Erika Nauman, University of California, Santa Barbara

This study attempts to address the reasons behind gender discrepancy in ballet by looking at social attitudes toward masculinity and the danseur—the male ballet dancer. A survey of seven questions was administered to an American and Russian sample to compare the attitudes between the two countries. Russia was selected as a comparison to the U.S. due to its esteemed history in ballet. The expected results were that Russian attitudes toward male ballet dancers would be more tolerant given the large number of famous danseurs originating from the former Soviet Union. Americans were expected to be less tolerant of the danseur, given the lack of male ballet participation in the U.S., perhaps because ballet is considered a feminine activity. The actual results of the study contradict the initial hypothesis. Russians, especially Russian males, were found to be less tolerant of male ballet participation, whereas Americans were more receptive to the idea. Neither country seemed to identify ballet as a feminine activity, so any opposition to the danseur does not seem to be linked to gender anxiety. Further research is needed to identify the reasons behind the lack of male interest in ballet.

Download file: nauman-vol-five-ms-lsc.pdf

Published: Friday, May 11, 2012