Anyone here with boys that do dance?

[Monkeytrousers]

How do they fair? Is it very girly for them?

Message withdrawn

I have a dancer.
umm... it's not that it's very girly, and ds2 loves the girls.
it was more that he didn't like the organised, drama aspect of it iykwim. He just wanted to dance, to move, not think about it too much. He's not going to a dance class atm but is happy dancing at home,, and he does,...all the time!

Will watch this thread with interest. I want to send my DS1 to dance lessons but DP made such a fuss I backed down.

DP works abroad for some of the year so am going to wait until he goes off again until i enrol DS1.

bloss hit the nail on the head. It was too structured for ds2. so Totally depends on your ds.

That's what I thought re right place at right time for the chicks, but he love of the ballet makes me think he'll not be very interested in the girls. That and many other things. He's just turned 4 and is hassling me to let him do it. I will, along with kickboxing as the condition so he can deck the bullies

Ds2 goes to street dance lessons.

He is 6.

They do things like Busted Jumps and breakdancing as well as learning step-ball-changes and ballet feet positions.

He was Student of the year last year, Class student of the year this year.

[proud]

It's marvellous for teaching a boy how to move

ds1 is nearly 7. he's done ballet for donkeys, had a brief foray into tap, and started at the back of his big sister's cheerleading/ majorettes/ ballet/tap/ disco class when he was 2.5. we move a lot, and i always ask him if he wants to carry on. this was the first time he asked me to find him a dance school with other boys in though. so i did.
i know he sounds like a bit of a flower, but he's a very physical full of energy boy, and probably going to be a rugby player, not girly at all.
ballet is also great for leading onto martial arts (although i will be trying to avoid that)
dh was a little at first, but he's away so much i just get on with it. he doesn't care now, and takes him happily to class if i'm at work. i think it's fab.

A small rant

Why do people, usually men, think that dance is 'bad' for boys ?

Why would you deny a child an opportunity to learn new, different ways of expressing themselves?

Rant over

dh is a soldier.
not a type well known for a history of gay pride participation, although embracing change of late, blah blah.
men don't want gay sons, it's not more complicated.
no, ballet doesn't make boys gay.
son does ballet.
dh initially sceptical.
dh now happy.
it's a caveman thing, but they grow out of it eventually.

ie, dance is not bad for boys.
being gay is bad for boys.

Dh is a dance teacher

Boys are (generally) harder to teach than girls

I wish we had a boy as more boys should dance

They've got some very good boys at our local dance school. Were going to enrol ds (8) for tap or ballet, but both were full

Ds at stage coach where they do dance, drama and singing....he likes the dance best....agree about gay thing thou' my SIL, a professional dancer in her time so you'd think she'dknow better won't let her son do dance classes, or have pink things and is practically apopletic when he gets the mop out at his nanas and cleans the floor

They do dance every day at Ds's school (he's 5 but they do it all through school). The kids love it.

DS does dance twice a week at school (it's in the curriculum, (performing arts status). He doesn't particularly enjoy it but he's pretty good as has been doing karate for years so is v. supple.

One of my nephews is 14 and dances a lot (ballet, tap, jazz and street). He's also 6' or so. He is a bit dramatic, but thats just him !

I'd like DS to do dance as I think its a great skill to have

Well hold your horses Boys, just where is anyone denying anyone anything?

The fact is though that boys who are into ballet may well be a target for bullies. I have no wish to deny my son anything, but it would be remis of me to ignore and not discuss with other people such issues

Romy, you are right of course, ballet doesn't make boys gay, but gay boys do want to do more girly things, such as dance ballet. That isn;t to say all boys who do bellet are gay, just that maybe a higher proportion probably will be than those who want to do street dance.

I want to give my son the oppritunity to follow his own prepensities, egardless of if he is gay or stright - but the gay flag comes up for most dads I;d say on discussion of their sons doing ballet, as it has with ex-dp. But he will get over it.

I actually would prefer DS to do it in conjunction with a martial art. I want him to be able to defend himself and also have the confidence to do so.

uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXGNP-cg0-Y&feature=related

Akram Khan...Brilliant

DS2 (9) has done ballet for a couple of years now - he is the only boy in his class,although there are three boys in the class below him (none in the class above) he's always been very dancy and, yes, is flamboyant, likes pink etc, makes clothes for toys - 'luckily' his dad doesn't give a shit, so he can do what he wants. I wouldn't say he was encouraged to be like he is, but isn't discouraged either.

i occasionally see some of the other girls peeking in the door at ds2 - and they say 'it's true! it's a boy!' who do they think has to throw them up in the air and catch them?

dd1 and ds1 both did a musical theatre workshop in the summer - mamma mia. it was hilarious and he had to sing as well. what confidence! he has never said anything about it being girly. we are v lucky in that the school has a boys gcse group who are fab - loads more boys doing dance exams now - and they have to have a grounding in ballet to be able to transfer skills to street etc really...

My boy did go dancing, but was put off by some of the other mum's going "eh, you do know he is a boy right?", "Wow a boy that wants to dance", "Does he know he is the only boy in there?". Some people are just being dumb arses because they are ignorant and want to make themselves feel better. I am not going to force my boy back again, it is something that I want him to want to do.

lol PS. Yes ds is very into pink, princess dresses and barbies - all tastes he has developed by himself and without any interference from us his lowly parents.

My ds (8.5) does Irish dancing. Started as his sister had just begun. There are a couple of boys that go. He enjoys it - I think he sees it as a challenge both mentally (remembering all teh steps is tricky) and physically.