Boys Can't do Ballet? Then Why...

[AnaKhouri]

I've become a specialist at shutting down nasty kids since my son appears to be some sort of bully magnet.

At a local kids' entertainment center, there is a 'ballet studio' where the kids can watch a ballet DVD and try to dance along with it. There are mirrors, bars and tutus. My 3-year-old son likes to put on a tutu and try his best to dance along (this spring I am going to look at really getting him into a ballet class).

Every single time we are there, some little girl throws a hissy fit that ballet is only for girls. Despite the fact that the class on the DVD includes a couple of little boys.

This time, when the little girl was freaking out and telling Khan he couldn't do ballet because it's for girls and boys don't do ballet, I turned to her and said, "Boys can't do ballet? So why is the most famous ballet dancer in a world a boy?"

"It is not!"

"Yes, he is. His name is Mikhail Baryshnikov. Go ask your parents."

She stomped off, her face all twisted up. I hope she did ask her parents.

I looked at Khan and said, "We win."

(actually I don't know much about ballet, and can only name three famous dancers- two of whom are men)

[jedimaster91]

Of course boys can do ballet.

I was a ballet dancer growing up. We didn't have many boys at our school, which was sad because there weren't many of us who got to do partnering work. There was this one guy (he dances professionally now for a modern company in I think Texas) who is....significantly taller than I and had a penchant for dancing in spandex booty shorts. You can guess what was pretty much at my eye level whenever we would bend backwards at the barre.

Where was I going with this? Oh yeah, boys can absolutely do ballet.

[PepperElf]

"Yes, he is. His name is Mikhail Baryshnikov. Go ask your parents."

I was thinking his name as soon as I read the title.

And before him was Rudolf Nureyev


Both were well known for their dancing ability - and for drawing in the women.

[jedimaster91]

Those white tights leave very little to the imagination. Especially when they get all sweaty and, er, I'll just be in my bunk. Over there. >.>

[AmbrosiaWriter]

I grew up doing ballet and most certainly boys do ballet. I knew that even when I was a little girl because I *gasp* actually watched and enjoyed professional ballet recitals (which always had men in them because they are freaking STORIES) instead of just having my parents pander to me and think myself extra super spheshul.

I'd print out a picture of Clara and the Prince from The Nutcracker and any time a snooty little girl throws a hiss fit just show it to her.

[auntiem]

Another girl that grew up in ballet. One guy from our class ended up on Broadway - on his first cattle call no less.

The male winner of SYTYCD is a ballet dancer (so was the female winner):
http://www.fox.com/dance/bios/contes...-wespi-tschopp

These guys are on pointe! I saw them and they are hilarious:
http://www.trockadero.org/

And of course Alvin Ailey himself as well as the amazing male dancers:
http://www.alvinailey.org/

ETA: I don't know if you are close to any of these places, but I would highly recommend taking him to a performance:
http://www.alvinailey.org/2013tour

[Mytical]

I actually wish my school had offered things like Home Ec, Ballet, etc..that is a guys dream..not many guys in the class..being surrounded by women...I would have signed up straight away *laughs*

[AnaKhouri]

I've seen Alvin Ailey before (very impressive) and few other shows. I considered taking Khan to The Nutcracker this year, but...he's 3. His attention span lasts about 75 minutes tops (the average length of a kids' movie). There is a version of The Nutcracker on Netflix I plan to show him, and if it holds his attention I'll consider taking him to a live performance.

Plus, being a toddler, he could forget all about ballet by next month and be into something entirely different. Luckily the ballet class at the Y is free...

2 must be the age at which the gender divide really begins; before that it seems there are very few toys that are 'girl' or 'boy'. But at 2 suddenly all the girls lost their shit when he chose a pink and purple tricycle ("Pink's a GIRL color!" I shut that one down with, "Why?").

My real problem is that kids need to learn to mind their own damn business. If my kid colors outside the lines, it's none of your concern (seriously, some kid about lost her mind when she saw him do this at the library). If he wants to dance, it's none of your concern. It bewilders me because Khan just isn't like that; he's never all up in other people's grills, and he seems to have no concept of 'girl' or 'boy' toys. He plays Ninja Turtles and Strawberry Shortcake (now there' s a crossover).

[BlaqueKatt]

Plus, being a toddler, he could forget all about ballet by next month and be into something entirely different. Luckily the ballet class at the Y is free...

nothing wrong with not pushing your child into gender roles, and I'd suspect it isn't the kids saying "pink is a girl color", kids don't know things like that unless someone tells them. My son loved barbies, tinkerbell, and my little pony(he liked the hair, it was a comfort thing, he used to go to sleep rubbing my hair against his face).

