第1519期:Can men dance?

Are men able to dance? Well, if I am an example, then no – I have two left feet and taking to the dance floor just fills me with dread. But of course, we know that most of us have the potential to throw some shapes, so what is it that's stopping us?

男人会跳舞吗？好吧，如果我是一个例子，那么不——我有两只左脚，走上舞池让我充满恐惧。但是，当然，我们知道我们大多数人都有可能做出一些形状，那么是什么阻止了我们呢？

If you've ever watched glamorous and glitzy dance shows on TV, like the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing, you'll know that there are men who have great dexterity and fancy footwork on the dancefloor. These professional dancers have spent years learning and performing ballroom dances such as the waltz, foxtrot and tango.

如果您曾经在电视上观看过迷人而炫目的舞蹈节目，例如 BBC 的《舞动起来》，您就会知道在舞池中有些人非常灵巧，步法也很奇特。这些专业舞者花费数年时间学习和表演交际舞，如华尔兹、狐步舞和探戈。

But for a majority of us men, we still prefer to spectate rather than participate. And according to a survey commissioned by BBC Radio 5 live, over three quarters of British men have never or rarely danced. It found that over a third of men surveyed wouldn't strut their stuff, let alone perform a paso doble, on the dancefloor because they were too embarrassed. And ten per cent said what put them off was fear of being the centre of attention, being made fun of, or being judged.

但对于我们大多数人来说，我们仍然更喜欢旁观而不是参与。根据 BBC Radio 5 live 委托进行的一项调查，超过四分之三的英国男性从未或很少跳舞。调查发现，超过三分之一的受访男性不会在舞池上炫耀自己的东西，更不用说在舞池上表演了，因为他们太尴尬了。10% 的人说让他们反感的是害怕成为关注的中心、被取笑或被评判。

Women may say we have to get a grip, get on our feet and just let ourselves go! Easier said than done. But what helps is a crowded dancefloor where there is safety in numbers. And according to the survey, many men need a drink. One man questioned said, "I don't think I'm very good at it and therefore need some Dutch courage to get me on the floor."

女人可能会说我们必须抓紧，站起来，放手！说起来容易做起来难。但有帮助的是一个拥挤的舞池，那里的人数是安全的。而且根据调查，很多男人都需要喝一杯。一名被问到的人说：“我认为我不是很擅长，因此需要一些荷兰人的勇气才能让我上场。”

One place where the alcohol is flowing is usually at a wedding, so, maybe unsurprisingly, the BBC survey found that 75% of men had previously danced at one. These are also the situations where partners of boyfriends and husbands can persuade them to move to the groove of the music! However, this is the time to witness some 'dad dancing' which is defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as: "An awkward, unfashionable, or unrestrained style of dancing to pop music, as characteristically performed by middle-aged or older men." Surely that's not me!

酒精流动的地方通常是在婚礼上，因此，也许不足为奇的是，英国广播公司的调查发现，75% 的男性以前曾在一次婚礼上跳舞。这些也是男朋友和丈夫的伴侣可以说服他们跟随音乐的情况！然而，现在是时候见证一些“爸爸跳舞”了，它在牛津英语词典中被定义为：“一种笨拙、不时尚或不受约束的流行音乐舞蹈风格，通常由中年或老年男性表演。”那肯定不是我！

So let's face it, us men just need help. We need training, we need to practise and we need to lose our inhibitions. One convert, Gareth Dew, who took part in the survey, says, "I think to be able to dance you need to be able to let loose, be aware of your body and generally be more comfortable in yourself." Would you agree?  

所以让我们面对现实吧，我们男人只是需要帮助。我们需要训练，我们需要练习，我们需要摆脱束缚。参与调查的一位皈依者 Gareth Dew 说：“我认为要能够跳舞，你需要能够放松，注意自己的身体，并且通常对自己更舒服。”你会同意吗？

词汇表

two left feet “两只左脚”，跳舞时舞步笨拙
dance floor 舞池
throw some shapes 跳舞
glitzy 耀眼夺目的
dexterity 敏捷度，娴熟性
footwork 步法，脚步动作
waltz 华尔兹舞
foxtrot 狐步舞
tango 探戈舞
spectate 观看
strut one’s stuff（为引起他人注意）夸张、卖弄地跳舞
paso doble 斗牛舞
centre of attention 瞩目的焦点
get a grip 放下负担，试着去跳舞
safety in numbers 人多保险
Dutch courage 酒胆，酒后之勇
move to the groove 跳舞
dad dancing “爸爸式舞姿”（较笨拙、过时的舞步）
unrestrained 不受限制的
inhibition 拘束，顾虑
convert 行为已经转变的人
let loose 放松