The principal of a Florida high school issued an apology and promised to take action after a controversial video has emerged showing Miami Northwestern Senior High School’s dance team performing a routine while clad in racy costumes resembling lingerie.
In the video, which was uploaded to FlyHeight.com earlier week and has since gone viral on social media, a troupe of teenage dancers are seen gyrating their hips in unison on the sidelines of a football field while wearing glittery black-and-blue bodysuits, lacy pantyhose with garters and tall black boots.
In response to the backlash sparked by the performance, Wallace Arisitde, the principal of the Miami high school, released a statement Tuesday, saying that the parents of each of the girls on the dance team had signed off on the costumes in advance.
Eye-raising routine: Video uploaded to FlyHeight shows a group of high school dancers at Miami Northwestern Senior High School performing in revealing outfits
Some slammed the getups for resembling sexy boudoir attire, but the school principle said parents had approved the costume choice in advance
This Twitter user criticized the costume choice as being not age-appropriate
Another user said there was nothing wrong with the outfits picked for the teenage dancers
‘While all the parents of the dancers who participated in the event approved of the attire, we understand the concerns that have been raised and sincerely apologize for any offense this may have caused,’ Aristide said. ‘Looking ahead, we will implement a more comprehensive and stringent uniform approval process to ensure an appropriate representation of our school.’
The dance routine captured in the video was mostly composed of hip undulations and weaving of fans.
The video then cuts to the football field, where the teenage girls wearing full makeup and with their tresses arranged in high top knots, continue their performance as the school’s marching band streams by.
FlyHeight titled the video: ‘Is This Appropriate?’ The video has been watched more than 18,000 times on the site, and tens of thousands of times on Facebook.
The sight of high school girls sporting costumes resembling boudoir attire has divided the Miami Northwestern community and has drawn mixed reactions from users online.
‘If they’re dancers, they’re entertainers,’ Miami Northwestern grandmother Debbie Frasier told Local10. ‘So if you have the same problem, you have the problem with Beyonce or young child stars who dress that way on national television.’
Inappropriate? Video of the cheerleaders has been watched more than 10,000 times
Critics, however, were quick to slam the skimpy ensembles as being not age-appropriate.
‘I think for a high school they totally could have done without the garter belts,’ one Facebook user commented. ‘its [sic] definitely other ways to jazz up a dance uniform.’
Another lamented: ‘This is a high school dance team! How in the hell did the adults think this was in the least bit ok?’