Literature Review 1

Boys Will Be Boys - Kathryn Holmes

HOLMES, K., 2011. Boys Will Be Boys. Dance Teacher, 33(12), pp. 62-62,64.

An interesting first article for my first of literature reviews. This article was taken from a magazine aimed at Dance Teachers and suggests various different methods in engaging boys in Dance Education. 

There seemed to be an overwhelming amount of points to discuss with this small article but i kept it down to the key points, otherwise i could have spoken about this forever! 

Using A Hook

Lynn Reynolds is a teacher at West Briar Middle School in Houston where male participation in her dance program was non existent. Originally she started with a Tango perform with few boys but realised that Hip Hop and Break-Dancing would be something boys would be more interested in.

“The next year, she decided to try to attract even more boys by launching a hip-hop and break-dancing class. "I started hip hop with the girls and let the word of mouth spread," she says. "Once I had a few boys, I took them into gym class to show off their b-boy moves. This year I have 75 boys enrolled."

The method of showing other boys in the school what they are missing out on is something that can easily be put into use in extra curricular activities. The idea of putting on a performance in a school assembly or something similar might get more boys interested to sign up to class. Especially if they notice that their male peers are taking part.

Role Models

The idea of introducing boys of all ages with pictures and videos of professional male dancers in the hope of inspiring them the various avenues they can pursue. One teacher managed to decorate their classroom with images of male dancers. Although i don’t seem to work out a classroom as such, i could introduce various types of material to my classes. I have in the past used YouTube to inspire students.

'Here is a strong, masculine man who dances for a living; you can dance, too,'"

"Boys are especially impressed with athleticism."

Make Dance Physical

Running a business that mainly focuses on street styles such as breakdance, i have found that boys tend to be more interested if they are given more challenging and physical moves such as b-boy moves which involve complex floor work and strength. 

A teacher explains that when boys are asked to create their own sequences incorporating everyday movements, boys are more likely to use sports moves i.e kicking a ball. Another interesting idea is to challenge boys to attack a move and then suggest ideas of more challenge to improve technique. 

\“Wow, you jumped really high-but can you come down with pointed feet and make no sound?"

Creating a Community

The last section of this article introduces the idea that boys feel like they need to be part of a group or team. Giving them the opportunity to perform infront of each other and present their best moves.

In my classes we use the “Freestyle Circle” at the end of every class. This activity gives the students a chance to impress each other with the moves they have learnt whilst at the same time gaining respect from their peers. Holms suggest not to do anything you wouldn’t do yourself, meaning that i should join in with my students in a freestyle circle as well as observing.

Conclusion

Although this is only a small article, it has opened up an incredible amount of new ideas of how to deal with teaching boy dancers and introducing new methods keep them engaged. A few of the points made were already routine for me but this only made me realise that i was on the right track to ensuring i’m getting the most out of my classes.