Western stereotype of the male ballet dancer

Since the early 19th century, the Western world has adopted a view of male ballet dancers, or danseurs as weak, effeminate or homosexual. Through gender expectations and performance, male ballet dancers combat the stereotypes that surround them. Through education and media exposure, the stereotypes about male ballet dancers lead to changes in perception. Ballet was started in Italian and French courts during the fifteenth century. During this time graceful and delicate characteristics were a sign of power. Many noblemen started dancing ballet to demonstrate their position in society. Louis XIV of France founded the Académie Royale de Danse. It was the first ballet school. Men were considered the stars of ballet until the nineteenth century, when women were pushed into more of the spot light. A couple of different factors influenced this shift. First, audience members changed when ballet moved from taking place in palaces to stages. Second, there was a cultural shift that created more ethereal themes. William L. Earl's 1988 exploration of American stereotypes asked upper-middle class mall shoppers to describe male ballet dancers, as a whole, using up to 15 words or phrases. The most common responses were: "Pretty boys afraid to soil themselves with honest labor", "Snobs!", "secretive", "neurotic", "narcissistic", "soft", "vain", "frail", "homosexual", "Momma's Boy", “irresponsible", "probably hard workers", "creatures of the night", "flighty", "afraid of intimacy", "use people", "cold", and "fancy". In a 2003 sociological study, male ballet dancers reported several stereotypes they had been confronted with including "feminine, homosexual, wimp, spoiled, gay, dainty, fragile, weak, fluffy, woosy, prissy, artsy and sissy". In preparation for their 2009 anthology on masculinity and dance, Jennifer Fisher and Anthony Shay interviewed several male dancers from different age groups, ethnic backgrounds, and sexualities.