Why we champion male dancers - today and every day!
Not too long ago, an anchor on a national morning news show reported a story on the young Prince George and his school schedule. Included were ballet lessons which the young Prince absolutely loves. The news anchor proceeded to laugh through the report stating, “We’ll see how long that lasts.”
This comment sparked outrage among the dance community, especially from prominent male dancers in the industry. This reporter posted a public 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.
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, we are hopeful 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 dancing.
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 function.
We think it's vital to support young boys who want to dance #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 and share this story with them.
Hire dancers for your events, meetings, and parties. This leads to increased awareness that #boysdancetoo!
We thing it's important to champion ALL dancers and all that they bring to our communities. And to our amazing male dancers here at PEP - Thank you for dancing!