Boys/men in ballet

[Balletbrit]

Why is it that the idea of males practicing ballet is never promoted by dance schools. Whenever you go to a dance school ( I'm speaking in general, of course, there HAS to be SOME schools promoting males doing ballet!!) there are hardly any pictures of guys doing ballet. I just think that if schools made more of an effort to promote boys in ballet it would be seen a little more as main stream. It would be easier for males to not only be seen in a ballet studio, but easier for life outside of it. It can only not only help males in ballet, but increase income for the studio. All I'm suggesting is make it not so intimidating for males to be in a studio by adding a LOT more pictures of boys AND men with girls or women doing barre and show a bunch of pas de deux pictures of NON- KNOWN male ballet dancers ( maybe some even from your own studio if there are any). Not just baryshnikov or Nureyev. Just make ballet appear more like a unisex activity instead of a female activity. Are there any studio owners or ballet instructors who can explain why studios seem to like to make ballet look like a female activity?

[LaFilleSylphide]

I don't see what this post is about... all the schools I've ever been to promote males greatly. Perhaps not as equally as women, but I'd say it's 65/35 (65% advertising women, 35% men). There are pictures of males in class, males performing, males doing pas de deux, males just looking awesome (shirtless or otherwise) on their walls, their websites, their brochures, all over the place. It'd be difficult to promote men's class if there are no pictures of men! Even childrens' classes have little boys in photos with the girls now, I noticed. Really great.

[LaFilleSylphide]

Haha, speaking of which, here are a few things that might delight you.

 

Not only males in ballet, but siblings!: http://www.theballetbag.com/2011/12/21/home-for-the-holidays-ballet-siblings/

 

And everyone's favorite, "Barre Boys": www.barreboys.com or look up Brian Mengini photography since the site seems to be down for maintenance issues until mid-January.

[Redbookish]

Like LaFilleSylphide, I don't see dance studios not promoting boys/men in dance at all. I think you're making a very generalised broad statement which is bound to apply somewhere (maybe where you dance?) but completely not the case elsewhere. I think we need to be careful about making generalisations, as they can be inaccurate and even inflammatory.