I’m beginning to wonder if this thread would be better phrased in the “Men why don’t you dance?” form (like why don’t you lift?)
Because lots of it is similar for many I suspect. There are other things we like to do more. It hasn’t been fun for us when we have tried it. We are intimidated by others who are better…
And similarly it would probably be healthier for us to do it? Especially as we age. Great social and as exercise good for balance and moderate aerobic?
If my wife was interested (not) and we ever retired and had the time I could imagine taking some classes … learning to Tango or something…
I feel like I may be talking about something specific and everyone else is off on another angle. I’m not thinking about dancing in a night club, or formal ballroom dancing like waltz or tango. That seems to be an even mix of genders to me. I’m thinking in terms of stage shows, and professional dancers, ballet and such, which tends toward more women than men, so therefore I’m approaching it as very fit, talented, dedicated performers. Maybe that’s where I’m going wrong in this conversation.
I must admit, I am coming at this whole thread as a man who absolutely loves dancing and always has - who dances every day just from joie de vivre, who still goes clubbing (goth, EDM, rock) regularly, who can’t sit still when a beloved song comes up on the playlist.
So the notion of not dancing just because someone else might be better at it than you is so alien to me. It’s not a competition, it’s just fun.
Unless you only view it as a courtship display or something, I suppose.
There are certainly styles of dancing that are geared more toward one body type than another–but even among highly skilled dance performers across cultures, I don’t think it’s at all accurate to say that women dominate.
Local culture is going to determine what dancing is, how well it is done, and which people will enjoy dancing the most. In my lifetime dancing has gone through the Twist era, the drug induced swaying era, the Disco tragedy, the drug induced Mosh insanity, while at the same time steadily supporting classical ballroom-like dancing that favors women’s appearance and abilities. I see men enjoying dancing a lot, just not the most common iconic thumbnail concept of dancing in this culture.
Then again, I suck at dancing, don’t enjoy doing it at all.
I personally know someone who views dancing as a competition to the extent they practice for and participate in literal dance competitions. One has to assume they enjoy beating other people and getting medals as well as the dancing itself. It is also a way of pushing oneself.
The TV show “So You Think You Can Dance”, etc., garner audiences of 2-10m people. Are most of these women and gay men? Dunno. For a lot of old white people, dancing was an activity they did often; my parents are good dancers. Black and Hispanic people are often excellent dancers, and many of them are objectively not willowy and thin, which is not an actual criterion for dancing.
I do think more women than men enjoy dancing, enjoy watching others dance, and take the time to learn how to dance. It is a skill, and not difficult to improve on. You don’t need formal lessons to do that, but I would guess more women than men have taken formal lessons of some sort, by a wide margin.
Now personally I have fun when I “dance” despite my complete ineptitude. But this again sounds so much like the exercise threads where those of us who think our exercise as our playtime are accused of not getting those who just don’t like to sweat.
Some just don’t enjoy it.
And I do not enjoy folk dancing because I am always in the wrong place doing the wrong thing. I can do the Russian kick dance thing still though!
Women come in such a wide variety of shapes that the above makes no sense to me whatsoever. The “default” in advertising may be “willowy and elegant”. That’s in no way the “default” in who I see walking down the street.
No, the OP’s question is “why”. And I think the answer is almost certainly “culture”.
– there are lots of different styles of dancing, you know. Not all of them work best with “willowy and elegant”, either.
Pretty much every professional stage show and ballet I’ve ever seen has included both men and women; very often in equal numbers.
And I don’t see how you got that specific classification from the OP; which seems to me to be clearly primarily about recreational dancing, though I grant that people, if given a choice, are more likely to take up professions that they like.
Classical ballroom dancing calls for equal numbers of men and women. (And pretty much requires others to pick a side for the purpose of the dance.)
Yes, it’s possible for women to dance the part of the men (or vice versa, or other). It isn’t classical, though.
True. I doubt this is essentially divided by gender, though; although it may be culturally divided by gender.
Oh I am absolutely sure specific culture (including exposure and experience and more) is the reason “why” but every specific is very specific. We can wild ass guess about others in whatever level of “our” culture we want, and our least poor guess is why each of us gendered as male don’t.
