Untitled (line of boys learning to dance) c. 1950

Curator: This is Jack Gould's "Untitled (line of boys learning to dance)," a small gelatin silver print currently residing here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It has this almost ghostly, x-ray feel to it, and the boys... their faces seem like masks, yet the slightly awkward line-up evokes a sort of tender vulnerability. Curator: The photographic negative casts these boys in an eerie light that can be interpreted as a visual manifestation of societal anxieties surrounding masculinity and performance. What does it mean to learn to dance in this setting? Editor: Maybe it's about conforming, finding your place, feeling safe in a pack, even if it means shedding a bit of your true self. Curator: Indeed, and the seemingly forced uniformity, emphasized by the stark contrast, critiques the rigid expectations placed upon young men. Editor: It’s strange how a simple snapshot of a dance class can echo so many complicated feelings, right? Almost makes me want to dance myself, to break free from those rigid lines!