Catholic & Single A Dancing Lesson from Sleeping Beauty

Feb 6, 2008

Sunday I had a wonderful father-daughter outing with Lydia, my 5-year-old. I took her to the Kennedy Center to see a ballet production of Sleeping Beauty. Of course, like every normal little girl, Lydia is very much into all things “ballerina.” It was a fantastic production and Lydia loved every minute of it. I went to enjoy my daughter time, but found myself really enthralled in the performances. What an incredible amount of athletic ability is required to be a ballet dancer! And the men … my goodness, they must have needed to be oozing with male confidence to take up ballet. They were what struck me the most. These were very nice looking, very “manly” looking men performing their hearts out with an obvious talent for dance. I couldn’t help thinking about what their dating issues must be like.

My guess was that they probably had no problems at all. They were attractive enough and, again, their confidence must be sky-high. Yet, there is a career that defies all the talks I am used to hearing about men and male confidence, etc. In none of those talks do you hear of a real man being a dancer, and the sacrifice that is required to be an exceptional, professional dancer. Fred Astaire and Donald O’Connor probably never had real issues of manhood or confidence with women. And these male theatrical performers who dance in tights probably don’t either. They all, no doubt, have to work on this craft from the time of boyhood. I doubt they had time for Cub Scouts and such. And I also doubt that their fathers had something to relate to them with at this level (no father-son dancing afternoons, I suspect). But there they are: normal men who happen to be dancers for a living.

I also couldn’t help thinking how great it was to see so many men on our last cruise dancing every night with the ladies in our group, and how a man who dances really is attractive to a woman. Guys need to dance, no matter how bad they are or think they are. The women love it. It shows confidence, which is one of the top three characteristics in men I most hear women love.

Men who did not have the upbringing the “experts” think they should have had should not be the least bit deterred. If these athletic, hardworking, talented men who love to dance are willing to perform in a production like Sleeping Beauty and still maintain their manhood and live confident lives, why can’t any Catholic man, no matter what was lacking from his past or what issues he had to work through? Dancing is a great place to start to build confidence. It will go a long way with the women.

As for my little Lydia, she wants to marry the prince who kissed Sleeping Beauty. He certainly was dashing and charming looking, even in that silly getup, so I can’t blame her. But I think, like the truths that come so many times from children, Lydia is attracted to the hero that is in a man. That hero quality is what women are seeking. It’s even the desire of those who have been influenced falsely by feminism.

What woman doesn’t want a man who will go out of his way to make her feel special and one-of-a-kind? That is a true hero! I pray every day for such a man for my Lydia, as I do for all the wonderful Catholic single women. May men step out and risk rejection in the name of making a woman feel special.

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