And there is a qualitative difference between being "threatened" and just being slightly annoyed, isn't there? ;-) I LIKE strong women. I don't much like unnecessary combativeness in either gender.

My experience is that the BEST performers encourage everybody. As Joan Baez said, "I don't get jealous in the presence of great talent, I get excited!" (This was her reaction when she first saw the young Bob Dylan play in a coffee shop in Greenwich Village, and decided instantly that he was the greatest living songwriter and that he would change everything in the field of folk music. She was right. She did everything she could in the next few years to help launch his career successfully.)