REAL BODIES
DANCING THROUGH LIFE
Brazilian dancer and model Miguel De Sousa, 36, discusses how he got started in dance, appearing in Emilia Pérez, and how his craft has impacted his relationship with his body
As told to Alastair James
Photography Francisco Gomez de Villaboa
I was born and raised in Salvador, Brazil. From a very young age, I knew I was different. I grew up in a loving home, with a discoobsessed father, a hard-working mother and a younger sister. Dad was in the military, so there was a lot of discipline — especially with me being the big brother.
I was a very feminine boy, and I used to hang out a lot more with girls than with boys. I was obsessed with The Little Mermaid, an anime series called Rayearth, and then the Spice Girls. All of this shaped the flamboyant, (vocally) high-pitched boy into the flamboyant, high-pitched man I am today, personally and professionally.
I don’t recall bullying growing up, but I do clearly remember the social pressure to behave a certain way, talk a certain way and to like certain things. I think the fact that my father wasn’t a big football fan like the other dads was sort of comforting, even though I had to play it if I wanted to hang out with boys my age.
Being gay was something that was weirdly expected of me, given how I was as a child, but it didn’t make things easier. It was almost as if there was this hope that I’d turn out straight. To be honest, it was harder telling my parents that I wanted to become a dancer than that I was gay.
The dance thing happened first, and it felt like I was throwing away all of the expectations my family had for me with that. But I was fully conscious of my otherness and first came out to my closest friends during high school. It’s also when I had my first experiences.