Male Homosexuality

Homosexuality is often discriminated in any society, and there seems to be always a relationship between homosexual men and alternative arts. But the question is, do these arts transform people’s sexuality, or do homosexual men feel drawn to these kind of arts? Usually the insequrity of people to reafirm their own sexual tendecies would make them believe that if a man dances ballet, then he is automatically homosexual, but the case is totally different. A mere discipline like classical dance is, cannot modify someone´s escence, and has been proved that straight men begin to dance about three years before gay men do, proving that ballet has, in fact, nothing to do. But statistics do show that among the male classic dancer’s near 57 % happen to be gay, being it more than half of the sample. One theory for this occurence, is that arts in general do not discrimate sex, being often more accepting of different lifestyles than society is, as we can see in more profoundity in the article Why is sexuality stereotyped in dance?.

Many homosexual dancers have been asked what is it that they find in ballet that makes them want to dance, and it appears to be that because of their tendency, they have a much more developed sensitivity, appreciating arts as heterosexual men probably would not. Choreographer James Cunningham, testified that he was interested in ‘theatre, dance and music, where I could explore my emotional, sensual, sensitive side’, while Christopher Williams says that their 

‘Sense of beauty is undeniably influenced by our sexuality […] views of male dancers publicly articulating their powerful and nubile bodies, as a form that reveres grace, subtlety and exciting feats of physical ability, plain and simply attracts the attention of gay men’.

As we can see, they both embrace to O’Connors term, feminilia, describing the ‘femenin creative spirit present in gays. […] As it was dangerous to say you were gay, I was developing some other language that was internalized and started to express itself through dance”. Clearly what bonds these three characters that belong to the world of ballet, is that they are all drawned by the great sensitivity of this sort of dance, and by the chance of being able to express their normally restricted feelings. Ultimately, it is all about feeling accepted and belonging to some place in this society.

On the contrary, there are some that strongly believe that for being a ballet dancer, pure sensitivity is not enough. Ballet, is not only a type of dancing, but it is a strong physical activity, in which heavy training is required, and one must be able to endure. Edgardo Hartley, chilean ballet dancer and director, states that in Chile, ballet is very much associated to faggotry, that they do not know that you have got to be a real man to study ballet, not anybody resists the tough training. And it is true; anybody who has ever danced ballet, knows that for being a dancer, several hours of training are required, and you need to develop not just grace, but also  a good musculature and great flexibility.

So far, it is not surprising that the man that made ballet a discipline that could be exerted by men, was homosexual Rudolf Nureyev. He is definitely one of the greatest performers that has ever existed, and a very acknowledged figure to anybody who dance. Nevertheless, despite his tendency, Nureyev has been claimed to dance with a rather masculinity, giving no hint of his true sexual condition.

‘Billy Elliot’ anyway, is a movie that fights this notion of all men ballet dancers being gay. Although it shows the tale of an English eleven year old boy who’s greatest desire is to become a ballet dancer, this film intends to break the stereotype of homosexuality by making the contrast between heterosexual Billy with his best friend who is openly gay. While Billy is thrilled with the music, the movements and the expression of feelings he can have while dancing, his friend Michael is more interested in the tutus and his mother’s make up and dresses. The already stated contrast between Billy who is a dancer and his best friend who is not a dancer but homosexual, can be graphically seen in the following dialogue;

Michael: So you're going to ballet every week? 

Billy: Aye, but don't say owt.  

Michael: Do you get to wear a tutu?  

Billy: Fuck off, they're only for lasses. I wear me shorts.  

Michael: You ought to ask for a tutu? 

Billy: I'd look a right dickhead.  

Michael: I think you'd look wicked.

Another important theme treated in this film, is the social unacceptance of homosexuality. Billy’s father is a miner and fear for his son’s inclinations, not only encouraging him to be a boxer instead of a dancer, but actually forbidding him to dance at all at the beginning of the story. Later, he learns from his son that he must not discriminate people for what they do, that there is nothing wrong in having different joys in life, even when they are not that traditional.