My youngest daughter Sarah, on the left, is concentrating hard on her foot position during one of her “Introduction to
Ballet” classes. This was back when she was just four years old.
.
Today Sarah is 12, and in something called “middle school,” a relatively new invention. Rituals of social interaction
have changed, as well. Sarah tells us that a dance at school consists of groups of girls, arranged in a circle, jumping
up and down on the spot to the music. The boys do the same in their own separate groups. It reminds me of those
National Geographic films of the jumping Masai, whose personal appeal is directly related to the altitude they achieve.
.
The first dances held at our school were also when I was in Grade 7, but at that time, it was still an elementary
school grade. Only students graduating to high school were allowed to attend. It seems to me that Grade 7s were
younger back then. In those days, one had to face the intimidating prospect of actually interacting with girls. I can’t
imagine myself in Grade 7, jumping up and down in a circle of other males, then facing the very real threat of being
pounded by homophobic thugs.
.
It seems to me that dancing is really made for girls. Personally, I’ve seen very few males who manage to look anything
but silly on most dance floors, but I guess I’m not their target market, either. I’m sure that, eventually, the kids of today
will start to interact at their social functions. I’m in no hurry for that to happen. As a parent, I’m all in favour of the
circle-the-wagons style of today’s ... fancy footwork.   Mark Heine