Presidential dancing: The bodies of heads of state

Dominant western masculinity has been theorized as disembodied, in contrast to sensual, emotional and bodily-determined femininity. If this is the case, the US presidents should epitomize disembodied power. Yet presidents and presidential candidates routinely use their bodies to demonstrate their fit with positions of power. They pitch balls at the beginning of baseball season. Since the mid-1960s, one of the first public appearances of a newly elected president is his dance with the first lady at the inaugural ball. This article calls attention to the moving bodies of US presidents to see what they reveal about the relationship between physical movement and the appearance of power. It argues that presidents do political work through physical movement, including when they dance. As they dance alongside non-US visitors, or dance at inaugural balls, in televised appearances and White House social events, presidents position themselves in relation to constructions of racialized masculinity.