Little Sex Symbols

SEX. DANCE. YOUTH.

Today nothing much surprises us. We’re used to seeing murder on the news and sex on TV- so why is a simple dance competition video the subject of recent controversy?

If you haven’t seen it, or heard about it, there is a YouTube video of a dance competition in which a troup of five young girls are performing a choreographed routine to Beyonce’s hit “Single Ladies.” It is a subject of recent controversy because of the, ahem, suggestive moves the girls perform- and because they’re only 7 years old.

Let me start by saying that I have been dancing for 12 years and I am by no means an expert on the subject, but I feel that I know a lot and can empathize with these girls, and perhaps, their choreographer. I understand the reasoning and thought process behind this performance. It’s for a competition, so you bring your best attributes. Dancing is performing, and people perform to entertain- and these girls are entertaining! Behind the “controversial” moves, are deep rooted dance techniques that are spot on for their age, and difficult for a lot of dancers to do. Not only is their technique amazing, but they have their facial expressions down, their attitude, and their character. These little girls look like they’re having fun! And that’s important, especially at that age and in this generation when childhood is lost long before that.  

In respose to seeing the video, my brother remarked…”They’re going to grow up to be strippers.” I really hope he doesn’t seriously think that, and neither should anyone else. What do you expect people? These girls didn’t choreograph that routine, at least I don’t think so, they are just showing off their skills. There’s nothing wrong with that! They can DANCE! Better than my brother, whose favorite and only move on the dance floor is the fist pump.

What surprises me about all of this is that people are surprised by the dance moves. How can people be surprised, when the role models these girls have in the spotlight today are Britney Spears and “Dirrty” girl Christina Aguilera? People were appalled to see the girls wearing a flashy red two-piece costume, made complete with black knee-highs and gloves. It’s a competition people! You expect them to wear unitards and animal printed sweatshirts? Our culture (American) gives them images of sex all over, and not only on TV. You can see sex everywhere, billboards on the freeway, magazine covers, and movie previews at the theatre. We can’t expect our kids of today to stay innocent if we’re not willing to cut down on our public display of everything sexual.

I think these girls are technically better than many dancers I’ve seen, and I think they were having fun with this routine. I think that we can’t hold our children to different standards than we hold ourselves. I don’t think that just because these girls have great rythm and an understanding of body movement that they are going to be hypersexual as adults. I think, once again, the media and the public have twisted something innocent into something dirty.

Keep Squeezing,

A.