Introduction

Responding to the statement “why boys (don’t) dance” requires attention be paid to how and why masculinity retains significance and influence. In this introductory chapter, Beccy Watson, Doug Risner, and Sukina Khan provide a rationale for locating dance and dance education scholarship in an intersectional framework; they draw on recent and established dance research to contextualize and introduce the chapters that comprise the edited volume. The review of literature covers three overlapping themes: praxis and critical pedagogy; the dancing body and masculinity; difference and intersectionality. The themes inform the rationale for the organization of the book around the larger categories of education, cultures, and identities. In conclusion, the chapter stresses a commitment to informing practice and theorization across masculinity and dance interrelationships.