MEN/MOVEMENT/MASCULINITY by Mady Cantor Dance, like just about everything else in human activity, is influenced by gender: gender roles, gender expression, expectations, problems, realities, and opportunities. Sometimes gender roles in dance are obvious and stereotypical, as in 19th-century ballets, with gallant male heroes and pliant maidens. Sometimes gender expression is understated or neutral as in post-modern choreography. In dance classes, gender comes into the foreground when little girls revel in the possibilities of tulle, or when boys are bullied for their interest in dance, but not much direct conscious attention is given to gender in dance education settings. Enter Vincent Thomas, an accomplished dancer, choreographer, and teacher based in Baltimore. He has been absorbed for many years by questions about the place and possibilities of masculinity in dance, through his artistic work, pedagogical inquiry, and recently through his writing. He has written a chapter in Masculinity, Intersectionality and Identity: Why Boys (Don’t) Dance, a newly published book edited by Doug Risner and Beccy Watson. Vincent was invited to contribute to the book because of an unusual program he developed at Towson University where he is a professor in the Department of Dance. Since 2006 he has offered a course called “Movement Enhancement Skills for Men.”
During the last 16+ years, over 1000 men have taken the course which attracts students from different backgrounds and intersections – athletes, music and theater students, business majors, science students, and neophyte movers. The classes start with the introduction of a set of “Community Agreements,” class guidelines which form the foundation of the class and are a way of being, and being with others. These agreements are: To be full of my value and free of judgment (negative). To be curious about my learning. To acknowledge the many faces, names, bodies, minds, experiences in the space and know they are valid and valued. To have serious fun.
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