Mother of six Karla Pope was concerned about the sexualisation of young people in Griffith after attending a number of concerts, including last week’s theatre launch.
“I attended the launch of Griffith Regional Theatre’s 2012 season, and I likened it to a porn fest,” Mrs Pope said.
“I wasn’t ‘thrilled’ when Dolly’s Latin Dancers performed their sassy moves, with costumes that left little to the imagination.
“Nor was I ‘thrilled’ when the boys from the Fruit Fly circus stripped off their shirts to perform their amazing feats.
“I’ve been to a fair few professional dance concerts and they were fully dressed, yet they still managed to blow me away by their sheer talent.”
Mrs Pope said she had witnessed a growing trend by local dance schools to “sex up” young dancers.
“I’d like to put a challenge out to our dance schools – see if, for this year, you can choreograph your dances to not include ‘suggestive and erotic’ moves and see if you can fully clothe your dancers in a way that focuses people’s attention on their talent instead of their body,” she said.
“I don’t want to see young girls looking like prostitutes.
“I took my two oldest kids to the launch because I was led to believe that it was family friendly but it felt more like a porn fest.
“I am concerned about this. There has to be a point where you say this is enough. We should be protecting our children. Aren’t they worth it? Is the message we are conveying to our young people, sex up or you’re not good enough?”
Dolly Clebsch, who has been running Dolly’s Dance Academy for nearly 10 years, said she was simply delivering the performance she had been asked to.
“The style that we were asked to prepare was Latin fever and those were the costumes and steps for that dance style,” she said.
“There is no intention to offend. It was performed in the right context at the theatre and our dancers always have the full support of their families.
“Griffith is growing in every single way. In art I believe you need to have an open-mind. I suppose we will never please everyone.”
Melissa Brown operates Melissa’s Dance Studio in Griffith and said she was conscious of the need to strike a balance.
“These days it’s hard because teenagers want to do the moves they see,” she said.
“But we also have a duty of care. That’s why I’m very conscious about the need to consider the venue, the audience and the age of the performers.
“I’m always open to discussion with parents if they have concerns about choreography or costumes. I agree the over-sexualisation of girls is a worry.”
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