Why have male ballet and contemporary dancers been incorrectly seen as effeminate?

In many cultures, dance is seen as a very macho thing, but in Western cultures, dance, such as ballet and contemporary dance, is seen as 'girly'. This strikes me as strange, as it requires an athletic combination of strength, balance, flexibility, and charisma. The common reaction to a guy doing dance is an assumption that he's either gay, or extremely effeminate.

Why have male ballet and contemporary dancers been incorrectly seen as effeminate?ballet

Why the prejudice against gays? In America ballet IS considered gay but you are the one implicating it to be a BAD thing. Also my second wife got her Masters in Performing Arts from N.Y.U. with a MAJOR in Dancing and minor in singing. She told me that over 85% of all the males in her classes WEREN'T interested in women other than as friends.

So your presumption of it being "incorrectly" seen as effeminate is in itself incorrect. Most male dancers are gay (inc bi). But that doesn't mean that they aren't extremely athletic. The two (gay and athleticism) are NOT mutually exclusionary no matter what you seem to think.

The exceptions to the rule are few though one guy is depicted in a biographical movie in "All That Jazz". Roy Scheider played choreographer Bob Fosse who was EXTREMELY heterosexual and ENTIRELY unfaithful to his wife as he bedded probably hundreds of women dancers. That lucky DOG!

To reply to your revision... There is most certainly MORE gay-bi males in dancing. As for the American prejudice against the manliness of it well I can only guess. Look inside yourself, it just seems to be feminine. To dance for a man is to get in touch with the feminine side even if the man is hetero. A psychologist asked me once whether I "Would prefer to play football or fence". I replied "Fencing". He said that that reply indicates that I tend towards homosexuality. In a moment of eloquence I replied, "It only seems that way to your subjective view, fagbait". That interview degenerated from there. Good question. Do assigning gender terms to seemingly neutral activities simply come from subjectivity? Preconcieved notions?

Why have male ballet and contemporary dancers been incorrectly seen as effeminate?globe theater opera theater

I dont understand this either. I admire these men that carry out their dream to become a dancer, there are some exteamly talented male dancers out there and they should be proud of their talents.
because a large number of them are: GAY!!!!!!
becuse were not playing football... to kind of explain first its not the norm and ne thing thats the minority is put down thats human. Its the same for all the finearts i Dance sing anddo theatre i am mistakin for being gay (of wich im not...) its also that girls tend to be more pulled to such finearts b/c of well just the diff btw boys and girls boys naturaly are more talented at things reqiering large motor skills...(shp engines sports ect...) and girls are naturaly better at fine motor skills (dance sewing ect...) this is not to be sexist and say that people are limited to there sexes avarge talents just to say physcologicly thrers a diff there... however i sympythise as a danseure (male ballet dancer).

P.S. funny story after school one day i ran 100 yardtouch down (not inregulation odont play football this was one bet.) against my football teams 4 top tackels never being touched b/c i used dance to out manuvre them point turns chasses jettes ect. ending w/ three chaine turns it was belletic it was beautiful and for them it was embarrasin
I agree with you, it shouldn't be this way. Americans are so narrow minded about what is male and what is not. I like guys who sing and dance and stuff--I don't understand it either. I think it's just because Americans are comfortable with being narrow minded and prejudiced...