This chapter explor the tensn at the tersectn of classil ballet and gay cultur. Central to the study is a crique of ballet’s exclnary heterocentrism—“the ballet closet”—exemplified by the image of the classil ballet...
Contents:
- SWAN LAKE REVIEW – DADA MASILO FFL FEATHERS WH GAY REMAKE
- NOT THE GAY SWAN LAKE
- PK FEATHERS THE BALLET CLOSET: THREE GAY REMAK OF SWAN LAKE
- DANCE; 'SWAN LAKE': IS IT THEATER OR DANCE, GAY OR STRAIGHT?
- A MORN GAY’S GUI
- HOW A GROUP OF GAY MALE BALLET DANCERS IS RETHKG MASCULY
SWAN LAKE REVIEW – DADA MASILO FFL FEATHERS WH GAY REMAKE
Back at the Ahmanson, the transformatn of Tchaikovsky's ballet to a gay romance still electrifi wh heartfelt drama and spectacular dancg. * gay swan lake ballet *
Bourne created the work at a time when a law agast promotg homosexualy still existed England.
NOT THE GAY SWAN LAKE
It’s gone now, but you n see how the swans stroyg one of their own — and his male, human lover — speaks to the homophobic vlence that still exists almost Thursday, the lightg sign of Ple Constable ma Lez Brotherston’s faiar sets and stum look better than ever — though Dunn McLean’s bleary swan-projectns need to be rensired. Siegied, however, is gay, and Masilo's homophobic South Ai unable to be wh Odile, the man he lov. Wh the terms of this society, neher "heroe" nor "villa" n have the man they gay readg of Swan Lake evably v parison wh Matthew Bourne's productn, yet Masilo's is like no other I've seen.
PK FEATHERS THE BALLET CLOSET: THREE GAY REMAK OF SWAN LAKE
Although this ballet was culturally received as supportg gay rights, Matthew Bourne has explicly nied that this was his only tentn.
Instead of embracg the crics’ labellg of the work as the “Queer Swan Lake, ” he pivots the narrative by announcg that the prce is not a gay man; he is jt a Prce experiencg ner turmoil and the swan reprents the eedom he seeks.
DANCE; 'SWAN LAKE': IS IT THEATER OR DANCE, GAY OR STRAIGHT?
My humani moment is not Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake and the joy and inty I found wh , but stead is an terview created for TenduTV 2011 entled "Matthew Bourne: Rehg the Classics and Wng Audienc Over, " durg which he renounced any gay readgs of the work. Bourne claimed that he don’t want his Swan Lake visn to be labeled as “jt a gay story, ” choosg stead to emphasize s universal appeal, and of urse implyg the procs that gay stori are only suable for gay dienc.
A MORN GAY’S GUI
I believe that the protagonist’s sexualy do not tract om the work’s appeal, stead humaniz the gay muny by showg their wants and stggl. Today, I have seen many pani prised of mostly gay men steer away om beg labeled a gay pany for fear of beg ostracized by a mastream dience. Homosexual men who have given their liv to the craft of ballet long for proud reprentatn, and was a tragedy that Bourne chose to take this away om , even as he so obvly put on stage.
Dpe Bourne’s rejectn of gay terpretatns of his work, I believe the evince for that meang is too clear to ny. I see two betiful men embracg each other a tenr way that, y, maybe shouldn’t have to be labeled as gay, but I clung to this break om tradn as a sign of romantic acceptance. While I agree that cultural tradns of heteronormativy handip young mds, and that is wrong to tomatilly label male timacy, or anythg a male do outsi the macho sensibily, as feme or gay, the romantic overton of Bourne’s work are unniable.
Dmmond stat: “In a broar ntext, (Matthew Bourne) also forc a long-simmerg relatnship between homosexualy and dance out of the closet and to mastream popular culture” (Dmmond 2003). For the reasons, and many others, gay men - a group of dividuals wantg to be accepted - still claim and clg to Bourne’s work even as he fails to return the embrace.
HOW A GROUP OF GAY MALE BALLET DANCERS IS RETHKG MASCULY
Bourne’s Swan Lake was a talyst for gay men wantg to dance as themselv the ballet world, and the succs of the work addnally prov that two men dancg together a lovg and timate way n be betiful and marketable. Young gay boys dreamg of dancg profsnally will ntue to clg to this work, dreamg to one day experience this type of eedom.
It was not an openly homophobic environment, but s nservatism and heterocentrism, rooted an orientatn to the past, prented extra plexi to navigate for a young gay man g to terms wh his sexualy. My experience wh this environment felt ntrast to the seismic soc-polil shifts I was wnsg through my engagement wh gay male subcultural art, polics and social spac.