Ballroom Scene Analysis

The quotes “For most people, social dancing begins in pleasure,” and “Of course, people sometimes feel pressure to dance in ways that are otherwise associated with pleasure; social dancing can serve many functions in a society,” from Chapter 4 of Dancing: The Pleasure, Power, and Art of Movement (Jonas 2003), peaked interest in me when thinking of all the various dance forms that we have talked of in class and even those outside of class. One in particular that has interested me the most is swing dance. With family member involvement in the past and having multiple friends take part in the Swing Dance Club here on the Wayne State University Campus for pleasure, enjoyment and social interaction has made me want to go more in depth about it. With the help from academic sources and knowledge from class lectures I will be researching the history of swing dancing, the forms of swing dancing, and what gender roles take place within these movements.

* Concept: ‘the struggle or fight to belong is an innate (essential) quality in people’

The movie “Paris Is Burning” is a documentary film exploring race, gender, and sexuality within the African-American and Latino gay and transgender communities of the ball culture of New York in the mid-to-late 1980’s. Ball culture is a term used to describe the underground sub-culture of LGBT people who “walk” or compete for trophies in events known as balls. The film chronicles the ostentatiously-arranged competitions in which participants, within a very specific theme, must walk while being judged on criteria such as the authenticity and beauty of their apparel and their dancing ability. Much of the film shows footage of actual balls interspersed with interviews of prominent members of this drag scene. The film shows people of different gender identities and their varied methods of expressing themselves while also exploring how they cope with racism, AIDS, poverty, and homophobia.

Hip-hop dance is a dance style that consists primarily of breaking, locking, and popping. Since the 1970s, it has gained momentum in North America and its presence is noted in mainstream television, film, music videos, and dance competitions all over the world (LaBoskey 119). However, it is because of this very exposure that its history is forgotten and the skill required to execute hip-hop dance is belittled. This essay will provide an analysis of hip-hop dance in reference to the main characters in Save the Last Dance (2001) and Step Up (2006). More specifically, it will shed light on Sara’s forays into the world of hip-hop in Save the Last Dance (2001), and how her relationship with the dance form along with Nora’s relationship with the dance form in Step Up (2006) contribute to the devaluing of hip-hop culture due to instances of cultural appropriation that stem from issues of class and race.

We were the center of attention. This was our moment—our time—to make a statement on the raging political events. It was evident from the speechless, astonished faces of the audience that we were successful. I smiled as I watched my activism and dance group, Bailamos, dance with pride on the stage. After all the countless hours of organizing dance routines and spreading the Hispanic-Latino culture throughout school, I was finally able to witness the outcome for myself.

This is symbolised by the members of the federation and the ballroom community disregarding the rules that were previously important to them and dancing together as one. This symbolises the ballroom world accepting Fran and Scott and embracing change.

Gender norms surround every person in every culture, even though they have variety in each culture, they are still real and still impact individuals who stand out from the norms. Leslie Feinberg's book “Stone Butch Blues” shows how hard it is to challenge gender in the 1960’s when homosexuality and the transgender movement was something that was just starting up. Leslie shows the reader that just by existing in a transphobic environment ze is challenging what it means to be a man or a woman, and more importantly, what’s in between. Leslie shows that gender isn’t just black and white, it’s a spectrum of colours.

In the article “Gay ,Latino ,and Macho” by Albert Serna Jr. and the essay “Masculinity as Homophobia” by Michael S. Kimmel, the authors both address how Masculinity and Homophobia are both effect by the gender scripts that are established by institutions. However, Kimmel and Serna bring light upon the issues in different manners. Kimmel states that Masculinity is a mental burden upon men who are unable to truly express themselves without being seen by society as a “sissy, untough, uncool” (Kimmel, 44). Consequently, this leads many heterosexual males to develop an “irrational fear of gay men” (Kimmel,44).Contrary to Kimmel’s essay, Serna address how the Machismo Culture (a strong sense of masculinity) effects Josue Velazquez and Felix Rios (who are both Mexican males who are homosexual).Serna expands on how many homosexual Mexican males have been affected by the Machismo Culture by introducing the reader to the advancement of the underground queer nightclubs and bars and also to the evolution of art that is center around “sub-culture of gay Latino men”(Serna,54) that is done by Hector Silva. Through his art form, Silvia is able to bring a better look upon “the community” (Serna, 54) that the queer “nightclubs cannot” (Serna, 54).

This paper will continue on, researching the societal change/acceptance in the gay and lesbian community as no longer being unorthodox and with the stigma coming from the gay community itself.

In the documentary, Mad Hot Ballroom, viewers follow New York City students and their journey to learn about ballroom dancing and dance competitions, the ups and downs of child/adolescent development, and the overall influence dance lessons have on them. Throughout the documentary it switches between showing the students learning about the dances and talking to the

There are various perceptions of gay and lesbian couples that they represent a more egalitarian relationship. (Civettini 2015:1) However, when same-sex couples are observed there is still a tendency to believe that the relationship contains a masculine and feminine figure following the heterosexual model. So, it is necessary to address both how these couples deviate from society’s norms as gay individuals but might still be reproducing the same behaviors as heterosexual couples because the ideologies are so deeply rooted in social institutions. The stereotypical connotations of masculinity and femininity influence all aspects of American society and gender display relies heavily on meeting those given expectations. So, in the case of this article, the author Civettini views a connection between sex, gender, and sexual orientation when it comes to displaying

Boys and girls In my opinion, boys and girls are unlikely involved in each others day-to-day playing. If there’s any teamwork involved, both the girls and boys try their best to put in efforts into teamwork so that they could succeed. In the film, Mad Hot Ballroom, there are differences and similarities between the female and the male fifth graders.

Additionally, exclusion is not only the exclusive phenomenon among homosexual and heterosexual people, but also exists between gay men and gay women. For instance, SHE SOHO is a lesbian bar and at the same time the women’s priority venue. The music can be understood to exclude male in the lesbian bar. Such as the word ‘he’ barely exists in the lyrics of lesbian bar’ music. Also, the meaning of exclusiveness shows on the tips before you go. The official website of SHE SOHO describes itself as a modern space for ladies and their male guests. The word ‘guest’ somehow conveys the sense that men are ‘subordinated’ to women in the lesbian clubbing scene. In other words, a gang of the male guest might be refused by the doormen of SHE SOHO, due to

Queer theory questions creations of normal and divergent, insider, and outsider.2 Queer theorists analyse a situation or a text to determine the relationship between sexuality, power and gender. Queer theory challenges basic tropes used to organize our society and our language: even words are gendered, and through that gendering an elliptical view of the hierarchy of society, and presumption of what is male and what is female, shines through. Queer theory rejects such binary distinctions as arbitrarily determined and defined by those with social power. It works to deconstruct these binaries, particularly the homosexual/heterosexual binary.4

Beverly Hills Ballroom is a dance school that is located in Los Angeles, California. Here, students can learn the classic dances of Latin and standard ballroom such as cha cha, samba, rumba, paso doble, jive, waltz, tango, Viennese waltz, foxtrot, and quickstep. Beverly Hills Ballroom also offers classes on salsa, swing, ballet, hip-hop, contemporary, and more. They provide instruction in ballet as well. Beverly Hills Ballroom is the best of the