Under traditional thinking, parents often think Chinese dance is not masculine enough, causing boys to hesitate to sign up for lessons leading to a higher ratio of female students compared to males. The Chinese Dance class under the “Jebsen InspiringHK!” Programme aims to break gender stereotypes and promote gender equality in sports. Seven-year-old Kwok Pak Lok is proud to be amongst one of four male students in the Chinese Dance class together with their female counterparts. He joined last year and is very attentive during class, performing leg kicks and hand movements with precision, often receiving praise by the teacher. Every week, everyone practises together in the school hall, enjoying themselves wholeheartedly, in a harmonious atmosphere where there is no awkwardness regardless of gender.
Rehearsing Together Regardless of Gender, Equally Dazzling on Stage
Pak Lok is currently in primary two and started learning Chinese dance together with his younger sister, who is in primary one. As a boy, he voluntarily signed up for Chinese dance classes.
I saw video clips of older students performing and I thought their dance movements were elegant! Since I hadn’t learned to dance before, I wanted to give it a try.
He quietly mentioned that although some boys in the class were initially enrolled after being “persuaded” by their mothers, they all fully engage in dancing now, proving boys can enjoy dance as well.
Chinese dance encompasses the characteristics of various ethnic groups, including different styles, forms, and costumes, expressing emotions and artistic conceptions through dance movements. The ethnic dance Pak Lok is learning has each student holding a cylinder to imitate drumming movements. Twenty students from different grades are all busy rehearsing for a performance in June. Each student regardless of gender shines on stage, “The ending pose arranged by the teacher is based on what makes the most neat appearance rather than gender.”
Mastering the Sense of Rhythm, Dancing into New Horizons
Pak Lok is attracted to Chinese Dance as the songs are lively and emphasise a sense of rhythm which is similar to the changing beats of African Drums which he learned in primary one. However, this is also one of his biggest challenges during training. “Some dance steps require hands and feet to point in different directions, and criss-crossing with the music and exchanging positions with teammates. Sometimes when we are not careful, we might accidentally bump into each other.” After school, he also takes the time to review the dance steps so that he can help to remind others of their position during rehearsals, showcasing his team spirit.
Since he has attended dance lessons, Pak Lok’s mother noticed that he became more patient and serious in his actions. Pak Lok proudly mentioned that his mother was very happy when he and his sister performed for her at home. As he approaches his first dance performance on stage, he feels both nervous and excited.
I have sung on stage before and I remember being nervous, but also excited when seeing the audience attentively appreciating my performance. I hope the performance goes smoothly and I can continue learning Chinese dance.