India as a nation is synonymous with its rich and diverse forms of tradition, culture and values. We are known all over the world for our great music and dance forms. We seek blessings from our God of dance who is Natraj and the most flirtatious Lord Krishna who is also known for his Ras Leelas. Before any performance we evoke and pray to the lord of dance Lord Shiva who is known to create fury with his powerful and energetic Tandav. But in spite of our dance gods being all-male dancers, Indian men are too shy to dance. There is a mindset that is evolving about dance not being for men. One often tends to hear this particular phrase — Real Men do not Dance.
But the question is if this is indeed true? One needs to ask what makes us men feel that we have two left feet? Is it our upbringing or is it the society we live in and our morns and myths? Most men who go to a dance class are either looked down upon or are made to feel that they are doing a “girlie thing.” Who decides such things and who sets these norms is something I wonder about. I am sure that Lord Shiva and Krishna did not feel so when they began to dance.
Today with western dance forms becoming popular, male dancers are coming out of their shell and stepping into their dancing shoes. But they still face criticism and disdain from their families before stepping onto the dance floor of a class. With my experience of teaching to thousands of students over the years in India, I would definitely agree with the thought above.
Even in the present times, when a boy walks onto the dance floor, the first question he would asks is about his capability to dance and the level of difficulty. Some go on to honestly admit that they are there for the sake of their relationships and have come only because “my lady love wants me to dance.” These questions make me feel that we men doubt our learning capabilities. But just the effort that he has taken to come to a class makes me feel that there is hope.
Most of the times men feel that it’s their upbringing that makes them think this way. From a very young age, they are made to stay away from dance and anything related to it. Their parents tell them to go out and play various games and sports without being aware that some form of western dances like Latin and Ballroom are a part of the Olympic Games. Later some of their male friends discourage them from dancing saying only girls learn to dance. But do they realise that the best way to woo women is on the dance floor and it’s a great way to share an emotional bond? Like cigarettes and coffee breaks get people together, dance is also another form that helps strike a great bond.
Things are changing for the better and men are showing great interest in learning various dance forms, mostly because they want to impress girls. It is when they take it up seriously that their wrong attitude changes and they begin to learn dance for the sake of pleasure and expression. I am sure that soon the myth “Real Men do not Dance” will break and we will see “Men do the Real Dance”. Dos and Don’ts of starting to dance:

Do not worry about what the world will think, just follow your heart
Join a good dance class (depending on what style you are inspired to learn)
Be open to learning new steps and hand moves.
Once in class, initially one feels shy to dance, so do not bother about that. Just remember all your batch mates are new dancers
Incase you don’t get a particular ste, relax. Rome was not built in a day.
Dress properly (pay attention to your clothes and shoes) for the class, it is very important to feel right.
Make friends in your class and go out dancing with them.
You will learn more watching others dance too.
Practice what you learn dailly. Remember, practice makes one perfect.
Understand the mood and attitude of your dance and try to bring it out in your body language, remember “Dance expression is most important”
Use your dancing skills to make new friends and not to show off your skills to others. A show off does not go a long way.