.... H. E. Double hockey sticks they do!!!
Did you know Kobe Bryant took tap lessons to strengthen his achilles tendon after tearing it?
Yup, he did.
Do you know a lot of pro male athletes use dance to crosstrain?
The strength + mobility + balance + body awareness to be able to dance is huge.
The reason why I chose to talk about boys dancing this week is because my mentor Helene asked me to be a part of a dance video project she and her bestie Sean are putting together. (I was honoured!) There was a bit of choreography but mostly she wanted people from all walks of life to video themselves dancing to a specific song in whatever setting and groove they were feeling.
So of course I filmed it dancing with my boys… as I do every chance I get!
We went up to my favourite spot, the yoga platform in the community we live in, to gather some fun footage. We danced and had a blast busting a move!!
They all rocked it but my middle son Gunner could be a really amazing dancer. He has the facility, strength and natural talent to actually be good! And he likes it. So why doesn't he want to take classes to get better?
(He's the short little cutie in the picture above. His brother Hudson is to the left. This picture was taken 8 years ago.)
Is it because he doesn’t like it enough or is it a society saying “boys don’t dance” that’s holding him back?…. or a bit of both?
If you know my middle son Gunner you know he’s quite the performer on whatever “stage” he finds himself… school, hockey rink, locker room, in a conversation… wherever! He’s born to be an entertainer. He has the perfect build for a b-boy, the flexibility for any style of dance and feet made for ballet!
It kills me that he doesn’t want to train!
But really, why doesn't he?
I truly believe if we lived in a bigger city where there were more male dancers he would take some classes.
You have to also understand that we are a family of five with me being the only girl. They all play hockey. Hockey is my husbands job for goodnesss sake. We are surrounded by hockey so the influence there runs deep.
There is still hope though…
If you had a chance to listen to my friend Gustavo on The L.A.X. LiVE a couple weeks ago you heard him talk about how he didn’t take a formal dance class until he was in collage. His story is quite funny actually and makes complete sense. He wanted to dance with hot girls so he took a dance class at collage to get extra credits. Now he’s a sought after salsa dancer/choreographer in L.A.
Gunners only 9 and girls aren’t really a thing yet. Maybe he just needs that extra motivation. Lol.
I realize all I can do at this time is expose him to dance and includ him when the opportunity presents itself. I definitely don’t want to push him into it. He needs to want to do it.
I just hope he's not taking classes because he honestly doesn't want to and not because he's worried about what other people think.
I would like to plant the seed in you and others out there that if you have any unsupportive thoughts about boys dancing or girls playing hockey, keep them to yourself. The tone of your voice even and how you express things to young kids are very influential. They are smart enough to read between the lines. Anyone can be and should have the opportunity to play any sport they choose without judgement.
Dance is for everybody... even some of the greatest athletes in the world.
Comments