to email the dance teacher about 6 yo DD dancing to "I'm sexy and I know it"

[treadonthecracks]

They have a diffent theme each week, and for the street dance week it's "I'm sexy and I know it".

The class is fab, the teacher is lovely (no kids of her own) and it's fantastic value. I don't want to upset her as she's so lovely but I feel this is too old for DD. Some of the other kids in the class are 4!

If you think I should email what would you say?

It's the kind of thing that makes me sooo mad. Little girls gyrating around and wiggling their bums with no idea about what it means. Even if they did know what it means that would be worse. If teacher has no kids she might not have thout about it. Am sure she would be horrified if she knew you were upset by it. Bet you are not the only parent who objects.

Good grief. YANBU.

Thanks all. I am going to try and ring her. And I will state I tried to ring her if I end up emailing.

I am absolutely certain it's just an oversight and she hasn't thought about it. I think she'll be mortified unless I am very gentle about how I say it.

Will let you know how I get on.

Yeah you can PM but I'm off to make tea in a mo. Flattered you asked though!

'Mama do the hump' is a very innocent song by Rizzlekicks. 'the hump' is a dance move that involves wiggling your arms with your elbows pointing out and your hands by your shoulders (not the best description ever!).

In the video the two blokes' lyrics are lip synced (sp?) by their mums and then James Cordon comes in and does the dance - nowt offensive in that song.

It's not the same song.

I'm sexy and I know it - girl look at that body
girl look at that body
I work out

etc etc and it mentions passion in his pants and something else to do with his pants that doesn't involve washing.

It's a really repetitive, shit song and I'm surprised anyone could think it suitable for little kids.

Dd is 4 and does streetdance in an under nine class. They dance to all the songs in the chart. Most of them are innappropriate at some level. She hears these songs at home on the radio, and in the car. She likes them to dance to. She doesnt understand whats said, just wants to dance. Look at it from the other side, if the dance teacher vetted all the songs there would be no dance class. These are the songs at the moment and therefore the ones they want to dance to. Obviously Id say something if a song was really explicit but at four surely its just a tune with a nice beat to it. Maybe streetdance isnt for you. I prepare to be flamed.

I hate to watch children singing such songs.
YANBU

I know SirCliff - I was referring to a later post by the op asking about another song listed.

I totally agree that some lyrics are inappropriate but to an innocent 6 year old who is concentrating on dance moves, they will mean nothing.

My kids and I love I'm sexy and I Know It, Rizzlekicks, Example, etc. Although I do come at it from a slightly different angle in that I live abroad and all British/American songs are played unedited. Ds, 5, has never picked up on any 'rude' words as he is listening to the tune and doesn't understand the connotations.

Would you let your child dance to Eminem? Or how about Rage Against the Machine? Just because they don't understand the connotations it doesn't mean that it is appropriate.
Your ds hasn't picked up on the rude words from songs he's half listened to on the radio, but this is a song that will be repeated time and again (it's already a very repititive song) that the children will be concentrating on for dancing, so they are much more likely to pick up on the words.

Sexy is a word that was used at my children's old primary school by kids who were overly sexualised by their parents. They knew exactly what the connotations meant.

It's an adult rave song, not a happy children's dance tune. There are many other tunes that kids can dance away to, why choose one that emphasises a sexy body? It's so inappropriate it's laughable!

My 8 year old flciks over the TV to the music channel rather often and loves all these 'inappropriate' tunes. He thinks 'ma humps ma humps ma lovely lady lumps' is a good tune but with very silly lyrics and I don't LIKE many lyrics of this infectious pop. I won't ban him from listening to it, though sometimes it provokes a discussion regarding respect/self respect... I'm boring enough to put him off wanting to buy the album.

Saying that I would not be happy at a dance club choosing such tracks and would email voicing my reservations. Schools and clubs should walk the line of appropriateness very very carefully. Parents, in my view, know their children, and know how to deal with any fall out, they also should have the freedom to decide what is appropriate for their children.

