Men dancesport athletes at the SEA Games say they had to overcome dated stereotypes to reach the top of competitive ballroom dancing.
Issarapong Duangkaew and his woman dance partner Thanawan Yananun, both 24, won two titles for Thailand at the regional Games in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi.
"Somebody always asks, 'If you do dancesport, are you a ladyboy?’" she told AFP, as Issarapong looked on. Dancesport is a physically demanding pursuit where flamboyantly dressed men and women pairs must quickly wow judges with elaborate, sensuous, head-turning moves. Vietnamese dancer Truong Doan Minh Nguyen said that similar views -- that only gay men would do ballroom dancing -- were once widespread in his country."But after I have developed my performance into a more sporty and stronger style, limiting soft moves, then people have changed their perception in men like me doing dancesport."
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