“Schuhplatteln” is a traditional Austrian dance, where men slap energetically on their thighs and shoes, originally to impress girls. The dance bears many contradicting images: its dancers appear gentle and forceful, delicate and overpowering, powerful and exasperated. What image of “male behaviour” is represented in traditional dances and why do we still re-enact these roles? Is it our human need for assurance and continuity that hinders us to escape traditional (gender) patterns and every day life constraints that are connected to them?