The Here and Now of Boys Dance Lessons

It's a common myth that a lot of young boys think that taking dance lessons is a girl thing. However, due to the rise in popularity of dancing in reality TV shows and movies, the old “dancing is for girls” notion is slowly fading into oblivion.

So why did the stereotype break? Perhaps this is because of the fact that dancing nowadays commonly connotes popular street music. A few decades ago, dancing lessons were primarily focused on ballet and ballroom dancing—a few performances which in the young boy's mind is a “girl thing.” On top of that, male-dominated dances like hip-hop, break dancing, pop-locking, and even Capoeira were only limited to small niches—and formal training was hardly accessible. Nowadays, however, these types of performances are part of the regular program among most dance academies. Add to that the regular competitions or “battles” that come with hip-hop culture, what is “cool”, “urban”, or “street” is now slowly becoming common in dance schools.

In fact, Britain experienced an 83% rise of male pupils who took up dancing as part of their school's physical education program. On top of that, 96% of British schools are already offering dance as part of their PE. And with the rise of dance competitions or “battles” in US entertainment media, young boys—and not just girls—are already starting to step up and perform on stage. Truly, dancing is not just sophisticated; but rather, it is also “cool” now as well.