.

The whole community around my DS's dance schools were really supportive, there was certainly no "WTAF" reaction as per the OP's fb group. How strange! (He danced from age 3-13 before he had to decide how to spend his weekends and evenings due to too many other interests.)

She’s an idiot.

Rio Ferdinand and many other footballers talked about doing ballet to improve their game; it takes incredible fitness, strength and control.

I was going to recommend she watch Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake, but I see a PP has name checked him already.

Yanbu

Two words, Gene Kelly.

She’s probably friends with my brother. Boys are blue girls are pink and you put them in activities based on their genitals.
Does she not watch strictly come dancing?

My next door neighbours son is a professional ballet dancer. He is also a male model, extremely fit and muscular and has worked really hard to get where he is.

This has to be made up.

You'd hope so, but sadly I believe every word. I used to be involved in dance and this attitude was all too prevalent.

Sadly many people are very sexist.

We have the opposite (a Rugby playing DD) and she has had many comments.