Description
Book SynopsisThis book examines men, masculinities and sexualities in Western theatrical dance, offering insights into the processes, actions and interactions that occur in dance institutions around gender-transgressive acts, and the factors that set limits to transgression. This text uses interview and observation data to analyze the conditions that encourage some boys and young men to become involved in this widely unconventional activity, and the ways through which they negotiate the gendered and sexual attachments of their professional identity. Most importantly, the book analyzes the opportunities male dancers find to develop a reflexive habitus, engage in gender transgressive acts and experiment with their sexuality. At the same time, it approaches gender and sexuality as embodied, and therefore as parts of identity that are not as easily amendable.
This book will be of interest to scholars in Gender and Sexuality Studies as well as Dance and Performance Studies.
Table of Contents1 Introduction
The Cultural Attachments of Western Theatrical Dance
Gender, Sex, Sexuality: Theoretical and Conceptual Tools
Matters of methodology
Outlining the book
References
2 Theoretical and conceptual elaborations
(Un)doing gender
Reflexivity and the habit of gender
Men and masculinities
Conclusion
References
3 The gendering of Western theatrical dance
The gendering of ballet
The gendering of modern dance
Dance today
References
4 Becoming Dancers
Discovering dance
The pains and pleasures of dancing
Conclusion
References
5 The Practice of Dance, Habitus, and Heightened Reflexivity
Reflexivity and habitus
Dancing bodies, reflexive actors
Reflexivity in ballet and contemporary dance
Conclusion
References
6 Behind the Curtains: Questioning sexuality, troubling gender
Dance is a very gay world
What does it mean to be a man?
Conclusion
References
7 Getting in Character: Just acting or gender embodied?
Performing onstage: masculinity, sexuality and the body
To be a leading man it requires a sense of masculinity
Conclusion
References
8 Male dancers negotiating the gendered and sexual attachments of dance
Negotiating dancing identities
Dance is butch, but not that manly
Conclusion
References
9 The grand finale
The tensions of dance
Men and masculinities in dance and beyond
Limitations and Areas for Future research
Concluding Remarks
References
Index
