How is exotic dance an indicator of agency and what role does it play in determining the identity of characters in Flashdance (1983) and Magic Mike (2012)?
Source #1:
McRobbie, Angela. “Dance Narrative and Fantasies of Achievement.” Meaning in Motion: New Cultural Studies of Dance. Durham: Duke University Press, 1997. 216-231. Print.
“As the stories unfold they move backwards and forwards between the desire to achieve and the constraints and expectations of family. Work becomes an alternative romance, a dream to be pursued even if it is against the odds. Dance operates as a metaphor for an external reality which is unconstrained by the limits and expectations of gender identity and which successfully and relatively painlessly transports its subjects from passive to a more active psychic position. What is charted repeated in these stories is the transition from childhood dependency to adolescent independence, which is in turn gained through achievement in dance and therefore in the outside world” (McRobbie, 217).
In this article, McRobbie discusses the role of a family in determining the outcome of characters. She suggests that expectations of characters constraint their agency so much so that their work, particularly dance, becomes an “external reality”. McRobbie’s views are directly related to the experiences of Adam in Magic Mike. Adam escapes from his sister’s constant reprimanding of his indolent lifestyle through exotic dance. As a stripper, he embodies male gendered occupations such as a soldier, firefighter, and pilot in each of his themed performances. Thus, he is transported to a “psychic position” that gives him a sense of agency that is free of societal judgment, especially his sister. It is ultimately through experiences of his dancing body that he gains adolescence independence, a sense of agency, in which he realizes his true identity as a stripper and moves to Miami to further pursue exotic dance. McRobbie also alludes to the experiences of Alex in Flashdance. Although Alex does not have a family, she dances for personal enjoyment and her passion to be a ballerina. Thus, she develops a sense of agency through exotic dance. Her performance is also an “external reality”, in which she expresses herself freely and escapes gender roles that constraint her body in dance, at work, and society in general. She ultimately gains achievement through dance, the identity of a ballet dancer, as a result of her agency and ability to make decisions for personal benefit. Similarly, Mike in Magic Mike dances as a means of income and for personal enjoyment. He has a sense of agency because he is able to control his own life and use his body through dance, at work, and in society for personal benefit. Exotic dance is an “external reality” for him in a way that it allows him to express himself freely and forget about the difficulties he has in pursuing his own custom furniture business. He ultimately gains self-realization through his experiences in dance that his true identity is not that of a stripper. Therefore, he uses his sense of agency to quit exotic dance and start a new life.
Source #2:
Jordan, Chris. “Gender and Class Mobility in Saturday Night Fever and Flashdance.” Journal of Popular Film and Television 24:3 (1996): 116-122. Print.
“Often, the dichotomous portrayal of men as providers of money and women as providers of sex is embellished by additional oppositions. Females are frequently characterized as tamers of men’s sexuality…Conversely, men are often portrayed as controllers of women’s sexuality. Such a motif, according to Schatz, is implied by the portrayal of the man as a patriarchal figure and the woman as a younger, childlike character” (Jordan, 117-118).
?In this article, Jordan discusses gender as it pertains to sexuality. He identifies roles that are embodied by men and women by outlining the contrast between them. This view is relevant to Alex in Flashdance as she has the role of a sex object that is created for a male gaze. She depicts this through exotic dance, where she “tames” men with seductive, sensuous body movements. Since Alex performs for personal enjoyment, she restrains herself from unwanted male desire and chooses who she wants to engage with. This shows that she achieves agency through dance. However, this leads to her “providing sex” to a “patriarchal figure” who initiates her career in ballet. Her ability to ultimately make decisions for personal benefit proves her sense of agency and deviance of gender roles. Therefore, the stereotypical roles outlined in the article by Jordan reflect Alex in a way that she is over sexualized through her performance. However, the fact that she acquires agency over her body through dance signifies that her sexuality does not instill her with passivity towards men. Jordan’s views also assist with understanding the role of Adam in Magic Mike. Adam uses exotic dance to acquire income and a sense of agency. Thus, he uses his body as a “provider of money” and “controller of women”. His seduction through dance signifies female desire and allows him to take control of women’s sexuality. Following his first performance, Adam seduces a woman and loses his virginity to her, which proves that he gained “control of her sexuality” and that she “provided him with sex”. Ultimately, dance is significant to his sense of agency as his decision to pursue stripping as a career shows that he can identify himself as a exotic dancer. In addition, the role of Mike in Magic Mike can be viewed through the male gendered role outlined by Jordan. As a exotic dancer, Mike also “controls women’s sexuality” with his body. He initially appears to embody the role of a “patriarchal figure” and sexually objectifies women through his relationships with them. Though, he achieves self-realization due to his experiences as a dancer and ultimately uses his sense of agency to release himself from these roles by quitting dance and beginning a mature, sophisticated relationship with Brooke.
Source #3:
Hanna, Judith Lynne. “Patterns of Dominance: Men, Women, and Homosexuality in Dance.” The Drama Review: TDR 31.1 (1987): 22-47. JSTOR. Web. 23 Feb. 2013.
“The turn-of-the-century modern dance was in part a rebellion against male domination in both dance and society. Women’s bodies were viewed as being thoroughly saturated with sexuality and governed by sex-linked irrationality. Typecast as they were, daring women took advantage of the emotional behavior attributed to their gender…Affirmation and self-control of the body was one thrust of the women’s critique….Women chose to be agent rather than object” (Hanna, 30).
