If only there were a dedicated, knowledgeable dance critic at The Stranger! *writes heated 2,000-word essay on modern dance criticism*

Our 4y/o granddaughter no longer takes "dance" lessons because of evil shit like that video.

Maple Valley School of Ballet alumni REPRESENT!

jessica... sometimes i doubt your commitment to sparklemotion

What does "if there was coverage of this sort of thing in the media that has nothing to do with dance" mean? That if the media paid more attention to the "they're barely dressed" aspect of the dance competition story vs. the "who won" aspect? Or if there was more coverage in general of the sexualization of young girls (as opposed to discussing it solely in the context of dance)? I actually can't quite figure out what she means there.

I still have significantly more of a problem with the skimpy costumes than with the actual dance moves themselves in that particular video. Though, when I think about what it would have taken to teach those girls those moves ("make sure you stick your hip/butt out like this", etc.) I start to feel a little more uncomfortable...

P.S. I remember back in my dance lesson days, the biggest scandal was how much make-up we were all wearing at the recitals... Can I say "my how times have changed" without sounding like my grandmother?

that video scared the crap out of me as my nieces have been in dance classes most of their young lives.
I posted the video on the older one's FB page begging her never to let her 9 year old sister dance like that! Her response was that her sister's ballet class never did dancing like that and never, ever wore costumes like the ones in the video.
I'm still worried about them after this.

@5 Agree, the most frightening thing is the porno costumes. I feel icky for having seen 7 years dressed like that.

I don't have any problem with the dance moves, though, or whatever it took to learn them. These girls are great athletes with amazing body confidence that will serve them well in life. And looking back at my days playing football and wrestling, some of the coaching about body position and movement could easily be mistaken for a gay porn soundtrack if heard out of context. "That's it, keep your hips low, legs apart, arch your back, and thrust!"

I really don't understand why so many of y'all are so up in arms about these little girls showing their belly buttons and executing dance moves whose "meaning" I hope escapes them completely. Shit's gotta be WAY more 'child beauty pageant' than this to even tickle my vomit-meter.

@10 those of us who are not pederasts disagree with you.

@10 I'm with you on the dance moves -- I'm betting (hoping?) they don't really get the "meaning" at 7. But... they are dressed like strippers. And that's not hyperbole. They are actually dressed like strippers. "Thigh highs", ruffled panties, etc. If that doesn't at minimum, give you pause, well... I guess I don't have anything to add.

@10
Umm, many (most?) straight guys get turned on when they see an adult woman dressed like that, and when adult women dress like that, usually the point is to turn guys on. (No idea if the same holds for lesbians.)

I'm certainly not up in arms, but I do think it's a bit awkward to see prepubescent girls dressed like that.

I suppose it's possible the costume designer was a mom and/or gay man who is no more dialed into heterosexual stripper and porn fashion than these girls (hopefully) are.

No-, no-, notorious...

Ha ha ha! This lady is one of my best friends IRL. She's also one of the most liberal, anti-organized religion, queer-lovin', ran-the-hell-away-from-the-South-at-an-early-age people I know.

You should totally make her your dance critic.

The over the top sexualized dancing bothered me more than the costumes. Girls that age could see and become intrigued by and enjoy costumes like that on their own for completely non-sexual reasons. The dance moves were overtly sexual and had to be painted onto the girls by adults.

weird shit...

I grew up in the competitive dance world and have periodically seen this kind of issue throughout the years. A lot of it depends on the culture of the part of the country you're in. There are pockets of the country where, in the dance world, this kind of dance is acceptable for your children. In their defence, I have been to several well-renowned competitions where routines such as this have been disqualified for being inappropriate and a fined issued to the studio. Also this problem is not limited to young children. I've seen teenage dancers in similarly inappropriate routines who have faced similar consequences. It really comes down to the class of compeition you're attending if this sort of thing is acceptable. The better the competition, in my opinion, the less likely you are to see offensive routines.