One does want to be good at a thing, though. It feels good to do something well, whether the thing is dancing, setting nails, or cooking muffins.
I enjoy club dancing, but I’m not very good at it. So when i do it, i spend a certain amount of energy thinking about what i could be doing better. Now, maybe if i did it more i would naturally improve. And the reasons i don’t do it much are all social and unrelated to the actual dancing. (I don’t have friends who do it, my husband doesn’t do it, so I’m just not in situations where it happens, much.)
Sure. My point is that you don’t need to be, to get by, where I dance. EDM clubs, music festivals and raves aren’t competitive dance venues. They’re about everyone getting off on the music, not scoping out each other’s moves like it was Night Fever or SYTYCD.
Here’s the thing - just because you might like to dance even if you aren’t good at it doesn’t mean the same is true for other people. I can enjoy a thing I’m not particularly good at but I’d have to enjoy it an awful lot. And I don’t (and never will) enjoy dancing that much. It’s not because I think it’s competitive. It’s partly because I think I look terrible and partly because the music I like generally is not meant to be danced to. ( unless just swaying without actually moving your feet is considered dancing).
I don’t know if more women enjoy dancing than men - it’s really not possible to know without actual research because we are all in our own little subculture(s) . People who like to dance are going to go to places where people dance, like clubs. I might have been to a club once or twice in high school - which means before 1981. Why would I go to clubs if I don’t like to dance or the sort of music meant for dancing? But that means you won’t see people like me or my male counterparts at clubs. The places where I see people dance are at parties - and by “party” I mean something wedding-like, with food and an bar and a band/DJ. People who don’t like to dance don’t self-select out of parties. I generally see men and women dancing to a slow dance or two at parties - but aside from that , the women dancing greatly outnumber the men. Certain men are more likely to dance than others ( younger men dance more than older ) but there are 5-10 times as many women dancing as men for non-partner type dances.
There are indeed girls enrolled in dance classes whether they like it or not but it’s really not likely to be a huge number. Most parents don’t want to fight about a kid’s activities and tend to sign them up for things they enjoy rather than activities they don’t like. There are parents who live vicariously - but that’s not restricted to women who have daughters and dance classes.
My experience of parties is very different, then - don’t know if it’s because I’m not in America, because I’m younger, or because my social circle is different. Probably all 3. But a 5-to-1 ratio would be unheard of at any party I went to.
I disagree. That’s not my experience, when physical activity extracurriculars are required (as they are here), the kid is going to get signed up for something. And it’s not like Dance Moms and related stuff like Pageant Moms are a thing I’m just making up.
And really, kids not wanting to do something but being forced to do it anyway is not some rarity - ask some Chinese kids about their music lessons, some time.
Sure - but the non-Dance Mom ones aren’t relevant here, so I don’t see what that matters? All that matters is the Dance Mom ones exist.
I didn’t mean to imply that you aren’t good at it - but I assumed you meant that you enjoy things you aren’t good at. Not everyone does. And if you don’t enjoy things you aren’t good at, I’m not sure why you would say “you don’t need to be” good at it to get by where you dance.
Sure , if it’s required they will be signed up for something - but most parents aren’t going to sign up a kid for basketball if they like soccer. Or for dance classes if the kid likes baseball. Some will - but the reason that Dance Moms and Pageant Moms are a thing is because most parents don’t do that.
I said “women who have daughters and dance classes” for a reason - some of those Dance moms are forcing their sons to take dance classes.
I’m going to go with all three. Fwiw, there was dancing at my nephew’s wedding. After the hora, which everyone participated in, the band switched to generic “club” dance music. My husband was uninterested in dancing, so i joined for a little while. But i was the only person over 40 on the floor, and the kids all knew each other, so i felt self conscious and left. There were lots of young men dancing. I would have guessed the ratio closer to 50/50 than to 90/10. This was a very white-bread American event. (The guests weren’t all white, but with the exception of the groom’s childhood nanny, I’m guessing they were all rich. It was held at a Michelin-starred restaurant.)
I think the reason the ratio I see is more lopsided is because almost all the women are dancing , even the 80+ year olds , and none of the men over 40 or so are. ( I’m often the only woman who doesn’t dance at all)