?In this article, Hanna discusses the association between dance and gender. She addresses gender roles in society and relates them to performances of dance over various time periods. This quote focuses particularly on modern dance and how some women used their bodies as a form of liberation from the constraints of society. Hanna’s view of how women approached modern dance is pertinent to Alex in Flashdance. Exotic dance, a form of modern dance, is performed by Alex to deviate domestic gender roles of women that limit her means of income and ability to pursue ballet. She dances “in rebellion to male domination” as she performs seductively, but restrains men from physically interacting with her. This gives her agency as she dances for personal enjoyment instead of as a sexual object for the sole benefit of men. Therefore, she “takes advantage of the emotional behaviour attributed to her gender” by being overtly sexual, but uses “self-control of her body” to be an “agent” that makes decisions for personal benefit. Although Adam in Magic Mike is a male stripper, he has a role that is generally embodied by women. Hence, he is relevant to this article since he uses agency acquired through dance to deviate male gender roles and to indulge in a fantasy world that allows him to dismiss an otherwise meaningless, working class life.
Source #4:
Reed, Susan. “The Politics and Poetics of Dance.” Annual Review of Anthropology 27 (1998): 503-532. JSTOR. Web. 23 Feb. 2013.
“The agentive nature of dance has often linked it to notions of resistance and control…while some aspects of the experience of dance may engender kinesthetic sensations of power, control, and transcendence, other aspects may locate it within paradigms of ideological repression…This quality of dance is echoed by Novack, who remarks that “Dance may reflect and resist cultural values simultaneously,” noting the example of the ballerina who embodies and enacts stereotypes of the feminine while she interprets a role with skill, agency and a subtlety that denies stereotype” (Reed, 521).
This article by Reed identifies a paradox of dance that enables the body to both reflect and resist ideologies pertaining to gender, race, class, etc. She suggests that by enacting a stereotype with skill and control, a dancer can acquire a sense of agency that will enable them with power and transcendence. These views of dance are apparent in Flashdance, where Alex acquires agency through her performances of exotic dance and ballet. Alex is embodies the stereotypical gender role as a sexualized object that attracts male gaze. However, she resists being subjected to it the passivity and repression associated with this role by using her body with skill and control. She dances and makes decisions for personal benefit, rather than for men. She eventually leaves exotic dance and performs ballet, an indicator that she transcended her morality and utilized her agency in pursuit of a true identity. This signifies her deviance of a stereotype and ability to be liberated from the constraints of gender roles.
Magic Mike also enacts this duality of dance. Adam initially defies masculinity by refusing to wear a tie, which results in him losing his job. This indicates that he wants to be liberated from stereotypes that require him to have a male gendered professional career. Hence, he uses exotic dance as a means of escaping from his perception of a meaningless, working class life. He performs in themed routines, where his enacts masculine roles such as a pilot, soldier, doctor, boxer, and firefighter. This gives him self-control, as well as control over women in the audience, so he develops a sense of agency. These experiences signify his reflection of cultural values and gender stereotypes. However, he simultaneously resists these constructs through exotic dance itself, as stripping is known by large as a female gendered dance. He therefore uses control over his body to enact his masculinity, but also defies the male stereotype by refusing to take on a job associated with men.
Source #5:
Bradley-Engen, Mindy S., and Jeffery T. Ulmer. “SOCIAL WORLDS OF STRIPPING: The Processual Orders of Exotic Dance.” Sociological Quarterly 50.1 (2009): 29-60. Women’s Studies International. Web. 23 Feb. 2013.
“There are differences between what motivates exotic dancers to continue working; the career dancer, who continued to work to make money, the party dancer, whose lifestyle centered on consumption of drugs and alcohol, and the power dancer, who obtained rewards through the act of being desired by others…This reveals that there is variation in the experience and motivation of dancers…These differences in experiences can shed light on the agency and constraint of sex work careers” (Bradley-Engen and Ulmer, 32).
?In this article, Bradley-Engen and Ulmer address the issue regarding whether exotic dance is exploitation. This quote suggests that the agency and motivation of dancers depends on their individual roles and experiences of the body during their “sex work career”. This refers to Alex in Flashdance as her motivation to be an exotic dancer is based on her role as a “career dancer who continues to work to make money”. Although she dances for personal enjoyment, she also uses dance as a means of income. Hence, her experiences as a dancer is determined by the personal benefit it has on her. Alex is motivated to work at the club when she experiences satisfaction and control of her body. She eventually quits exotic dance to pursue ballet when she feels dissatisfied by her realization of the immorality associated with a “sex work career”. Therefore, she develops a sense of agency from her motivation to continue working as an exotic dancer, and uses it to ultimately determine her identity as a hopeful ballerina.
Similarly, Mike in Magic Mike involves in exotic dance as a “career dancer who continues to work to make money”. He also dances for personal enjoyment and a means of income, where the satisfaction he feels as a dancer gives him control of his body. Hence, his motivation to continue dancing is rooted in his pursuance of money and a career. However, when he is refused a loan to begin his furniture business, loses his money to a drug gang, and as a result fails to acquire the same satisfaction as a dancer, he quits exotic dance. This indicates that experiences relating to career and money tamper with his motivation to dance, so he quits the “sex work career” to being a new life in pursuance of an identity as a businessman. In contrast, Adam in Magic Mike is a “party dancer whose lifestyle is centered on consumption of drugs and alcohol” and a “power dance who obtains rewards through the act of being desired by others”. He does not have any ambition for a career, but rather dances to indulge in this lifestyle to deviate from the pressure of fulfilling expectations of his sister and society. He consumes alcohol and drugs because he enjoys the freedom it gives his body. He also enjoys being desired by the audience through his seductive performances, which earn him higher positions in the exotic dance company he works at. Therefore, his motivation to dance is based on his experiences that give him freedom and self empowerment, which he would not take pleasure in had he not taken up exotic dance. He ultimately pursues this “sex work career” and identity as a stripper because he remains motivated throughout his experiences and lacks ambition to lead an alternative way of life.