Even in the days of Trump and Republican enabling, people are moving on to break down hierarchies all over our country.
One example is ballet, which is examining the traditional male and female roles. Gender norms in ballet have developed through the use of the pointe shoe, worn by women to create the illusion of lightness and of floating, and the rules of partnering: Lifts require upper-body strength that men access more easily than women.
A pas de deux — a dance for two — is usually about love and usually between a man and a woman. But in Lauren Lovette's sweeping, romantic ballet “Not Our Fate," a lush pas de deux is created for two men, not incidentally men of color, in a tender, athletic display of desire.
According to the article, what feels unusual in this two dance, and in another ballet with a male pas de deux, “The Times Are Racing” also at the New York City Ballet, one of the world’s premier companies, is their fresh approach: full of abandon and brimming with romantic desire, they seem utterly natural.
One of the dancers, Taylor Stanley said of the performance, “It’s not like we’re pushing boundaries, it’s just that things are sort of looking how they should be looking.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/10/arts/dance/same-sex-duets-justin-peck-lauren-lovette-new-york-city-ballet.html
