Why do male ballet dancers not go en block?

Question

I was watching a TV programme last night about the trials of young ballet dancers and I have always wondered why male ballet dancers do not go en point.

Answer 1

Mainly because en point looks feminine.

Many male ballet dancers get training en point, so they are fully capable of it, but it is not common for them to perform en point.

Answer 2

It's a traditionally female move. It's like in a waltz where the man leads or at a wedding where the girl wears a white dress. In a ballet dance a male dancer dancing male role will not do this move, if you watch an all male production then the male dancers playing female roles will do this move.

Answer 3

Male dancers do dance en pointe rarely. The practical reason for men not wearing point shoes is that since they perform the lifts and support the ballerina during a pas de deux they have to have their feet well placed on the stage for support and for safety of the ballerina. Also, the male dancer is usually secondary to the ballerina's role and presence anyway (just ask Balanchine).

Answer 4

There is a all male ballet company Les Ballets Trockadero de Montecarlo and they all dance en point. They are hilarious because they present classical ballets like Swan Lake and Giselle in parody form.

Answer 5

there are plenty of male ballet dancers that go onto pointe. i even had a male pointe teacher once and he did everything on pointe roght along with us. =)

Answer 6

well ya see, they can infact some actually do. it's all about choice and the type of dance. if it is in a group, then they might. A duet he probably won't. it's not the normality.

Answer 7

never thought about it before, but yes, i guess its something to do with the feminine stance

Answer 8

they do sometimes go on point

Answer 9

They're not gay that's why.