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he's a good provider. And, when they get into that hip, new club, he shows her he can dance, too.

It's little wonder that so much of the dancing performed by men has a competitive side. In the tap dance challenge, the break-dance challenge, even in competitive ballroom dancing, the appeal is the chance to show off and perform better than another man. Customs in social dancing even grew up around this innate rivalry. Anyone old enough to remember "dance cards" and "cutting in" can appreciate the competitive spirit of two men vying to dance with the same woman. It's the human version of the mating dance, all dressed up and on display within the tasteful bounds of social convention.

Sometimes these displays go beyond fancy footwork alone. Imagine the stir it must have created the first time a man "dipped" his ballroom dancing partner! That must have caught the attention of every woman in the room. Every man, too, jealous because he hadn't thought of it first. Go ahead and ask your grandmother, did a dancing partner ever "dip" her? She'll probably still remember his name.

If prairie chicken "booming" was a couples dance, you can be sure those birds would dip!

Today, dancing allows more self-expression than ever. And most, if not all men, are up to the challenge. If the song has a beat, they can boogie with the best of them and show their stuff. When they're really into it, they might even hum or sing along.

Birds know it. Bees know it. Guys who dance like prairie chickens show it. And the females of the species love them for it. Maybe even in spite of it.

Learn more about this author, Ina Winslow.
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