QUEERING DANCE: DISMANTLING THE GENDER BINARY IN THE STUDIO
I. INTRODUCTION
Being a male presenting queer person in the cultural setting that is the Western dance world has its challenges. The idea that there is only one way to “be a man” has followed me for my whole career and has threatened me by pushing me into a box that simply does not fit. In my life, I have struggled to identify exactly what it means to “be a man.” I have been offered endless amounts of advice from parents, peers, and dance teachers that only perpetuates ideas of heteronormativity and only further confuses me.
Growing up, in social settings, I was always told not to “be a girl.” I was expected to take punches, not to cry and “take it like a man.” Though I tried my hardest to “be a man,” this falsified identity of maleness was never who I was. I knew I was going to have to find my people, those who created safe spaces for my gender queer, non-conforming self and did not expect me to fit any particular box.
College is where I truly found those people. I have felt loved, valued and as though I have been seen for being my true, effeminate, non-confirmative self. Even though I have found these people and felt safe in my social bubble, I still feel out of place in the dance studio, like there is no space for me, like I have been pretending to be someone I am not. It often feels as though there is only room for two genders in the dance studio, and that I have to fit one, specifically male. Because of gender rigidity that is a result of centuries-old understandings of gender and dance, I now focus my work as a peer/colleague and teacher on dismantling the gender binary in the dance studio.
In my research, I am finding ways in which dancers and choreographers alike are working in the field of dance to rewrite how gender is defined and performed in the dance studio. For example, Katy Pyle, founder of Ballez, creates safe spaces for queer individuals by using ungendered language, covering the mirrors, arranging the barres in a square, and using easily identifiable queer music.
I am using this information to shape the ways in which I interact with and in the dance field. As a part of this research, I am focusing on three main arenas in which I exist, in academia, as a peer/colleague, and as a teacher. With this research, I am working to shift my practices to create safer spaces for both myself and others.
II. THE SPHERES
In order to understand the ways in which the gender binary can be dismantled, one must first understand the ways gender is constructed and perpetuated in both social and dance spheres.
a. SOCIAL
Western culture regulates gender and dictates the ways in which men and women should interact. This understanding is enacted and perpetuated early in people’s lives. From birth, people are socialized to fit the mold of their assigned gender through the ways they are allowed to dress, the sports and activities they are allowed to engage in, and the ways they are expected to interact with the opposite gender. Men are expected to be “the protector.” They are meant to be intellectual, “strong,” unemotional beings, and they are expected to perform this role flawlessly. Likewise, women are expected to be “small,” “weak,” overly emotional beings. Sexism and the oppression of women limits men from exploring femininity, queerness and sexuality. Demonstrations of feminine attributes in men are frowned upon and stifled from a young age. These limiting parameters leave men vulnerable to hurting themselves and others. The idea that men are unemotional beings leaves them feeling shameful for even having emotions. When experiencing negative emotions, the false identity of maleness perpetuated in Western culture, forces them to keep their emotions inside even more. This “bottling up” of emotions, such as sadness or depression, can lead to outbursts—anger, violence, substance abuse, etc.—that can be physically and emotionally damaging for both the confined man himself, and those around him (Adams Ch. 1).
For myself, these parameters that I have experienced stunted my queer exploration and realization and caused my mental health to spiral. I spent much of my adolescence depressed because I knew I was “different” from what was expected of me. I was quite feminine and was attracted to the other boys. I was afraid to utter this aloud because I worried about the back lash that would come from not conforming to the expectations of what it means to be a male. This fear, coupled with the ways in which I was taught by my family, teachers, and peers to suppress my emotions led to very dark times for my younger self.
b. DANCE
In order to understand the ways in which the rigid gender binary is rooted in the creation and traditions of dance and classical ballet, specifically, it is important to understand the gender roles not only expected, but demanded in the historical, social context of classical ballet's emergence. In the time of ballet’s creation, the 17th century, gender roles in France were clearly distinct and strictly enforced. While the male dress of the era might today be considered flamboyant or feminine, dresses, make-up, heels, extravagant detailing, the expectations surrounding each gender's actions, experiences and performances were quite similar, if not identical, to those perpetuated today. Men were expected to be the protector, the unemotional, the intelligent head of the household. As this was common social practice and had been for many generations, it became common practice in the art of ballet as well.
