written by mohabee  on 01.12. at 05:40:58

I think you have a pretty normal feeling about being "topless." Dancing in tights and a shirt is daunting for many first-time male performers.

Relax. Dance is often about exposing the body to an audience. Your parents undoubtedly have already seen you in the "all together," so this won't shock them. Many in the audience may already have experienced ballet and dance, which features shirtless male dancers, too. So you're already accepted by most who will see you. The idea is not so much what you wear, but how you dance. When one performs an excellent show, those who have not seen you without a shirt will take notice of your dancing talent, and not your shirtless state. Some might simply like seeing you shirtless, too!

You already know you're a dancer, making the transition from the studio environment to the stage--this is your time to learn, to experience, and to acknowledge who you are. I congratulate you in making this transition.

I think it's perfectly OK to be nervous when out on stage. We fellow dancers call this "stage fright." Once the music begins to play, though, your thoughts will go from "oh my gosh--I'm naked!" to what the first step is, then the movements you learned to make a ballet, will follow.

The trick is to never look like you're naked, instead, tell yourself that the people in the audience are naked!

Believe me, it's worth dancing without a shirt--ballet became my profession many years ago. I wore full costumes with ruffles and feathers, and also danced completely naked.

Know, too, that when one becomes a professional, and joins a ballet company, one must accept the costume that is chosen for the ballet. This might be a costume that fully covers the dancer's body, or it may just barely cover the genitalia. This is all a part of a dancer's job--to look the part, despite the lack (or the over-abundance) of clothing, while dancing on the stage.

I wish you well in your performance. Where can one get tickets?

Keep On Dancing!

Mohabee---------------------------------------

I am a boy of 16 and will have my first pas de deux on stage next month in a mixed performance of our ballet school. I will have to wear only red tights with no top, my ballerina wearing a long sleeved leotard. I am surprised that I get nervous about the fact that this will be my first time being topless on stage as a soloist before an audience with my parents and non-ballet friends watching. I should like to know if other boys felt the same way their first time and how they got along with it.