That’s my 5 of 8 up there, tearing up the stage.
With his ladies, as he likes to say.
All of our sons have taken dance. I’m a big believer that nothing can match it for brain development and movement organization. And for 5 of 8, it’s his thing. Loves it. Works hard at it. Is thrilled by it.
Our 21st century culture is an interesting one. We have let go of some confines and boxes. And we sometimes adopt new ones.
It doesn’t happen too often, but 5 of 8 occasionally has to defend his interest in dance. Sometimes when he’s playing football with the neighborhood kids. Sometimes with friends at birthday parties. Sometimes.
It’s a little odd to me that as a culture we went from our superstars being men like Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire to questioning the masculinity of men in dance. I’m glad to see that trend changing with shows like ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ giving a bird’s eye view to the discipline and athleticism required for this sport.
Because make no mistake. It is a sport. A difficult, beautiful sport.
5 of 8 craves being on that stage. He’s got a great dance buddy who is his ‘big brother’ in dance. They encourage and support each other. They both know what it’s like to defend a sport you love, one that is often dominated by the opposite gender.
We continue to see more and more guys at these conventions and competitions, tearing up the stage. And it makes me proud to see 5 of 8 participating in the opinion change, helping re-teach what Gene Kelly did a few decades ago….
Real men dance.
Mon, 05 Mar 2012 22:34:00 +0000julielylescarr
