Rehearsing masculinity: challenging the ‘boy code’ in dance education

Abstract

Dance education experiences of boys and male youth are investigated in terms of dominant constructions of contemporary Western masculinity and the potential limitations these hegemonic discourses may place on male participation. Recent research on boys and male youth in dance, although limited, suggests prevailing social stigma, heteronormative assumptions, narrow definitions of masculinity, and internalized homophobia in the field. For boys and young males, however, choosing to dance may be an important vehicle for investigating dominant notions about masculinity, gender, sexual orientation, and the body. From emerging research, this review essay explores the ways in which male youth in dance confront heterocentric bias, gender norms, and gendered bodies, as well as peer pressure and dominant cultural ideology in dance training and education. Focal points include key social questions of difference, pleasure, marginalization, and the larger effects and limitations of contemporary masculinity.