Tanya Batson-Savage, Freelance WriterON THE stage of the Little Theatre last Thursday through Saturday there were boys, boys, boys and more boys. Though boys in and of themselves are not very strange (though some special ones are), the sight of the numbers that participated in the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission's (JCDC's) National Dance Finals was strange.
It was also welcome.
For years, male dancers have laboured under the stigma that dancing is unmanly - at least, when it is on the stage. The result is that many men have stayed away from the art form and those who have braved its tender arms have been left to the not so tender mercies of public opinion. In recent years, though, some professional dance ensembles like the National Dance Theatre Company (NDTC) have begun to boast a burgeoning male contingent.
So it is that the testosterone flood that hit the Little Theatre last week may well signal that this trend of an increase in male dancers will continue, especially if many of these boys and young men continue to dance.
Barbara Requa, one of the adjudicators for the JCDC dance competition, was quite enthusiastic about the arrival of so many male dancers. "It's fantastic, because they are no longer challenged by the stigma put on dancing," she said. "Men like to dance just as women and they dance very well."
Requa also sees it as a signal of deeper changes in the country. "It's like Jamaica is coming of age," she said.
Particularly in the Jamaican context, which promotes a hyper masculinity, dancing men present a ticklish issue, one fraught with the potential for bringing about sexual accusations. For many, it is related to the 'tights' issue. The man in tights is often deemed akin to a cross-dresser, with the tights being viewed as effeminate.
Indeed, even at the competition, one young man seemed to have his sensibilities affronted by the sight of male dancers in the modern dance segment. His friends (females) quickly hushed him.
MEN WHO LOVE TO DANCE
The Popular Dance category has been the province of men who love to dance. Free from tights and filled with acrobatic skill and strength-reliant moves, the category, especially since the creation of break-dancing elements (which are still evident in popular dance), allows them to dance and remain manly.
The inventiveness of the genre was very much on display during the JCDC finals, with dances which pulled on Shaka Zulu and Jiggy Friday. They often recreated images of masculinity, sometimes pulling inspiration from areas like karate movies, where masculinity remains safe. As in football, touching becomes safe from scrutiny as long as the audience is caught up in the show you create.
POWER OF LAUGHTER
Many male popular dance groups also draw on the power of laughter and, in this space, it is even safe to cross dress. So characters such as old women are created and while the audience keeps laughing, it is okay. Several of the groups explored this element during the competition, satirising girls putting on make-up or posing for the camera, much to the delight of the audience. Brent Maxwell took this one step further in his solo piece My Expression, as he was dressed as both a man and a woman. However, he remained safe from reproof as his batting eyelashes put him safely on the side of humour.
The Arnett Gardens Dance Troupe highlighted that other areas of dance can explore manly issues with their winning duet Brothers, which explored the male-bonding ritual of football.
However, the plethora of boys in the modern and creative folk segments highlighted that boys are willing to shake off any stigma that might be attached to their wish to dance. Normadel Webly of Tarrant High, which boasted nine male dancers, explained that her dancers are boosted by the family nature of her troupe. She explained that the boys have learnt that dancing does not mean homosexuality. "Dancing is just a way of expressing yourself," she said. Furthermore, she argued that the students have found dancing a way of putting their school "on the map". This they have clearly done, having taken home a national trophy with them and the school will be having a dance on the compound on July 6.
Several of the troupes boasted strong male dances, especially the Bridgeport High Cultural Club, Arnett Gardens Dance Troupe and Ardenne High. Indeed, with four male dancers, Ardenne has come a long way from its sole male dancer a few years ago.
So it is that boys can feel free to dance. Free to express themselves, with or without the tights. Their presence is a welcome addition to the burgeoning tapestry of Jamaican dance.
