Gender in perceptions: stereotypes in classical ballet

ABSTRACT IN CROATIAN: Teorijska promisljanja plesa iz feministicke perspektive uglavnom ukazuju na subordinaciju tena u plesu. Bez pretenzija da se to opovrgava, u ovom se radu ukazuje na nedovoljno uvidanje stigmatizacije plesaca u odnosu na plesacice. Cest pokusaj kontriranja feminilnom stereotipiziranju muskih plesaca u baletu protekcionisticko je koloriranje baletnoga svijeta posredstvom sportskoga diskursa, najcesce strategijom isticanja maco muskaraca u plesu. Namjera je ovoga rada da preispila pretpostavke iz kojih su se uoblicile predrasude o muskarcima u plesu, koje ih, prvenstveno u klasicnom baletu, stigmatiziraju i povezuju s homoseksualnoscu. Zanimljivo je pratiti kako iz predstavljanja heteroseksualne estetike baletnoga svijeta proizlazi navodna homoseksualna orijentacija muskih baletnih plesaca. // ABSTRACT IN ENGLISH: Theoretical considerations of dance from the feminist perspective mostly point to the subordination of women in dance. Without pretending to dispute it, this paper points to yet insufficiently discussed stigmatization of male dancers. It has frequently been attempted to oppose the stereotypical image of male ballet dancers as feminine by colouring the ballet with protective hues through sports discourse, most often employing the strategy of emphasizing macho men in dance. The aim of this paper is to question the assumptions which are the basis for shaping prejudice about men in dance, which - in classical ballet primarily - stigmatize them and associate them with homosexuality. It is interesting to see how the homosexual aesthetics of the ballet world has led to the allegedly homosexual orientation of male ballet dancers.