What drives a straight man to become a ballet dancer?

seaarrrr: What drives a straight man to become a ballet dancer?
I would imagine he would have to face teasing from peers (unfortunately), etc. This sounds like a stupid question, but I’m curious to hear from male dancers why they decided to persue ballet.
Please refrain from the usual (love of the art form, etc.) as these are generalized assumptions. I’m really interested to hear from male ballet dancers or from people who are involved in ballet.

Answers and Views:

Answer by devan
I would imagine that they have an appreciation for the art form, and that they don’t care about the shallow stereotypes society puts on them.

Kudos to anyone who disregards what others will think of them!

Answer by robbet03
Love of the art form?

Answer by cirestan
Just think of all the ballerinas a straight ballet dancer could have relations with…

Answer by sugur
Simple, He’s not straight.

Answer by danceteacher5555
it is a sport if more went afraid 2 try because of the gay profile there would b more male dancers a friend non gay male friend told me when all his high school friends from foot ball went to the locker room after a game with all males he went with all girls that all liked him to a cast party he felt Lucky well he began dance to help his ball skills and flex ability and found he loved it as a sport

Answer by becca d
well really theres nuttin wrong wit ballet its fab, its just that it s a stereo type as pink tutus , gay men and spinning with ther arms in the air. its much more. and anyway the male ballet dancers ive seen are all fit nd hot!

Answer by Led Zep Rocks
Yes, they do face teasing from peers. I have been dancing ballet for 15 years and I have seen dear friends who have been made fun of and actually *shunned* for being a ballet dancer. As if he was weak or girly or something. Nuh-uh. You have to be very muscular to be a ballet dancer, male or female. Not only was he (he meaning my friend, who was ridiculed for dancing in high school) strong in his physique, but it made him be a strong person inside and develop a thick skin. I have the utmost respect for male ballet dancers, gay or straight. It’s tough when people will not accept you, but I have to say that I get people who when they hear “ballet” they think of standing on their tippy-toes, doing little swirls, and poofy tutus nad it drives me up a wall! Much more is put into ballet then spinning around mindlessly in circles like people think.

What I think drives ANY person, male or female, to become a ballet dancer is the beauty of it, and it gives people more than just the art of it. It gave me a lot of self confidence. For me, and my friend, ballet is a way of life. There would be nothing if not for ballet. Most of the time, it is something you start when you were young, whether you parents put you up to it or not. I was attracted to the pretty clothes at first when I was young, but then I loved it so much more.

Sorry if I could be of no help, seeing as I am not a MALE ballet dancer, but I am a dancer and I have seen what some people can do just because they are a male and they enjoy dancing.

Answer by danc3r4god23
Well, there is a guy that goes to dance school with me. He loves dance and he is stright. His mother grew up in dance and put him in it at a young age. He loves it and many look up to him. He is going places in the now, and for a young dancer under 20, he is considered lucky and talented.

Answer by snowflake1234
Most male dancers I spoke to said that they were originally taken to a dance class by someone (mom or sister or gf), and then they staid because they liked it. Different people emphasize different things if you ask exactly what they like, depending on the age and on the person. Males are competitive by nature, no matter what you pick. Once they realize that they can become better at something than the rest of the crowd – they take it and run with it as far as they can.

Answer by in a pickle
well, sorry but I’m no ballet dancer. I have heard though, that some guys do it to help with their football skills? Like for balance maybe.

Answer by janine_rs
Sorry, you can’t try to claim that you’re serious in getting a true answer and then rule out the key motivator for ANY dancer: male or female, straight or gay. Ballet is the toughest and most exacting form of dance, with lousy job prospects and even more grueling working conditions than any other kind of artist in that the dancer’s own body is their instrument. So what else besides an absolute PASSION for the art form can explain why any dancer pursues a livelihood that has them straining and stretching and pounding their bodies for hours a day, some 6 days a week and many, many YEARS of training before they can even hope to earn a single DIME?!!

What drives a straight man to become a violinist? a painter? a poet? The only reason why this same ignorant question keeps coming up over and over again on Yahoo Answers by ignorant Americans in terms of male ballet dancers is because our school systems don’t expose our students to dance as an ART FORM! Lap dances, school dances, strip dancing…. that’s what so many of the ignoramuses on this site think of when they enter the “dancing” category in the ARTS & HUMANITIES section! Shame on all of us for allowing such ignorance to continue!

Answer by sherockstn
It’s the best workout ever. You need control and stamina. Anyone who teases a man for doing ballet is a wimp.