Men outnumber women in STDT's first-year class

>> by Cynthia Brett

For the first time in The School of Toronto Dance Theatre's (STDT) history, there are more men than women in its first-year class. Of twenty-two students, twelve are men. Artistic Director Patricia Fraser commented that the school has seen an increase in the number of men auditioning, as well as an improvement in their dancing. A collective statement from the first-year class says that, "In this and other cultures there seem to be more men gravitating to the arts in general. Contemporary dance is now a more accepted career for men to pursue.... There may always be something of a stigma against male dancers, because the wider population doesn't yet entirely understand what we do; however, it's possible that seeing dance in popular culture, on TV shows such as So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing with the Stars, has put men 'on the map' in terms of dance." Here's a look at the number of men in the first-year class over the last five years: 2011, 12 of 22; 2010, 7 of 24; 2009, 5 of 25; 2008, 9 of 25; and 2007, 3 of 22.