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On My Mind: Words From The Publisher
By Rhee Gold, Publisher
Dance As A Guy Thing–And A Personal Thing, Too.
When I turned my former Goldrush newsletter into a
magazine, I made a list of special editions that I would
publish
someday. One of them was Goldrush, The Male Edition—and
we pulled it of with our March and April Goldrush Online
editions (see links to March Male Edition articles below)!
The idea for this issue had its genesis in the overwhelming
response to an article I wrote for Dance Magazine in
November 2001, called “Confessions of a Boy Dancer.” I was
amazed that I had hit on a topic that resonated with so many—I
was flooded with responses to the story. Never before had I
received so much positive feedback from my writing. To this
day, people still comment on the piece.
The story evolved after I went to a friend’s studio to work on
interview skills with her student dancers. One of the kids was
a teenage boy who responded to my question about what his male
friends thought about his dancing by bursting into tears. He
told me that he was constantly harassed and physically abused,
that his classmates (boys and girls alike) were always calling
him a fag, and that he dealt with all of this on a daily
basis.
His story hit home with me. I too had dealt with the abuse
this boy described, but I had never discussed it with anyone.
Realizing that there must be many boys out there who were
suffering simply because they had a passion for dance, I knew
I had to write about this sensitive topic.
Writing the article was like an enormous therapy session for
me as I put into words experiences and feelings that were
painful to recall. For some reason I had been embarrassed by
the ridicule I had suffered more than 25 years earlier; I hid
it my whole life. Sharing my story with thousands of readers,
as a grown man of 40, was a huge step for me.
Now it’s time to revisit the subject, but on a broader scale.
This issue contains everything you have ever wanted to know
about male dancers but didn’t know where to find it. We
explore not only the difficulties that male dancers in our
society have faced, but also the high points, the mind-set,
and thought-provoking perspectives from teachers, parents, and
dance teachers’ husbands, too. You’ll also discover that
classical ballet was a man-thing before it was a woman-thing!
And once we discovered how many male dancers (of all ages)
have looked to Gene Kelly as their inspiration, we knew we had
to include a feature about him. After reading Donna J.
Pointkouski’s story you’ll understand why it’s not just the
legendary hoofer’s footwork that makes him such an icon.
Ladies, it’s time for the guys to take the stage—and the page.
Enjoy!
March Goldrush Online Male Dancer Articles
When “I Do” Means “We’ll Do”
It's Not About Me
Men In Dance
Men In Dance: In Their Own Words
Calling All Boys!
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