Rep: 'Single Ladies' Girls Did 'Nothing Provocative'

1918 Comments

By Amber James Posted May 14th 2010 07:40AM

Earlier this week, a YouTube video surfaced from The World of Dance competition in which a group of young -- and we mean really young -- girls wearing midriff-baring tops, short skirts and black stockings dance to Beyonce's 'Single Ladies.' The dance troupe, called Precision Dance, hails from Orange County, and definitely "put a ring on it" during the competition in Pomona on April 10.

Larry Peters, executive vice president of The Hozman Group and rep for the dance competition, says the controversy was blown out of proportion. "There has been a great deal of controversy regarding this performance, and it has been taken out of context. It is a little sensitive now, to say the least," Peters tells PopEater.

"All the dance troupes do so many different dances, it is a very personal choreography and expression for every troupe and individual. These girls were amazing that day," Peters says, adding, "They were two minutes of an eight hour performance event."

Melissa Presch, the mom of one little dancer and Cory Miller, the father of another child in the group spoke to Inside Edition about the controversy. "I'm shocked, quite frankly, that people would suggest such things and say such things about 8 and 9 year old girls," said Melissa Presch claiming the girls got their moves from the 'Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel' movie -- not Beyonce's music video.

Miller added, "As a father, when you're watching your kid, no. You're looking at it as a proud kid who has really high energy, who doesn't really know what she's doing."

Peters was in the audience during the group's performance and admits, "It was the very first WOD event I had ever attended, and I can tell you the cheering and screaming you heard on the video was from other parents and dance teams that were just blown away by their dance performance and precision. There was NOTHING provocative about what they were doing."

The World of Dance Tour is the largest national urban and street dance competition, and in 2010 is taking place in nine major markets throughout the U.S. Top dance troupes partake in competition, which focuses on the art of street dancing and today's new age choreography -- embracing urban dance and youth lifestyle.

The video brought mixed reactions from media outlets across the Internet. PopEater's Facebook fan Christina Powers admits, "As a coach for national champion competition dance teams at the high School level, I blame the coach. This is completely inappropriate even for high school girls."

Meanwhile The Huffington Post writes, "Age appropriate or not, there is denying it's one heck of a performance."

Kate Ward from EW writes, "Miley, you've got nuthin' on these girls ... But if little girls must gyrate on stage, is it absolutely essential they wear midriff tops? Even Beyonce and her back-up dancers were more covered up than this!"

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Tags: single ladies

Comments

(1918)

Saturday 15 May

By cyndi

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I have to agree. There's NOTHING appropriate about little girls dressing or dancing like this, and anyone that says otherwise is an idiot. I can't believe people are defending this dance or the clothing. People that obviously don't have young daughters. There's too many weirdos out there, and this is just incitement to them. Keep your child young while they're young...youth doesn't last forever. Why force adulthood on them? Shame on their parents.

By ReginA

Way to young, what were their parents thinking. Unbelievable...

By maria

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I thought the dance was good. The outfits were what bothered me. I saw the whole routine and I thought it was pretty good. The booty shaking part was a little questionable. If maybe their outfits weren't so short and tops so high, I would say it's okay.

By Floyd Nash

Children in this day and age are growing up far too fast as it is. There is no reason why 8 and 9 year old girls should be dressed in provocative costumes ( which had to be paid for by the parents at that age!) and allowed to dance a routine that is meant to be done by someone much older. It doesn't matter that they did it well, that just means that with that amount of talent, they could have been taught another routine that would have been just as much of a showcase for their talents. The art of dance is much more than what is seen in music videos.

By hisgirlhoward

I think it is such a horrible waste. The choregrapher/teacher and the girls are apparently talented. Why develope a routine that exudes sex? They could have developed a unique performance without the implication. The girls may not know what the music and dance implied, but the parents and the teacher certainly did. No one's making "too big of a deal" out of it. Adults need to allow children to be children. They grow up far to fast as it is. The whole thing is sad and kind of sick.

Sunday 16 May

By Michelle

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littlke girls dancing like adult women in lingerie ...absolutely disgraceful..l.though i'm sure the pedofiles loved it!

