With regard to
dancing, it is not permissible in front of other men
or women, because of the fitnah that may be caused by the movements of
the
body. With regard to dancing
on the part of women, it is an evil action and we cannot say that it
is permissible, because we have heard of incidents that have occurred
among
women because of it.
If it is done by men that is even worse,
because that is men imitating women, and the evil involved is well
known.
If dancing
is done among a mixed group of men and women, as some of the foolish
do, that is even worse because of the mixing and great fitnah involved,
especially when that is done at a wedding party.
Response of male dancers
In a 2003 sociological study, male ballet dancers reported several stereotypes they had been confronted with including "feminine, homosexual, wimp, spoiled, gay, dainty, fragile, weak, fluffy, woosy, prissy, artsy and sissy".In preparation for their 2009 anthology on masculinity and dance, Jennifer Fisher and Anthony Shay interviewed several male dancers from different age groups, ethnic backgrounds, and sexualities. In the interviews, the men were asked questions pertaining to the biased Western picture of male dancers such as “Do you think you’re now surrounded by any stereotypes about men and dancing?” and “Are there perceptions about men who dance that you think need changing?
One of the dancers interviewed, Aaron Cota, came up against unfair prejudices but helped dispel them. He took some time off to enter the Marine Corps. He tells of his fellow Marines’ reaction: "When they found out that [I would be earning a] dance degree, they were like 'What? You’re what?'. They were kind of confused. You just have to explain it to them. When the guys in my unit would see some of the things I’ve done, or they see videos of other people dance, and they’re like, 'Holy crap, how can they do that?' ... and they’re like 'Wow, that’s amazing,' and 'That’s kind of opened my eyes ...'".
Another dancer, David Allan, experienced very negative effects of the stereotype growing up. He tells of the time he performed in his school’s talent show at age eleven, “I was so excited about doing A Dance from David, my first choreography. So, when I came out in my pretty white tights, there was a big roar of laughter.... Later I met some guys in the hallway of my school who were making rude comments ... 'You’re that dancer guy' would turn into being thrown down the stairs."[4]
US danseur Walter Patrick Bissell mentions that he was horribly ridiculed as a boy for taking ballet classes. He did his best to keep it secret, but it eventually leaked out and he was in fights with the other children every day for the rest of school days.[citation needed] The same has been said of ballet professionals like Ethan Stiefel, Sascha Radetsky, Edward Villella, Jamie Bell among others.
Effect on participation
In a study done on peer attitudes of participants in “gender specific” sports (i.e. ballet and American football), teens ages 14–18 were found to have strong stereotypical views. Males who frequently participated in a “sex-inappropriate” athletic activity were perceived as more feminine than those who did not. The study also suggested, “This stereotyping of athletes may have an important impact on the willingness of athletes to participate in certain sports. Likewise, these stereotypes may tend to filter out certain types of potential participants — e.g., macho males ... in athletic activities which are 'inappropriate' for one's gender."[5] Victoria Morgan, a former principal ballerina with the San Francisco Ballet, relates "... I feel there is a stigma attached to ballet in America that doesn't reflect the reality.... This makes it difficult to attract some audience members and boys for ballet companies".[6]
