dancing

[Martin S]

And it has become a very international activity, giving you an excuse to travel the world, showing off your kilts, and meeting all sorts of interesting people. Whenever there is a big dance with live music, dancers travel far and wide to attend.
Last year, I organized a dancing holiday near here, and it was attended by wonderful people from four different continents. I'll be doing the same this time next week and am already looking forward to making a whole lot of new friends.

Whether I shall be able to persuade the visitors to keep their kilts on for the outings and sightseeing, remains to be seen. I was the only one in kilt full time last year, but perhaps that was because it was the week with the highest temperatures in living memory.

Scottish country dancing is also the only social activity I know of where the male peacock is admired and valued. When the men get their kilts on (not to mention all the other optional traditional finery), the ladies just fade into the background, and no-one makes fun of our vanity.

Martin,
in Grenoble, France.
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/scots.in.france/scd.htm

[philbo]

Scottish country dancing is also the only social activity I know of where the male peacock is admired and valued. When the men get their kilts on (not to mention all the other optional traditional finery), the ladies just fade into the background, and no-one makes fun of our vanity.

Martin,
in Grenoble, France.
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/scots.in.france/scd.htm

Isn't that the way most animals behave? Generally, the males aways have more colorful coats or plumage or whatever, and tend to do most of the showing off to attract females (which could involve dancing, singing, fighting, schmoozing, bragging, or just about anything else to get some attention).

[zeytoun]

I think there's a mix in human society, some cultures where men are reserved and not flashy, others where they are. A couple examples are arabic dancing, where the men stand at the edge and dance in a more reserved "supportive" style, while the women in the middle undulate and receive most of the attention.. then there is the african tribe where the men where make-up, preen, and have jumping contests to see who is the most agile.. and then there was 17th century France.. and sometimes I wonder if the effeminate male might be coming back into vogue.. so be careful how you wear your kilts. If in doubt, consult Bear or Graham or Bubba or one of the other non-"metrosexual" members of this forum..

[Graham]

what the heck is metrosexual?, not another sex I hope, we already have too many.

back to the topic..I love SC dancing too, in fact i've just come home from a session.

SDC does bring back a taste of bygone days of chivalry, where both men and women have a place and know their place. Yes, and a good excuse to wear a kilt (not that we need one).

[Martin S]

Zeytoun wrote:
".. and sometimes I wonder if the effeminate male might be coming back into vogue.. so be careful how you wear your kilts."

What a strange reaction!

Surely you don't prefer the neolithic macho male still found around much of the Mediterranean?

Martin

[zeytoun]

I have no preference when it comes to how other men dress or groom themselves... I am no macho, and I don't get worked up about trying to appear manly at every moment. I just personally don't feel like incorporating a lot of the new grooming ideas for men into my regimen, like make-up, nail polish, waxing my body, etc. My comments were going off in a tangent, partly because of a bottle of vermouth.

Graham, a metrosexual is a somewhat new term for guys who are straight but like to groom themselves as much as women. Feel free not to respond to this post, and return to the topic of Scottish dancing.

[Graham]

Graham, a metrosexual is a somewhat new term for guys who are straight but like to groom themselves as much as women. Feel free not to respond to this post, and return to the topic of Scottish dancing.

Oh right, thanks, then that is certainly me...I like to shower reguarly once a week whether I need to or not

Seriously, I've never been one for personal "grooming" (I thought that's what you did to a dog), nor have I ever been fussed about what I wear, matching colours etc.

Kilts have changed all that tho', now I like to dress better to make kilts look good.

But makeup, nail polish, dyeing hair etc.....no way! that's for wimmin, I'm a natural kind of guy.

[bubba]

I'm closer to a caveman than a metrosexual. Cut my hair when it bothers me (not frequently), shave when the wife makes me, the usual neglect. Even my hair is rebellious and refuses to stay where it's put and lately some has been escaping entirely.

[Rufus]

Here's the original article where Mark Simpson coined the term metrosexual.

http://www.salon.com/ent/feature/200...2/metrosexual/

His point isn't so much that the men want to look good, but that they're so completely narcissistic about it. These guys don't just groom themselves, they'll spend $500/month so that they're well groomed so you will notice them. (See David Beckham)

I know that some of the guys here take pride in their appearance, but I don't think I've seen any metro's here. Well, besides Hank. (just kidding.)

[GMan]

Good luck to you Martin in trying to convince those kilted gentlemen to stay kilted. Go for the convienent and comfort factor, they already are kilted why not stay that way, because you can just have a spur of the moment dance somewhere.

As far as being flashy, when I was dancing around the coffee shop a meterosexual came up to me and asked if I felt a little flashy, in all sincerity he is a good guy and asks good kilt questions, but I am not sure he would look good in a kilt because of his painted toenails with clear polish, go figure. I really doubt he ever will be kilted.

Good luck again Martin in your kilting mission!