Male ballet dancers are technically called "Cavaliers", and Mr. Katt was one until the age of 16.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Boys cannot be in ballet because they're not bears driving in little cars.

[Ironclad Alibi]

I'm a guy and the first Christmas present I remember wanting at the age of 3 or so was a tea set. And I did get it.

[RayvenQ]

I actually wish my school had offered things like Home Ec, Ballet, etc..that is a guys dream..not many guys in the class..being surrounded by women...I would have signed up straight away *laughs*

That happened with me, except it was Field hockey where I was the only guy in the group. Watching girls rin around for a couple of hours isn't quite as fun when they're coming at you with big ass sticks ready to do some hurt. I ended up after a few months suffered 2 broken fingers and a fractured shin thanks to those...ladies.

It also lead to a few funny but also kinda terrifying moments back in school, when one of the hockey girls, when asked about her black eye, would say "Oh [my name] did it." I always thought "are you trying to get me beat up?!" making the guys think I'd hit her or something, what she didn't mention whenever it came up was that while yes, I had given her a black eye, it wasn't exactly on purpose, the hockey ball had run up her stick, bounced off her hands and whacked her in the face.

Looking back, those were probably the best times in high school, probably because I always seem to get on with girls better than i do with guys, especially in groups, I think it's just the difference in the nature of competition in a all/mostly guy group than there is in an all girl group with me being the only guy. There was still competition, especially with it being a sports thing, but it was less fierce and more friendly competition.

[MoonCat]

There was a story in the paper here once about a young teen boy who was doing extremely well in ballet.

He said that when the other boys teased him about taking ballet, he pointed out that the class was full of.....girls.

He said the looks on their faces were priceless.

[Greenday]

I used to get called gay for being a girl's lacrosse manager. Yes, filming, keeping time, or keeping stats for a bunch of athletic girls in skirts running around is totally gay. Especially because it got me a lot of female attention...

[Pixilated]

*snip*
2 must be the age at which the gender divide really begins; before that it seems there are very few toys that are 'girl' or 'boy'. But at 2 suddenly all the girls lost their shit when he chose a pink and purple tricycle ("Pink's a GIRL color!" I shut that one down with, "Why?").

My real problem is that kids need to learn to mind their own damn business. If my kid colors outside the lines, it's none of your concern (seriously, some kid about lost her mind when she saw him do this at the library). If he wants to dance, it's none of your concern. It bewilders me because Khan just isn't like that; he's never all up in other people's grills, and he seems to have no concept of 'girl' or 'boy' toys. He plays Ninja Turtles and Strawberry Shortcake (now there' s a crossover).

I don't remember running into kids like that when I was small ... but of course "when I was small" was a VERY long time ago. Still, either these kids are very ... I dunno, what's the term for someone who is really, really excessively concerned about what other people are doing? Anyway, either they are that way naturally or are being raised by at least one parent who is that way. Really, who cares what colour somebody else's kid's bike is??

And of course there's the fact that red and pink were actually masculine colours for a long, long time, while blue was considered a girl's colour. When I was young (there's that phrase again, LOL), that's how kids' bicycles were divided up, which is extremely odd when you consider that for virtually everything else, it was the opposite (must admit there weren't many pink bicycles back then, tho).

There was a story in the paper here once about a young teen boy who was doing extremely well in ballet.

He said that when the other boys teased him about taking ballet, he pointed out that the class was full of.....girls.

He said the looks on their faces were priceless.

I've read all the archives of Dear Abby and there was a letter very similar to that somewhere way back there: kid was being harassed because he was, ooooh, dancing, while all the manly boys were wrestling. He pointed out that he got to hang out with girls in, uh, extremely form-fitting clothing, while his manly classmates were spending their time with their faces stuck in each other's sweaty armpits. Apparently the silence was deafening after that. No reports on whether any of his classmates switched classes ...

Then there was the letter by a mom who had first a daughter and then a son. They played well together. One day her father came to visit. The son (probably about 3 at the time) answered the door dressed in a pink feather boa, a big floppy hat, "high heels" and possibly a skirt as well (I don't remember). She thought her poor father was going to have a heart attack right there on the porch.

If Khan wants to go into ballet, more power to him. I'm guessing he'll be very popular ...