Why all young men should learn to dance

Fitness, teamwork, agility, creativity: the benefits of learning to dance far outweigh the pressures of avoiding a ‘girly’ pastime.

A scene from Lord of the Flies via www.artscentremelbourne.com.au

While the benefits of dance are widely known – it encourages teamwork and creativity, enhances fitness and agility – societal pressures mean that for many boys and young men, especially among Anglo-Saxon Australians, dance is still seen as an “unmanly” activity.

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Richard Watts is ArtsHub's National Performing Arts Editor; he also presents the weekly program SmartArts on Three Triple R FM, and serves as the Chair of La Mama Theatre's volunteer Committee of Management. Richard is a life member of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, and was awarded the status of Melbourne Fringe Living Legend in 2017. In 2020 he was awarded the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards' Facilitator's Prize. Most recently, Richard was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Green Room Awards Association in June 2021. Follow him on Twitter: @richardthewatts