Heteronormativity In Strictly Ballroom

The concept of heteronormativity is referred as an intersection of gender and sexuality, which defines gender into a binary category and naturalizes sexual attraction (Hofstätter, 1). In the film Strictly Ballroom as well as Mad Hot Ballroom the theory of heteronormativity is established and exemplified through the gender roles prescribed within traditional dance rules, specifically in ballroom dance. In Strictly Ballroom, the dancers who are attempting to compete in the Pan-Pacific Grand Pix Dancing competition are prohibited from straying away from the strict traditional rules that have become ingrained within the Dancesport, a competitive version of ballroom dancing, contrasting social dance (Cauthery, Bridget). In dancesport, dancers must conform to the federations rules of only dancing with a partner of …show more content…
Even when the protagonist Scott Hasting’s loses his original partner and is searching for a new partner, every option is a female. I noticed also that Fran as a beginner ballroom dancer in Mrs. Hastings class does not have to conform to the same rules as Scott and is able to dance with another female as she is not competing professionally at first. In addition, in order to compete, women and men must be dressed accordingly to the clothing attire prescribed with their gender. Women must wear vibrant dresses, often covered in glitter or rhinestones, reveal cleavage and midriff, be tanned and hold a wide smile on their faces. Men on the other hand must be properly groomed with a clean haircut, wear black tuxedos and white shirts (Bullman, 62). All of these gender defined outfits are seen in the film through the characters competing in the dance competition. Another prominent example I noticed which demonstrates heteronormativity in the film can be seen when Fran and Scott are being taught how to dance the Paso doble, a dance derived from the Flamenco (Cauthery, Bridget) by Fran’s father. The father is