Monday, August 9, 2010

Where Have All The Men Gone?


Some of my female friends in the Klang Valley and visitors to my blog often inform me that they would like to take up ballroom dancing and ask where they can learn ballroom dancing. I would usually provide them with a list of the well known dance studios in Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya where they can pursue their interest. For those without partners, their enthusiasm can quickly turn to disappointment when they find that there is generally a scarcity of male ballroom dancers. Which means they have to share someone else's partner which of course has its drawbacks and problems.

Why is it that women are so crazy while the men seem to be blase about ballroom dancing? Do men have two left feet or are they just too lazy to learn the steps? Or are they afraid of intimacy? I really don't have the answers. I read a recent science report which says that women are usually attracted to men who can dance well. Scientists opined that this could be due to the fact that dancing is quite a strenuous exercise and that men who can dance well are generally seen to be fit and healthy and therefore carry better genes. For women, it's all about the mating game and having healthy offspring.

In their search for dance partners, some Malaysian women have resorted to advertising on the internet. Unless both partners stay in the same city or nearby each other, meeting up for classes and practices can be a hassle. I know of one lady who is even willing to relocate to another country just to pursue her love of dance if she can find the right partner there. Another alternative is to pay to engage the services of a professional dancer to dance with you. I heard that in Hong Kong, professional dancers there charge a fee of between HK$500 to HK$2000 for a 3-hour dance session.








2 comments:

Zephyr said...

I think it has quite a lot to do with the perception that girls are as graceful as ballerinas, and guys are like robots.

There is also the issue where our education system does not encourage the growth of the arts. Consider the fact that guys have interests like computer games, that it is easy to have the excuse of avoiding 'strenuous exercise'.

A teacher of mine once said, the steps/techniques are important, but all these come to naught, if you aren't having fun.

As for 'men who can dance well', do spare some thought on what it takes to dance well. Not only do they have to dance as gracefully as the girls, they also have to lead! Stress... stress...

Dancesport Malaysia said...

Yes, dancing is all about having fun and also in socialising and making friends you meet at the dance studios or on the dancefloor.

On the question of lead, the lady must also know how to follow. The men should dance at the lady's level of competence.

The lady who is a novice would not know how to follow if the man dances advance figures.