Dance Classes: Boys' Interests


Figure 1.--Here we see a dance class in America, I think during the 1930s. I'm not sure if it is for interperative dance or ballet. Notice the large number of enthusiastic girls, but only obne boy has signed up.

Younger boys in our modern era often participated in activities or even programs involving dance. Older boys, especially in America, for the most part wanted no part of these programs. There were some boys who were interested, but many did not want to let their friends know about this. Dance in other countries, such as Russia, appears more acceptable. Mothers in the early 20th Century incouraged their boys to participate in dance programs. Often these were boys from affluent families who wanted their sons to become more cultured. Generally the boys resisted, prefering sports. Some mothers, however, were concerned about rough sports. Interperative dance was particularly popular in the 1920s. Some boys showed an interest in dance from an early age. Most did not. Mothers by the 1940s had increasing difficulty involving boys unwillingly in dance programs. Some boys, however, got involved in dance through their sisters. Often they would have tio go with mother when their sisters took their dancing lessons. Many American boys somewhere between 10 and 13 traditionally took dancing lessons. This appears to be less common today. For some it is an escrutingately painful experience requiring that he dress up in his best suit. Other boys are involved in various ethnic dance programs (German, Greek, Native American, Irish, Scottish, and others). Some European countries (especially Russia) with a tradition in ballet manage to interest the boys. In Britain and America, ballet is a hard sell--although some boys become interested in tap dance or folk dancing like square dancing. Black Americans in recent years have shown a great interest in break dancing. Many of these dance forms have distinctive costumes or dress.








HBC





Navigate the Historic Boys' Clothing Web Site:
[Return to the Main dance page]
[Introduction] [Activities] [Biographies] [Chronologies] [Countries] [Style Index]
[Bibliographies] [Contributions] [FAQs] [Glossaries] [Satellite sites] [Tools]
[Boys' Clothing Home]



Navigate the Historic Boys' Clothing Web chronological pages:
[The 1900s] [The 1910s] [The 1920s] [The 1930s] [Thw 1940s] [The 1950s] [The 1960s] [The 1970s] [The 1980s] [The 1990s]



Navigate the Historic Boys' Clothing Web style pages:
[Kilts] [Caps] [Sailor hats] [Lederhosen] [Sailor hats]



Created: 6:47 AM 1/20/2007
Last updated: 6:47 AM 1/20/2007