Maybe I'm turning into a prude-y old lady. Maybe not.

PMeg819

On Saturday night we met up with my parents and went to a "light show" in a nearby town. It was boring and stupid, but that's beside the point. They had a amphitheatre set up and there were various performers scheduled. When we got there, it was a dance troupe.

The first set of girls to take the stage had to be in 4th and 5th grade. I can get over the overly made up faces, and the costumes weren't too sexy. But they were dancing to Madonna's "Vogue" and the moves were more provacative then I think I'd let me daughter do.

The next set was older...late middle school/high school. Again the costumes and make up weren't bad, but y'all I wanted to cover The Boy's eyes and he doesn't even care about that stuff.

On the way home DH said he can't have a little girl ever. He said he wouldn't have even let her on stage in the outfits, nevermind the dancing.

But seriously, some of these "dance" groups are nothing more than glorified gateway troupes to stripping. Or I'm just a Prudey McPruderson.

MinM

PMeg - it sent me into a rage when neice said she didn't like school and she was going up to be a princess and NOBODY DID ANYTHING.

I asked her how many princes she has met in real life? And told her in order to become a princess, she would have to find a prince first. You should have seen the wheels turning.

I was thinking, "B1tch, you live in BFE Louisana....you ain't never gonna be no princess." But what I said was, "Look at your mommy and aunt MinM....they have jobs and we don't have to worry about if we find a prince or not.

6fsn

I feel the exact same way.  I went to a recital when my friends daughter was 10ish.  It was disgusting.

M2 can do gymnastics, but dance is a big fat NO.  Not to mention it's really pricey.

MinM

My niece is in gymnastics and now does cartwheels every.damn.place. Like, in the middle of the living room and grocery store. Everyone tells her no, but then coos at her about how cute she is being. And oh, she is just a brat, like her Uncle T, isn't that something. They go on and on.

When she turns into a huge, slutty, AW, I hope everyone realizes they made her this way.

I don't think I could have a girl. I always wanted two boys.

zsazsa-stl

I think they must roofie the mothers at class #1.  There is no way they found that many parents okay with their children joining the middle school strippettes.

*Barbie*

i'm not too keen on wolverine joining any kind of dance/cheerleading group, or doing pageants. my mom made me promise that she would never see us on toddlers and tiaras.

i really hope that she will take an interest in sports or the arts.

MinM

My neice seems genetically predisposed to pink, makeup and herself. It just really chaps my hide that they never compliment her for anything other than being pretty or a little devil.

Confession: I would have loved to go into dance. The stage kind, not the pole kind. Also, I watch the making of the dallas cowboy cheerleaders show. I love that crap.

PMeg819

I did ballet until I was 16, which can be an eating disorder waiting to happen, but I don't ever recall it being anything slutty like this. I know they consider this "hip-hop" dance which I think ends up just being a nice way of saying "The Fundamentals and Basics of Stripping".

MinM

Hip hop = take your clothes off and shake yer booty.

Ballet = white girl judgy.

6fsn

I hate that MIL constantly talks about 6let being and sports and how pretty M2 is.  1. I think they are both cute, but they are also more than that.  2. They can EACH do sports or music or whatever they want.   If I could design it though they would both be trumpet playing swimmers.

MinM

6 - YES. THANK YOU.

PMeg819

Agreed. If The Boy wants to take ballet, he can. If he wants to play soccer, he can. He can do any activity he wants so long as it is enriching, not cost prohibitive, and doesn't interfere with the overall family schedule (like practice starts when DH and I are at work). I suppose people could argue that dance like this is good exercise and promotes a good work ethic/team skills but there are other things to do that achieve the same goal. Being cute/handsome/pretty is a side benefit, not something to rely on.

*Barbie*

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_wedding-woes_maybe-im-turning-prude-y-old-lady-maybe-not?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:47Discussion:d722e965-41b2-4618-a3ed-837b76abcab7Post:0f6719f6-3e17-4c52-9d88-2d33122f94ee">Re: Maybe I'm turning into a prude-y old lady. Maybe not.</a>:
[QUOTE]Agreed. If The Boy wants to take ballet, he can. If he wants to play soccer, he can. He can do any activity he wants so long as it is enriching, not cost prohibitive, and doesn't interfere with the overall family schedule (like practice starts when DH and I are at work).<strong> I suppose people could argue that dance like this is good exercise and promotes a good work ethic/team skills but there are other things to do that achieve the same goal.</strong> Being cute/handsome/pretty is a side benefit, not something to rely on.
Posted by PMeg819[/QUOTE]

dance doesn't have to be stripper-iffic. he could get into ballroom, swing or ballet and still get the same exercise and team skills. one of my male friends from college is a nationally-competitive swing dancer.

i'm the same way re: any activity within reason, but i know i'd be pushing hard for something more constructive than booty shaking.

misssunshine17

As a dance teacher, I'm happy to see these responses!! There are many parents that think that it's appropriate for their children to dance like 25 years olds in music videos. It's so crazy! I would quit my job if a studio made me choreograph a dance like the ones you're talking about.