‘Boys don't do dance, do they?’

Abstract

In 2005, the Warwick Arts Centre launched the ‘Boys Dancing’ project through the formation of the West Midlands Boys Dance Alliance. Aimed exclusively at boys and young men, the project has offered a range of performance-making opportunities with male professionals including Liam Steel (DV8, Stan Won't Dance) and David McKenna (Beingfrank Physical Theatre), with a view to challenge the perception that dance is primarily an activity pursued by girls and young women. The project involves boys of all abilities and all backgrounds from communities in schools, youth centres and pupil referral units. The stated aims of the project are to nurture discipline in participation, skills development, creativity and creative decision-making, self-esteem and teamwork skills, as well as performance skills in dance and choreography. Drawing on gender studies, ruminations on the negative associations of boys and dance and interviews with key participants, this article explores why and how Boys Dancing has deployed rehearsal, dance and performance methodologies to overtly and covertly challenge normative discourses around boys, young men and masculinity.