Issues affecting the participation rates of males in Latin and Ballroom dancing: A case study in South Wales

Abstract

Traditionally dance is seen as a feminine activity and therefore has lower rates of participation amongst males. This has become even more prominent in Latin and Ballroom dancing and is affecting the amount of successful male-female partnerships moving through to professional levels. For many young males the rationale for not wanting to dance may be due to a lack of interest, for others this may be more in-depth. Within this study male youth rugby players and competitive male Latin and Ballroom dancers were interviewed to discover what they believe prevents more males wanting to actively engage in Latin and Ballroom dancing. The results from both focus groups were highly similar and discovered that many young males would like to engage in dance if they were given the opportunity and if certain social barriers were targeted such as gender tagging in sport and masculinity in Latin and Ballroom dancing. From the results an action plan is proposed which aims to change the way in which dance is integrated into the lives of young people, in particular young males, in the hope to raise interest levels and increase the number of males actively engaging in Latin and Ballroom dancing, in a discipline where they are highly sought after.