skirtcafe.org

There is a BBC programme where almost-celebrities are taught ballroom dancing by professional dance partners. It has a cult following in the UK which does not include me so forgive me if I got the description wrong. I accidentally (honest) saw one dance tonight where the celeb (no idea who she was) has dancing in a group of men and women. One of the men was wearing a black skirt or kilt and some of the other men had corsets with zips up the back, some with shoulder straps and some without. Strictly is not real life but as they say - every little helps.

In years gone by, Strictly has featured same sex couples but not, as far as I am aware, an AMAB in a dress.

FranTastic444 wrote: ↑Sun Sep 15, 2024 12:35 am This one?

Time mark 1:34 through 3:30 (roughly) one of the male dancers is wearing
an A-Line pleated skirt. At first I thought it was a kilt but, the flow of the
garment was a bit off, more along a skirt than a kilt.
Part of the dance was a Quick-Step combined with Jive.
Over-all, a good performance.

Looked good

Uncle Al

No comment on the performance, but the programme is simply not to my taste in the slightest.
As bad an example of "B" list celebrity on "reality" T.V. that one is likely to find anywhere, more like a very badly composed soap opera than anything else. Probably explains, the statistical viewer ratings that it regularly achieves though.
Given the audience demographic, I would doubt that many would have registered or noticed the costume of that one dancer, so helpful to our cause?
Steve.

FranTastic444 wrote: ↑Sun Sep 15, 2024 12:35 am This one?

That's the one

About time, I've been the skirt guy at our square dance club for nearly a year. Now if there was some way to get other guys to actually dance.(hint there's plenty of women there)

timemeddler wrote: ↑Mon Sep 16, 2024 4:53 am About time, I've been the skirt guy at our square dance club for nearly a year. Now if there was some way to get other guys to actually dance.(hint there's plenty of women there)

Yee Haw, go git em cowboy!

FranTastic444 wrote: ↑Sun Sep 15, 2024 12:47 am In years gone by, Strictly has featured same sex couples but not, as far as I am aware, an AMAB in a dress.

Pretty sure Johannes Radebe (sp?) has appeared in a dress in the past but the closest I can find quickly is https://youtu.be/TdPbyupc-y0?si=Y8iWFttohEAH85q-&t=215. There was also the time Layton Williams (AMAB) danced a waltz in a skirt as part of a same-sex couple: https://youtu.be/ymRrtTlHjzI?si=7_yJcJiUA0hIn_fO

I'm afraid I had to do a bit of research on Layton Williams.
For starters, his biography suggests that he is a trained dancer, not a quasi celebrity beginner.
You could have fooled me, that was a waltz?
As for his attire, the androgyny was highly effective.
Had I not known in advance, and not paying attention, I'm not sure I'd have noticed.
Good PR for men in skirts, I doubt it, not drag, but just a costume for a particular type of performance.
For the producers of the programme, "same" sex is primary in this context, the clothes merely an adjunct to that.
Did it raise any great comment at the time it was shown?
Steve

STEVIE wrote: ↑Thu Sep 19, 2024 6:30 am For the producers of the programme, "same" sex is primary in this context, the clothes merely an adjunct to that.
Did it raise any great comment at the time it was shown?
Steve

Not that I recall, it wasn't really commented on at all. I mean, there was something about the style of dress is required for the dance but that was it IIRC. May have been something in It takes Two (the daily talking heads round up), but it didn't stick in my memory so I don't think so. Otherwise I would have mentioned it at the time.

MrSoapsud wrote: ↑Wed Sep 18, 2024 2:19 pm

FranTastic444 wrote: ↑Sun Sep 15, 2024 12:47 am In years gone by, Strictly has featured same sex couples but not, as far as I am aware, an AMAB in a dress.

Pretty sure Johannes Radebe (sp?) has appeared in a dress in the past but the closest I can find quickly is https://youtu.be/TdPbyupc-y0?si=Y8iWFttohEAH85q-&t=215. There was also the time Layton Williams (AMAB) danced a waltz in a skirt as part of a same-sex couple: https://youtu.be/ymRrtTlHjzI?si=7_yJcJiUA0hIn_fO

Well, there we go then! . Thanks for bringing those vids to my attention.

How these dancers manage to move with such grace, speed and accuracy whilst wearing heels is quite beyond me.

So I like to follow people who I like their style. On the Strictly front, I follow Dianne Buswell who started her own YouTube channel after she was partnered with Joe Suggs (YouTuber and brother of Zoella) one year. So by follow, I mean her channel is one of my many YouTube subscriptions and I occasionally dip into one of her videos, doing my own editing/skipping since her blogs can be long. However, it is interesting to see Strictly from the inside out, rather than just being served what the BBC want you to see.

https://www.youtube.com/@Diannebuswell
https://www.instagram.com/diannebuswell/

Not Strictly but deffo dancing, male dancer/s in skirts (and tights) backing Mylene Farmer >

https://youtu.be/k4yCG_WCnH8

howardfh wrote: ↑Sun Sep 22, 2024 10:50 am Not Strictly but deffo dancing, male dancer/s in skirts (and tights) backing Mylene Farmer >

What an interesting video! I'd never heard of Mylène Farmer, but a bit of Googling shows that she is quite well known (understatement of the year) in the French-speaking world From her Wiki page, there is mention of the fact that she has worked with Alizée and it is clear to see the link here. I went through a period of listening to French music some years ago (one of many attempts to pick up a second language, without success). I recall liking the music of Zaz and Emily Loizeau (Peggy Ashcroft was her grandmother) among several others.

The artist pinned the following comment to the top of the video in the link above -
“Without counterfeiting” (Stade de France Live): Men’s skirts…
In a spirit of challenging sartorial clichés of the male and female sexes, Jean-Paul Gaultier explores androgyny and diversity....
He took great pleasure in dressing all the dancers in tutus, to the great pleasure of Mylène Farmer.