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Same-sex pairings on Strictly Come Dancing: LGBTQ+ identity and leisure participation in ballroom dancing

Harman, Vicki; Wong, Yen Nee

Authors

Vicki Harman



Contributors

Shintaro Kono
Editor

Anju Beniwal
Editor

Priyanka Baweja
Editor

Karl Spracklen
Editor

Abstract

Ballroom Dancing is a leisure pursuit that is currently enjoying a resurgence stimulated by TV shows including ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ and ‘Dancing with the Stars’. Watching such TV shows can be a leisure activity in itself as well as encouraging viewers to attend dancing lessons. Existing scholarship has highlighted Ballroom Dancing’s focus on heterosexual partnerships and mixed-sex couples. In response to growing pressure from the LGBTQ+ community, in 2018, Strictly Come Dancing (SCD) announced they would feature same-sex professional partnerships for the first time. This chapter analyses online articles in order to discuss the response to the representation incorporated into the show. From our findings we argue that debates about inclusion and representation can act as a ‘positive problem’ (Stebbins, Positive sociology: An overview) for the leisure sphere.

Citation

Harman, V., & Wong, Y. N. (2020). Same-sex pairings on Strictly Come Dancing: LGBTQ+ identity and leisure participation in ballroom dancing. In S. Kono, A. Beniwal, P. Baweja, & K. Spracklen (Eds.), Positive sociology of leisure: Contemporary perspectives (159-173). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-41812-0_10

Publication Date Jun 25, 2020
Deposit Date Aug 29, 2023
Publisher Palgrave Macmillan
Pages 159-173
Series Number Leisure Studies in a Global Era (LSGE)
Book Title Positive sociology of leisure: Contemporary perspectives
Chapter Number 10
ISBN 978-3-030-41814-4
DOI https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-41812-0_10