In performances of classical ballet, the woman is often depicted as a frail, pale, and sexualized individual who is either saved or wooed by the strong and courageous male figure. This idea that women are to be weak creatures meant to be saved is an artistic depiction of the mechanics of society. For example, in Swan Lake, the swan queen Odette, is a timid, cursed woman whose is wooed and saved (almost) by the love of a handsome, male prince.
Inside the dance classroom, students are taught two different curricula. Men are taught in ways that value and depict strength and control—control not only over themselves, but over women as well. They are not permitted to express femininity in any way. Alternatively, women are taught to be pale, frail, and dainty. They are sexualized and meant to be submissive to both the eyes of an audience and their male counterparts.
In my dance training, I have been the target of harsh criticism, ridicule and made fun of because I strayed from this rigid curriculum by acting effeminately. These rigid gender confines are not only being perpetuated through the use of dated technicalities but are also being instilled through scare tactics. This abuse stunts queer exploration and expression. The abuse silences the voices of those who do not fit the inflexible box that centuries of a dated gender binary both in and out of dance classrooms and performances have created.
I often receive the question of “How would you feel about gendered dancing if you were simply playing a role?” My simple answer is, “Uncomfortable.” Dance is so deeply rooted in my person that I often find it hard to separate myself from the dance that I am performing. Dance requires that the focus be turned inward, toward one’s body. As outlined in by Christofidou in Men, Masculinities, and Sexualities in Dance: Transgression and Its Limits, we “…are taught that to know [our] bodies, which cultivates a reflexive habitus that enables [us] to put [our] bodies and embodied selves under the microscope and actively reflect on the ways [we] look, move, and so on” (Christofidou 2021). As a queer person who experiences this world through a 50% non-binary/50% binary lens, I often find that, outside of dance, most of my focus is on my body—how I look, how I move, how I dress. When I am asked to step into the dance studio and play a role, it is impossible to separate myself from my societal body. I am stepping into a space that requires an extremely embodied and introspective focus. Asking me to create two separate worlds for myself and live in two different bodies and minds, in my experience, is offensive, damaging and unsustainable.
III. STRATEGIZING
In Academia—
I often find that, in dance settings, it can be difficult to speak out. There is a certain student/teacher relationship that needs to be upheld in academia. Speaking out as a student is sometimes viewed as being disrespectful. Speaking out will, most always, be uncomfortable because it subverts the established hierarchy in education. However, there are ways to speak out respectfully. I find that, often times, asking questions is a way to do so. A simple “Why?” often leads teachers to rethink the language they are using as it pertains to pedagogy and in turn reshape it to create a more inclusive space.
I often find that I must remind myself that my gender identity is my identity. If I am not feeling welcomed in by my community, or as though there is no space being created for me, then I have every right to speak up and speak out. It is never disrespectful, in my eyes at least, to demand comfortability for myself, especially in the classroom setting. This space is meant to be the place where one expresses, creates, fails and tries again, and finds out who one wants to be as an artist and what one wants to say.
In my time working towards my Bachelor of Fine Arts in Modern Dance in Texas Christian University’s School for Classical & Contemporary Dance (SCCDance), I have seen an immense amount of growth and change at the institutional level when it comes to creating spaces for queer expression and freedom express oneself and study across historically gendered electives. For example, since my time here, the dress code language has changed, and the language has been rewritten to allow students to enroll in ballet repertory and variation independent of one’s gender identity. I am pleased to see that the language for the ballet repertory courses, in writing, is now ungendered. However, this does not mean the program is perfect in practice. While changes have been made, there is still gendered language being used in the classroom. In Ballet Partnering, for example, conforming to gender roles is still a requirement. This requirement is not separate from other university dance programs across the Unites States. For example, in an assessment of other U.S.-based dance departments similar to TCU’s including Butler University, Julliard, Oklahoma University, Southern Methodist University, and the University of Utah, gender-specific roles in Ballet Partnering remain intact.
