Boys of Ballet

As the mom of two young men who dance, I understand and have seen and stood up against the whole stigma some people in society still hold against the idea of boys in ballet., well actually, truth be told, boys in dance.  Repeatedly I was told that I was going to 'turn my kid gay' if I kept him in ballet.  It was and is a hot button issue.  We won't even go there right now.

This morning I checked in with a facebook group (postive dance moms and dads) to see this video that had been posted.

"Founded in 2012 by Martino Sauter, Boys of Ballet showcases the talent of male dancers from all over the world. Boys of Ballet raises the awareness of the male ballet dancer's strength and abilities beyond assisting the female ballerina. Boys of Ballet celebrates the power and agility of the male dancer and truly exemplifies the magnificence of the human body."

Bravo gentlemen, you boys of ballet - thank you for doing this.

Neither of my boys do ballet at the moment but they both started there.  The 16 year old began ballet at 3 in a local recreation centre class in what turns out was an all-girl studio.  When the word 'got out' he was teased by some children in kindergarten.  It could have ended then and there for him but that Christmas, I took him to see the Nutcracker.  Within seconds of the curtain going up, he clutched my arm with astonishment and joy - "MOM! There are BOYS dancing!"  And that was that.  We did end up moving to a different studio when he was 5 because it had all boy jazz and tap classes and he still taps there today.  Now back in mixed classes (ok, often it is just him and some lovely teenage girls, not a bad gig for a 16 year old boy), last year he received his ten year attendance trophy from his studio.  Last fall some people in our sphere were surprised that he wanted to register again.  But I think for him now, the studio and the people he has grown up dancing with or around is a bit of a special familiar place.  I like to think that anyways.

My 10 year old now has danced on and off since he was 3 or 4 at the same local studio and is at the point he is considering auditioning for company of which RAD ballet is a requirement.  Now he faces that 'terrible choice' mentioned in the video of taking ballet.  It shouldn't have to be a terrible choice, but it is a big choice for boys to pursue, even now, even still.  I hope he decides to go on audition day, just for the experience if nothing else, whether or not he is accepted into company and joins or doesn't.  I hope this video done by these amazing young men helps to show him the strength power and grace possible by boys in ballet.

If and when one or both of my children decide to not take dance, that will be okay too.  Unless it's because of teasing and bullying.  See hot button above.

Truthfully, I love the fact that my children dance, I love spontaneous crazy dance parties in the living room and I love knowing we have 3 dance bags in the car - one with tap shoes, one with jazz shoes, and mine with zils and a hip scarf...  it I think has helped them understand that you can pursue whatever interests you like as a boy or girl - if people are really your friends they will support you in your activities be they scouts, jazz band, soccer, chess, magic the gathering or dance.  If that message sticks for them, I count it as a parental success and treasure it.