The points I'd really like to see discussed are the following:

>>>Hey Steve! This orange guy is a kid. Maybe he's now seen something inside of him that needs to be addressed.  

Orange ballet shoes' first message said he was 15.  That's a great age to be a ballet dancer, and I wish I was there again with what I know now.  He needs support and advice, and for all the mouthing-off I've done on these message boards, I consider myself serious about ballet.

Orange ballet shoes first loved this site, and then was bitching about "perverts" and claiming he shouldn't have to put up with this because he was a minor.  Well, lah-de-dah!  That's life kid.  Your point about toning down OBS' postings is very valid, but, if he is 15, I think he has to learn that by himself, and to expect some of the responses he did get.

>>>Ballet does attract many of the wrong types. >>>STEVE!!! What the hell is that supposed to mean?

This furrled my feathers!  It seems everything in the world, everything that was sweet and wonderful, clean and encouraging, happy and gay, has been attached to some sort of toilet bowl cleaner nowadays.

However, I don't worry about the wrong-types, and I hope they don't worry about me!  But my point is that everything nowadays has the wrong-types that pop-up around it.  I didn't like it when you said ballet attracts many of the wrong-types, because I love ballet.  Saying it about ballet hurts!  (Hey, but this doesn't keep me from mouthing-off to them at times!  That's "fun" for me!  Have you seen some of my responses on forum27099 lately?)

Steve, based on our philosophies of life and our love of ballet, we might be the same person!  So keep posting! And keep dancing!  BalletMaster

>>>I'm not trying to tell anyone what to like or what motivates their love of ballet. I was just trying to tone down Orange Ballet Shoes' posting. I realize that there are many so called "Dancers" who are driven more by fetish than love of dance. But I would be the last person to say "you have no place in ballet because you like tights, or tutus or pointe shoes or whatever". I'm not among those few on this site who cast people out because of who they are, or what they like. Ballet has room for all types. But it does ballet a great deal of harm when society's general opinion is that all males in ballet are either gay or perverts is fostered by postings like that of "Tights Loving Dancer". I would have no problem being in the same ballet class as Tights Loving Dancer, but I would feel deep down inside the he is not a true representitive of all male dancers. I'm trying to be in the middle on this most perplexing situation. I do feel a certain empathy for guys like Orange Ballet Shoes AND Tights Loving Dancer. I guess they make up the typical ballet class these days. Some love to dance and wear tights, some like to wear tights and dance.