it means for me to dance . When I learned dance , I was the only boy growing up dance schools of more than 100 young girls , with female teachers my entire life until I went to India . Part of perpetuating the stereotype that men didn ’ t dance was also the lack of role models , which promotes less boys seeing dance as something they could join . To this day , there ’ s a certain negative connotation to being a male dancer in both India and America . Perhaps its due to colonialism , the revival of Bharatanatyam , the cultural connotations of Bharatanatyam as a feminine act , or the gender norms . Or what I ’ m beginning to think is that it is an incomprehensible mix of different elements including the revival , the cultural connotations , the gender norms , and more . Essentially , there was no answer for my question . And with this knowledge , I found that I no longer felt the need to apologize for my dance , knowing that the issues and stereotypes that I had imbibed as a child weren ’ t my fault . They weren ’ t even my relatives and grandparents fault – the fault at hand was history and as much as I wish , I can ’ t change that . Finally , I saw Bharatanatyam not as an artform that was predominantly feminine ; instead , it was one that molded itself to each particular dancer and their strengths .
Today , my resume officially has “ 16 years of experience in Bharatanatyam ” and “ 11 years of experience in Mridangam and world percussion ” on it . While I ’ m quite certain these won ’ t get me a job , it gives me a little reminder about the strength and grounding that my creative passions gave me . Music and dance are dynamic concepts and dependent on social issues , history , culture and norms . By learning about the combination of these different elements behind those stereotypes that I faced , I can come to three conclusions . One , gender norms are highly destructive and damaging to people , especially children . Whether it ’ s in career options or body types , it needs to be recognized as a serious issue to be combated . Second , cultures are constantly moving and changing in new places . The history of how Indian culture changed , affecting elements including dance as it moved to western countries , isn ’ t a unique story but rather one similarly found in all world cultures . And third , it can be hard to find an answer to why something happened to you . For me , I instead found relief in going forward , remembering that what made me fall in love with Bharatanatyam was putting my bells on and escaping all the stereotypes , history , and judgments . And I felt free .
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