Tread YANBU. I used to listen to 'RELAX' at home (taped off the radio 1 chart show) but I remember a bit of a hoo-hah when it was played during a school performance. Quite rightly.

That drafted LMFAO went round DC's primary playground like a wildfire just before Christmas. They all do the dance just like the video, and don't realise it's a spoof

On one level, I think I'd welcome a different set of moves! But OP, I think you're right and agree with posters this is best tackled in conversation (even if you have to wait a bit for an opportunity).

A great opportunity to make a difference.

Stand up for your lovely daughter by having a polite chat with the teacher. It's time someone educated her on appropriate song choices.

If I sat down and thought about it, then ;I'd probably think YANBU. Not sure whether I'd bother complaining tho.

I wish they'd do a clean version actually cos it's a great tweenybopper tune. My kids both love dancing along to it as much as any other under-sevens in the country.

My kids dance to Eminem (but only ever tv edits unless it comes on the radio in the car), LMFAO, Example, Rizzlekicks, David Guetta, etc

I remember a time at school when kids were dancing around singing 'I'm horny, horny horny horny' with absolutely no idea of what it meant- children tend to repeat things they hear without really understanding the meaning! If you are worried, I agree that sending a perfectly polite email is the best solution.

I don't think you are being unreasonable , but I think you might be fighting a losing battle.

From it's very birth in the 1950s, pop music has been saturated in sex. Rock n' Roll is African-American slang term for sexual intercourse. So from 'Rock around the Clock' onwards (Bill Haley certainly wasn't singing about dancing all night) My generation, our parents and grandparents all heard and danced to records which referenced sex during formative years without becoming depraved loonies.

I can remember a lad in my junior school doing a cracking Michael Jackson 'Thriller' dance at the age of 7 or so in assembly: crotch grabs and all. I don't think he or the other kids watching it or the dancer himself perceived it as a sexual display.

If you wanted to ban your child ever hearing references to sex in songs you'd have to ban her from ever listening to the radio or watching TV and forbid her from listening to anything but - god forbid - Daniel O' Donnell.

I think you are all missing the point somewhat. Yes all kids dance to inappropriate tunes at times and sing along without knowing what it means. But we are not talking about banning music in case their little ears come across offensive words. We are talking about a private dance teacher choosing those adult songs for children to dance to.

A teacher is co-ordinating a whole dance routine to a song that deals with sexy bodies for 4 - 6 year old children.

There is a HUGE difference between kids dancing at home without involvement from you and a trusted adult encouraging them to sing along and make up dance moves to these songs.

my DCs have danced to RATM

the elder 2 of the 3 have the similar views as they politics they sing about

the younger likes it when she can jump about playing air guitar.

shoot me now?

Euwww. Why would they choose that when there are thousands of other songs? It's not like it's got an innocent title and they don't realise the content.

I'd have an issue if the dance teacher only allowed attractive children to dance to the song and had them licking dildos and shaking their arses suggestively.

That song is (in a rather crude way) about anyone who feels great, being great no matter what they look like. It's not harmful imo. I'd rather my kids listened / danced to this than The Saturdays who seem intent on teaching children that there is on;y one way to look and that's like a cheap tart

I did dance routines to The Thong Song and I Wanna Sex You Up, etc as a kid. Every generation has outraged parents.

i know the song and i can see why the dance teacher choose it the beats quite catchy. but if your concernerd you can raise the question but dont shelter them there going to see things on tv music videos and here music in the shops then what are you going to do.

Who is the outraged parent?

Mumsnet had a campaign against sexualising our children too young. The song goes on and on about being sexy.
They are not dancing to it in their bedrooms, but in a dance studio.

Being sexy is not something children need to feel they have to be either. These are 4, 5 and 6 year olds, not 10 year olds. They have only just started school. Let's at least try to keep them as children and not teach them dance moves to sexualised songs.

YANBU....I would definately say something. Inappropriate