This study analyzes dance performances of three cheering squads at Minamikaze High School (pseudonym) in Kanagawa Prefecture in 2018 to explore how those performances construct specific meanings regarding gender and sexuality. The analyses show that all three squads differentiate boys’ bodies from girls’ bodies through costumes and movements, albeit to different degrees. While girls’ bodies are expressed as cute and gorgeous, boys’ bodies are expressed as cool, swinging, powerful and agile, and have abilities to lead girls’ bodies. On the one hand, all three squads include movements by a (mostly boy-girl) pair and express intimacy between boys and girls through specific movements. On the other hand, while one squad expresses friendship between boys and girls, the other two squads construct heteronormativity that defines heterosexuality as the only acceptable form of sexuality in society. These meanings are assumed to affect sexual minority students in two ways. First, we assume that they refrain from participating in dance performances because of gender specific costumes such as pants for boys and skirts for girls. Second, we assume that they also refrain from participating in the two heteronormative dance performances, which do not fit expressions of their sexuality. The way to let sexual minority students participate in dance performances without any obstacles is to ensure opportunities for all students to study the diversity of gender identities and sexual orientations. Through such studying, all students can affirm their own gender identities and sexual orientations and respect others’. Given that the dance performances include few expressions that fit neither gendered bodies and costumes nor heteronormativity, an additional way is to provide students with assignments that let them create dance performances in which allow all the students participate regardless of their gender identities and sexual orientations, while enjoying.
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