The Tribune

By JEFFARAH GIBSON

Tribune Features Writer

jgibson@tribunemedia.net

THE ABSENCE of male dancers on stage during the latest show hosted by the National Dance Company of the Bahamas was nothing out of the ordinary. There have been no male students enrolled in the school since 2009.

Female dancers alone captured the essence of the seasons, through jazz, classical ballet, ethnic and folk styles, in the show themed 3 Seasons: Spring, Summer and Winter.

“We usually try to find a theme for the show and this time we focused on the seasons. The show reached my expectations in terms of the quality of work, but as for the support from the community it was disappointing,” said Robert Bain, owner of the National Dance Company of the Bahamas.

For future shows like 3 Seasons, Mr Bain told Tribune Entertainment the group will do more to attract male dancers to the stage. Plans include targeting parents and interested male dancers with information about the endless possibilities that classical dance presents to those who delve into the art form.

Mr Bain said one of the reason parents are hesitant to enrol their young boys in dance, is because male ballet dancers are broad brushed as homosexual, not only in the Bahamas but in other parts of the world. This calls for  more education on the art,” he said.

“I have been dancing for many years. I am not gay and I have never been a sissy. Some men find it very difficult to be in dance even though they may be very good at it. There is still a stigma connected to male dancers. Parents do not want their sons to be labelled as gay so they do not get them involved in dance. Lack of education is responsible for this kind of thinking,” said Mr Bain.

“This stigma is not only present in the Bahamas but in other parts of the world where people label male classical dancers as gay,” he said.

Yet there is no stigma connected to dancers who perform mainstream forms including hip hop. Mr Bain credits this to the popularity of dance competitions and shows aired on television that focus on main stream styles.

“Aspects of modern dance, including hip hop are integrated into ballet and classical dance as well,” he said.

By 2015 Mr Bain said the school is hoping to have a balanced number of male and females students. He said the presence of male dancers puts performances in perspective showing clearly both gender roles on stage.  

“You cannot have a dance school with no male dancers: that is an imbalance. We usually have to bring male classical dancers in from the United States to dance with us. It is very important to have them because our dancers get to see what a man and a woman are supposed to look like on stage. This puts things into perspective,” he said.

This year the school will launch programmes designed to educate the public on the benefits of dance both academically, artistically, socially and physically. There will also be a reality television show featuring dancers of the school and other males dancers to share their experiences.

“If they get to see what dance is all about I think people would be more interested. Dance opens the door for so many different possibilities. I have travelled to many different places in the world and I think if I was not a dancer I would not have been to a quarter of those places.

“There are many Bahamian dancers who have left that Bahamas and established themselves in other parts of world. Some of them have their own businesses. People just need to know that the possibilities are endless,” he said.