Is being the short male lead equivalent to being the fat ballerina?

bia said:
The most joyful dancers I know are a pair of senior champ 10-dancers; him in particular. I have never seen him on the comp floor without a genuine smile on his face, and that energy draws the eye and is contagious; I'm smiling right now thinking of them. He's maybe my height (5'3"). They're among my role models for the dancer I want to be when I grow up.
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I couldn't agree more! There are short smooth couples and tall smooth couples and tall/short and short/tall combinations. My current favorite pro couple aren't particularly tall but what they are able to convey just draws me in. Some couples have personality and engage the crowd and some have unworldly technical skill, but every single couple knows how to play to whatever their strength happens to be. The point is, whatever your skillset is, make it work!
 
I'm not sure your analogy is a fair one. Weight you can do something about. For ballet companies and other auditions, there is a very strict height requirement and you can't even get in the door unless you meet their criteria. So there is zero chance of performing unless you want to jump around in a Disney costume or ready to join a company as a principal, which is quite rare. Look at ballet corps. Everyone is the same height. Rockettes have to be between 5'6 and 5'10. Moulin Rouge minimum 5'9. One day you figure out that you are cast based on who fits the costume. Any little kid can work hard for a dream and spend lots of time and money on a dream that has no hope of coming true. At least in the ballroom/latin world any height can dance. So be grateful.
 
If you're serious about learning to dance, my advice is: focus on developing your own skills with partners of all sizes, shapes, ages, and skill levels... not to mention, by yourself with no partner at all. Worry about perfect match-ups when and if that time comes. Don't try to do the last thing first.
 
@David_D

Read my replies in: https://www.dance-forums.com/threads/potential-dance-partner-is-slightly-taller-than-me.48209/page-2

My ex-instructor who I danced with at spotlights/competitions was an Indian woman. There is a current student at my school who is an Arab lady who grew up in Iraq. She's a lot more advanced than me in dancing so it's unlikely we'll be partners but who knows, maybe if I catch up.

I'm not primarily looking for white female dance partners. It's just that where I live, majority are white women. I don't have any preference in terms of race. It's all about compatibility. Al I was saying is that a lot of Asian women don't share my views. Their idea of "liberal values" and "racial equality" is by exclusively dating white men. And I could totally see an Asian women holding these views and extending them to the ballroom world where she'll only partner up with a white male lead only even though it's got nothing to do with dating.
 
Even in ballet, unless a man is so short he can't lift a partner beautifully or safely, male height is a lot more flexible than weight for women. The grim reality is the article author is right, if she was size 8 in her teens, she was going to be too big for most professional companies. She wouldn't have the look. And I'm not close to the look myself (I'm a 8/10 now) but I find I kind of get it. There's ONE look I want to see when I go to the ballet, and a curvier girl, especially if she's short, can't achieve it. It's not fair, but there it is. I could never make weights to be a jockey, either, at least not and still be strong and coherent enough to ride.

In ballroom/dancesport? If anything it's probably a bigger handicap socially than competitively. Especially in Rhythm and Latin (even after having seen him dance in competition, even knowing Russian guys on average are not tall, when Max K. came to coach at the studio I was shocked at how he was barely taller than me.) With Standard, and with the top level of Smooth, yes, long limbs may be a slight advantage, but stretch through the body goes a lot farther.
 
VronskyWasSoVain said:
I



It's a heartbreaking story and I truly feel for the author. In many ways, I can totally relate too but from a male perspective. I've always been short. I am only 5'5





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Well, here's some hope. One of the great dancers in the 40/50s was Wally Fryer ( and Violet his partner ) won the 'British' in 1948 and 49 .
They covered more floor in Q/Step than was imaginable.. He was 5' 5in...
 
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