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 OAM is ArtsHub's former National Performing Arts Editor; he also presents the weekly program SmartArts on Three Triple R FM. Richard is a life member of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, a Melbourne Fringe Festival Living Legend, and was awarded the 2019 Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards' Facilitator's Prize in early 2020. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Green Room Awards Association in 2021, and a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in June 2024. Photo: Fiona Hamilton. Follow Richard on Bluesky @richardthewatts.bsky.social and Instagram @richard.l.watts