How a group of gay male ballet dancers Is rethinking masculinity

THE NEW YORK TIMES
By David Ebershoff

From left: Rhys Kosakowski, formerly of Houston Ballet; Jose Sebastian, in the corps de ballet at ABT; Taylor Stanley, a principal at New York City Ballet; Tyler Maloney, in the corps de ballet at ABT; Patrick Yocum, a principal at Boston Ballet; Calvin Royal III, a soloist at ABT. Bon Duke

Every dancer I spoke with has a story of how their art touched someone in unexpected ways, just as the ballerino from Winnipeg gave me something I could carry far into my future. Art is nothing if it does not connect, and these dancers are connecting with people who might previously have thought ballet could not, or would not, speak for them. Whiteside tells me about a letter he received from a woman who thinks her young son is gay. The boy loves to dance, the mother writes, and wants to be like Whiteside when he grows up. His classmates make fun of him for loving ballet, but the mother is proud of her son for staying resolute; seeing Whiteside become successful gives her hope as a parent. [More]