Fringe 2009: Masculinity and Femininity in Dance
Gareth K Vile thinks about being a man.
The so-called crisis of masculinity - once a regular feature of Daily Mail editorials that bemoaned the lack of male primary school teachers and the way that Health and Safety regulations have led to a dearth of Scout leaders - has inspired many choreographers.
At Dance Base, Company Chameleon's Rites draws parallels between the playground and the more ritualised initiations into manhood in other cultures, while Glasgow's Norman Douglas frequently touches on feminist readings of male identit
With bodies on display, dance is a natural medium for thoughts on gender construction.
Even classical ballet, mostly through the grand pas de deux and the arresting sight of Soviet Russian soloists leaping across the stage or to freedom over the gate at customs, presents overwhelming images of masculine power and restraint. Assured and elegant, strong and delicate, the male dancer is a beautiful symbol, a contrast to the gangs of boys roaming the Grassmarket with untucked, colourful shirts and leery smiles.
Femininity, however, has not been studied in the same way. Back in the New Territories season, Companhia Paulo Ribeiro looked at femininity, but seemed only to come up with high heels and shopping. Nic Green's Trilogy is an avowedly feminist work, but concentrates on the problems of accepting ideology in a post-modern age rather than considering how the idea of 'female' has been designed.
Perhaps the experience of being bullied at school for enjoying a 'soft' art, or the long classes in tights, makes the issue more urgent for men.
It is disappointing then, that Kataklo Athletic Dance Theatre choose to use such a simple vision of male-female relationships in Love Machines. With a costume choice that ensures that any activity that isn't explicitly powerful looks twee, and a dire soundtrack of smooth, funky beats and world music samples, Love Machines is impressive in technique, has a great set and lighting, and conjures up a subterrean world of exploration and discovery through choreography that echoes martial arts and athletic display. Its vision of gender, however, is reduced to men stomping and women nagging: a pair of stereotypes that are funny at first, then frustrating. Like Circa, this is dance as sport, a way of demonstrating the body's potential - the initial aerialism is beautiful, and the integration of scenery and movement is spectacular. It has moments of astonishment and grandeur, but lacks any great resonance or challenge.
Ultimately, dance does not need to make a big point - it can happily exist as a display, beautiful or overwhelming. Nevertheless, it can be so immediate and lends itself to certain topics, that it seems a shame not to add a deeper layer of purpose over the techniques. And of course, a few more works exploring the female version of Rites would be exciting...