I have also experienced sexism in the dance classroom and have been attacked when I communicated the importance of dismantling gender roles in guest artists works. I, along with some of my peers, brought forward the idea of a set of guidelines or ideals that could be given to guest artists upon their arrival into the SCCDance so that they both understand the space into which they are entering and our values. I understand that creating this process and its languaging is complicated. I look forward to receiving more information as to how we, as a unit, will move forward in sharing this information with guest artists.
This is not to say that the department is not working diligently to create safe spaces, but there is much more work to be done.
As a Peer/Colleague—
As a colleague, I find it important never to assume. Never assume gender, nor comfort level. I always introduce myself by stating my name and pronouns and creating space for my peers to do so as well. By doing this, we can normalize a world free of biases and assumed traits or roles based on gender.
I also strive to create spaces with my peers that allow them to feel comfortable and free of any confines. A simple “Is this okay for you?” is always a worthwhile question.
From personal experience, I find that often times feeling as though there is no space for myself, can be a lonely experience, and when speaking out, I feel as though I am fighting the battle alone. In being a peer/colleague, it is extremely important to let queer dancers in the space with you know that you support them. I have always felt a stronger sense of community and safety when I know that I have people in the space backing me.
As a teacher—
For myself, I find that one of the most important and challenging roles is that of a teacher. It is important to create safe and encouraging spaces for young dancers, so that they may not have to face the struggles I have faced and can go on to create more safe spaces and further dismantle the gender binary. As a teacher, given the information that I have received as a student, I find that it is often challenging to disrupt the gender norms with which I have been raised. I often find that the way my teachers taught me is manifesting in my teaching—not that everything they did was wrong by any means—but, in my work, I wish to avoid from using gendered assumptions and language in my teaching.
I strive to use inclusive language, such as “dancers,” instead of “ladies” or “men,” and strive to allow my dancers to move in ways they wish to move. I avoid statements such as, “Dance like a man,” “Move your hips more,” and “Be more feminine.” Lastly, I do not group by gender. Grouping by gender does not create spaces for certain queer persons to explore and move freely, as well as creates a divide. Even if there is no connotation, assumption, or expectation being attached to gendered groups, it still supports the idea of a binary. This can be detrimental in the process of breaking down how young dancers are growing and existing in the dance world.
IV. CONCLUSION
The effects of centuries of the perpetuated and deeply enforced gender binary are not easily undone. Particularly, redefining gender in the dance studio takes diligence, strength and resilience. Of course, society is changing as a whole, and the dance world is changing inside of that societal shift. I am not discounting the work being done both socially and in the dance field, but there is still much more to be done, as efforts are still met with backlash.
As dancers, teachers, choreographers, and humans there is huge necessity for creating safe spaces—spaces that recognize and celebrate queer bodies, people of color, women etc. The work we do as both humans and dancers must embody ideals of inclusivity. We cannot stop doing this work until change is made, until all people feel safe and comfortable breaking the mold and being unapologetically themselves.
-JAG
Bibliography
Adams, Edward M., and Ed Frauenheim. Reinventing Masculinity: The Liberating Power of Compassion And Connection. Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc., 2020.
“Ballez Founder Katy Pyle Is Creating Space for Students to Reclaim Ballet on Their Own Terms.” Dance Teacher, Dancemedia, 26 Mar. 2021, https://dance-teacher.com/ballez-katy-pyle/.
Bauer, Claudia. “Pioneering Trans Artist Sean Dorsey Is on a Mission to Reshape the Dance Field.” Dance Magazine, Dancemedia, 6 Jan. 2022, https://www.dancemagazine.com/sean-dorsey/.
Christofidou, Andria, and Andria Christofidou. Men, Masculinities and Sexualities in Dance: Transgression and Its Limits, Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, Switzerland, 2021, pp. 129–148.
Herron-Wheeler, Addison. “The Queer Dance Project Provides a Safe Space for Those Kept out of Dance.” OUT FRONT, Out Front Magazine, 12 Oct. 2021, https://www.outfrontmagazine.com/the-queer-dance-project/.
Lee, Carol. Ballet in Western Culture: A History of Its Origins and Evolution. Routledge, 2002.
“QDP Origin Story.” Queer Dance Project, 30 Nov. 2021, https://queerdanceproject.com/origin-story/.