Dancing Stars: Alfons Haider will be dancing with a Guy

Vienna: Considering the conservative nature of the ORF, this can be considered a small surprise: On the new season of 'Dancing Stars', which will start airing March 11th, the openly gay entertainer Alfons Haider will be dancing with a guy.

With that the ORF follows Haider's explicit wishes. Haider stated in 2008, that he would only take part in 'Dancing Stars' if he were allowed to dance with pro-dancer Balazs Ecker. If Haider will be paired up with the pro-dancer remains to be seen, since the dance pairs are not due to be announced till February.

Haider argued already in 2008 to allow an all male dance pair, but ORF declined. So Haider went ahead and got the OK directly from the BBC. Programming director Wolfgang Lorenz supported to move, as long as the decision will be made 'responsibly'. It never was entirely clear what that statement is supposed to mean! The plans for an all male dance pair had to wait till this year, since last year no new season of 'Dancing Stars' has been produced.

By doing so the Israeli TV beat ORF: In the current season of the pro-dance show 'Rokdim Im Kokhavim' the openly lesbian moderator Gil Shem Tov is dancing with the heterosexual female dancer Dorit Milman. For Tov that is the most natural thing in the world, since she shares her real life with a woman and her family. With that being said the producer of the show, Asaaf Gil, is proud to have lesbian dance pair on the show.

The 53-year old Haider doesn't see a socio-political message behind the same sex dance pair. By his own account he has not the slightest interest of becoming some sort of "Jeanne d'Arc' for the gay community. He expects, that the Austrian viewer will find a same sex dance pair entertaining. After all it's a dance show and nothing else!

Up till now the ORF has a terrible track record regarding LBGT programing: The 'gay' episode of the MTV dating-docu "Dismissed", that the ORF co-produced has never been aired, due to the veto of former director general Monika Lindner. 'Will and Grace' and 'Queer as Folk', provided via ProSieben have never been broadcasted either. The award winning series 'The L-Word' has not been aired because of allegedly not making it through quality control. Whoever believes that wannabe argument, has to be entirely self-delusional!!

Source: GGG.at