Unveiling mental health nuances of male Indian classical dancers.

Title

Unveiling mental health nuances of male Indian classical dancers.

Creator

Bapat, Madhura; Krishnan, Uma

Description

This study explores the lives of male Indian classical dancers, highlighting the duality of dance as a sanctuary and a stressor. As male Indian classical dancers negotiate and redefine norms of masculinity, the study calls for recognition of diverse masculine identities within traditionally feminized spaces. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved) 2025 American Psychological Association All rights, including for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies, are reserved.; This research explores the mental health nuances of male Indian classical dancers (MICDs), through a lens of redefining masculinity, focusing on their perceived quality of life, psychosocial challenges, and coping strategies. This study follows an interpretive phenomenological approach to follow the lived experiences of MICDs. The participants are male, fluent in English, and pursuing Indian classical dance styles professionally, like Kathak, Bharatanatyam, Chhau, etc. Six participants were recruited for personal, semistructured, in-depth interviews, whereas, a focus group discussion with four participants was conducted to explore the stigma. The data were analyzed using interpretive phenomenological analysis, revealing themes of (a) identity fragmentation and negotiation in gendered social contexts, (b) gendered experiences, (c) emotional distress and psychological challenges, (d) coping mechanisms and resilience, and (e) stigmatization and social integration dynamics. MICDs grapple with identity formation, navigating a paradox of self-perception, artistic identity, and societal expectation. They reported experiencing emasculation, compromising artistic expression, and struggling with gender norms and gendered training constraints. They have faced name-calling, bullying, taunting, slandering, and discrimination leading to psychological challenges and distress. However, the paradox continues as male dancers use adaptive coping strategies despite the adversities that intertwine self-perception, societal pressures, and their passion for dance. These findings provide a strong foundation for making changes in the dance community for acceptance of male dancers, policy making for better job opportunities for male dancers, and mental health services to be provided to help them deal with distress. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved) 2025 American Psychological Association All rights, including for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies, are reserved.

Source

Psychology of Men and Masculinity;Volume;27;Issue;1;pp.29-40

Date

01-01-2026

Publisher

American Psychological Association

Subject

Indian classical dance; interpretive phenomenological analysis; male dancers; mental health; stigma

Coverage

Bapat M., Department of Psychological Sciences, Christ University, Central Campus, Bangalore, India; Krishnan U., Department of Psychological Sciences, Christ University, Central Campus, Bangalore, India

Rights

Restricted Access; Hardcopy may be available in the library

Relation

ISSN: 15249220;

Format

online

Language

English

Type

Article

Identifier

https://doi.org/10.1037/men0000538

https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105031272170?origin=resultslist