A Successful Partnership: Gender Roles, the Ballroom, and the Rise of the Postmodern Princess in Disney’s Animated and Live-Action <i>Beauty and the Beast</i>

Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, both Trousdale and Wise’s animated (1991) and Condon’s live-action (2017) productions, are often criticized for their perpetuation of traditional gender roles. While the ballroom scene(s) in both films are often a focal point of this criticism, a close reading of the choreography holds a subtext not often seen by the common viewer—one that illustrates a complex partnership with shifting roles rather than a static understanding of domineering male leads and dainty female follows. This article contextualizes the significance of dance in these adaptations as an expansion of the themes within the “Beauty and the Beast” hypotext and the performative aspects of gender within DanceSport subculture. Particularly prominent in Condon’s live-action remake, postmodern elements are incorporated into Belle and Beast’s waltz, where they disrupt traditional gender roles and take turns both leading and following in the dance. The themes of leading and following and the conformity/non-conformity of gender roles continue throughout the micro-narrative of the film’s multiple ballroom scenes, illustrating a shift from traditional gender roles to an equal partnership between both dancers on and off the dance floor.