By Michel

I see nothing wrong with the dance- remember the chipmucks did it in the cartoon......................you go girls !

By italndiva

I agree! Even Beyonce wore more then that for this song. I worry about the children that are in this video and wonder why in the world the parents allow this. A child should look like one. This is sad to me

By Rain

Whos the real problem, the perverted mind who saw this and thought it was sexual or the parents who let their kids win a world championship? /b/

By tracy

I have to agree with you. There are sex offenders that are out there and have probably seen this video. i am sorry but that is just like dangling candy in front of a child to a sex offender. Those parents should be ashamed to let their LITTLE girls dance like that. Once it's on you tube anybody has access to it. We would never let our kids dance like that. It is not art, it is pure filth.

By jim

I think it's their outfits and not there dance moves that seems provocative.

By musicmasterno1

Are you kidding me? That was absolutely disgusting and the parents of these girls need to be smacked upside the head. How on earth can you justify little girls doing that disgusting rapid fire "hip hump" move?

The choreographer should be ashamed of herself and I hope she loses her business because she has NO BUSINESS dealing with children. Imagine how many pedophiles are enjoying this display?

Children need to be children and the ridiculous crap "Hip Hop" influence is despicable. It's no wonder single mothers and illegitimate children have exploded in our inner cities. No one takes raising a child seriously. This is nothing short of sexual exploitation of children.

As a father, I would be kicking the sh*t out of the person who taught this to my child, not defending the performance!

By Kurt

Where's the pole??

By Carrie

FILTHY.....PORNOGRAPHIC.....PERVERTED.....DISGUSTING.....

THESE LITTLE GIRLS LOOK LIKE POLE DANCERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THEIR MOTHER'S OUGHT TO BE INVESTIGATED.

THESE KID'S NEED TO BE PLACED IN DECENT HOMES WITH PARENTS THAT HAVE MORALS.

SAD. ALL THE BOYS AT THEIR SCHOOL WILL BE TRYING TO REMOVE THE ONE INCH THEY DO HAVE ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SHAME ON THE PARENTS.

SEEMS THE DADS (IF THEY AREN'T DOING INAPROPRIATE THINGS ALREADY) WOULD NEVER WANT THEIR BABY GIRLS TO BE SEEN BY MEN LOOKING LIKE THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I SAY THE PARENTS ARE UNFIT.

By jon

parents are sick. nothing wrong with dance or outfits?? too bad it did not go via YouTube and it would have been seen by more. Anything to get your 5 minutes of fame. No matter how or lack of good judgement. But wow maybe this will get me on T V and Larry King live. Oprah will do a show on them . And she call call it cute and an AH!!! moment

By Vicki

you know the parents of these girls might not see anything wrong with the way the girls dance....but the perverts out there on you tube and now that it is posted everywhere on the internet will find pleasure in these little innocent dance moves that these girls learned for a performance. yeah I am sure the performance and techniques were outstanding for 8 year old girls but as a parent I know how blinded we can get to the things our children do and think that at the time there is nothing wrong with it...but like cat said down the line no one was looking out for these girls and now there gyrating moves are posted all over the internet for perverts and petaphylers to see......We need to think before we let our children do things that will have consequences. The father said that he wasn't thinking that way of the way his daughter was dancing...maybe he should have or any one of those parents shold have been rational about this. The instructor said that they only danced for 2 minutes on stage and they do not go around parading in those costumes and doing those dance moves but again it will go on forever and be played over and oer again thanks to the new technology and modern era that we live in now....

By Judy

Totally agree with you, Caterpillargirl! Wrong outfits, wrong dance moves, wrong age!

By redhead456850

The little girls was cute but the outfit wasn't proper for there age just of yet my kids are older enough but if I caught them in a outfit I would flip my wig to.

By heather

I mean yes some parts were a little ridiculous, but these girls are probably 10 or 11 years old. It's not like they're doing this in a strip club. I had two piece dance outfits when I was their age and was dancing, so I don't see anything wrong with the costumes.

By wvelazquez

@Tiara
Yes it was an amazing performance but the coreography was not appropriate for little girls. They were doing stripper drops for god sakes and shaking boobs that they dont have yet and yes the outfits were inappropriate.

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