Analyze the classic film White Nights (1985). Critical response to the film is not particularly strong, and to a contemporary viewer it may appear to be cheesy and dated. Looking beyond the bad haircuts and dramatic plot, however, there are questions about the relationship between race, masculinity, and embodiment that are not dated, but rather remain critical to our understanding of dance today.
I am particularly interested in the scenes where the two lead actors, Mikhail Baryshnikov and Gregory Hines, teach one another to dance. The film highlights their differences: Baryshnikov is a white, Russian, ballet dancer, while Hines is a black, American, tap dancer. These differences produce distinct training regimens, aesthetic styles, and relationships to dance. Over the course of the film the dancers learn from one another and perform create their own routine that blends their styles. I am interested in the contrasts that remain in this scene, for although the two men perform the same routine, a close reading of the scene reveals subtle signs that their unique style remains. These indications include posture, placement, and transitions between dance moves. And yet, along with these differences, the dancers also use their performance to express a shared sort of masculinity and masculine embodiment.
My working research question aims to connect these similarities and differences in Hines’ and Baryshnikov’s dance performances. I ask: What is the relationship between radicalized and gendered movement in White Nights?
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