Boys Dance Too
Updated: Aug 15, 2022
Why we champion male dancers - today and always!
Not too long ago, Lara Spencer, an anchor on Good Morning America, reported a story on the 6-year-old Prince George and his school schedule. Included were ballet lessons which the young Prince absolutely loves and Spencer proceeded to laugh through the report stating, “We’ll see how long that lasts.”
Her comment sparked outrage among the dance community, especially from prominent male dancers in the industry. Spencer posted an apology on social media before filming a dedicated interview with three successful male dancers in an effort to learn more about them and their professional careers. A few days later, anchors on other news channels continued with the “bullying” behavior and continued to belittle boys in dance, all while poking fun at Spencer’s heartfelt apology.
One of the male dancers with the loudest voice on this issue was Travis Wall, So You Think You Can Dance alum and Emmy-nominated choreographer. With shows like So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing with the Stars gaining huge popularity in the mainstream, one can hope that the tides are changing for boys in dance classes.
Unfortunately though, that’s not always the case. It’s safe to say that boys face a lot of opposition in the dance world and many young boys quit by middle school due to the incessant teasing, even if they love it.
Here at PEP, we hire men and women to dance at your events. From heartfelt lyrical duets to upbeat jive-style partner work, you can see our amazing male dancers hitting the stage at your next party or company meeting.
We think it's vital to support young boys who want to dance – without them, the entertainment community would be empty. In short, #boysdancetoo.
Things You Can Do to Support Young Male Dancers
Whether your son is begging for ballet classes or you don’t even have kids of your own but want to be encouraging, welcoming, and accepting of male dancers, there a few things you can do:
Share stories like this one to increase awareness of the issues facing male dancers.
Stand up and speak out against bullying if you witness it. Especially if you have a young child who makes fun of boy dancers, it’s imperative that you teach them that this is bullying and this is not okay.
Support your child if he’s a boy that loves to dance. Show him videos of male dancers on TV and share this story with them.
Hire dancers for your events, meetings, and parties. More awareness in people’s everyday lives that men dance too is an amazing way to see, in real-time, how important male dancers are to the bigger picture in entertainment.
Let’s all do our part to support ALL dancers and all that they bring to our communities. And to our amazing male dancers here at PEP - Thank you for dancing!