Now I've seen it all: "Lets Get Retarded!"

[missypie]

DD12 is in competitive dance. Usually I come back from dance competions complaining about the suggestive/lewd/vulgar moves a lot of the (other)companies do, even with the little girls. But now I've seen it all! Do you know that song "Let's Get it Started"? (They play it on Radio Disney all the time.) Well, the group that recorded it also recorded an un-PC/offensive version called "Let's Get Retarded." Well, at dance competion yesterday, a group actually danced to the "Let's Get Retarded" version. Each dancer's costume had something "wrong" with it - such as a ballerina in a pink tutu and big black kneepads. They were really all pretending to be "retarded." It was SO offensive. One of the families in our company has a mentally challenged daughter. I can only hope the mom was down in the dressing room while this number was going on. (Fortunately, our girls were all out in the lobby practicing at the time.)

It makes me wonder if the companies that put on these dance competitions have any standards or rules at all, as far as what the companies perform to. Could a group of white kids put on black face and do a minstrel number? Could they dance to gansta rap songs about killing or raping women?

I really think I need to write to the company and pose that question. I can't remember the last time I saw anyone make fun of mentally challenged people...then I see it at a dance competion in Ft. Worth Texas in 2005!

 

[janette]

Was this at Odyssey? We were there for the junior / junior prep section but I didn't notice this dance.

How awful, really poor taste. I hope they didn't do well with the number.

 

[missypie]

Was this at Odyssey? We were there for the junior / junior prep section but I didn't notice this dance.

How awful, really poor taste. I hope they didn't do well with the number.

I think the competion was called Showstoppers. To make it worse, they were the only team in their category, so they got a first place trophy, and all the extra recognition that goes with being first.

 

[lulugirl]

Very poor taste....

 

[Danvers]

That IS horrible.

 

[BrerLizzie]

That's not right..

 

[Sparx]

The singers wanted to put "lets get retarded" on the album, but the record people wouldn't record it. I think that it is just wrong, and the dancers should have said something about not doing it.

 

[poohandwendy]

That is really inappropriate. You would think there would be some standards in place.

 

[dopeys biggest fan]

If it was "Showstoppers" then I can explain why the competition did not know about it ahead of time. I taught competitive dance for years and attended many "Showstopper" competitions with the group. You can not use the actual title of the song as your group name b/c of copy right issues. They print out a program with all the groups listed and can not print the copy righted title of the songs. So the group needs to come up with a different name to be printed in the program. When you hand your music in to be played you only need to hand it in 3 groups before yours and all the music is allowed to have on it is the name of the group and your group number. So the actual title of the song is not on the music you hand in. They do not listen to the music before it is played due to the volume of groups that compete, usually around a couple hundred at least. I am not making excuses for "Showstoppers" although they are regarded as a very reputable competition in the dance world, I am just explaining why they did not know about the song ahead of time.

I think it is disgusting that a group would actually use a song like that and hope they were reprimanded for their poor choice of music. I know that if I were they I would have definitely said something to the director of the studio that performed that routine.

Do you know what level of award they received? Platinum, High Gold, Gold or Silver? Every group that competes receives a trophy and medals for every member of the group to let all the children that compete enjoy a feeling of accomplishment in having done their best. But there are different levels of awards given out. I hope that they took the song in to account and did not award them over a "silver" for there performance.

I hope I helped clear things up a bit.

 

[EsmeraldaX]

That is incredibly innapropriate. Maybe some lessons in sensitivy are due for the dancers who thought it would be okay...

 

[OK!]

That's disgusting. I hope someone manages to get word out about how offensive it was to someone who may wield a little authority over the individual dance company so whatever idiot was in charge of selecting or approving the music/routine receives some sort of admonishment.

Unbelievable.

 

[chadfromdallas]

Good song, but bad idea on their part to use it.

 

[pw2pp]

That is just terrible
what is the matter with people?

 

[BibbidiBobbidiBOO]

Not good at all. DH has a brother with Down's Syndrome and the word "retarded" is like a 4 letter word to him. Our kids are not allowed to use it.

 

[nativetxn]

I think this was insensitive at best and I'm surprised that their dance coach would allow it. Sadly, it sounds like he/she encouraged it, if the dancers were wearing costumes special for the lyrics

pw2pp, I love your signature clipart.

Katholyn

 

[pw2pp]

pw2pp, I love your signature clipart.Katholyn

Thank you Katholyn
it is brand new. My son found this website where you can have ANY words (people's names if you want) put on this picture. I love it

 

[RadioNate]

They could have easily used Let's Get it Started so in that regard I'll say it's a bad song choice and the dance does sound offensive but the actual song isn't about making fun of mentally challenged people.

 

[Aimeedyan]

You are kidding me! What kind of adults chose such a thing?!

I'm really shocked, at the insensitivity that so many evidently still have for those with mental handicaps. Unbelievable.

i would def be sending out a letter regarding the choice, and I bet you won't be the only one to do so either!

 

[nmudisneyfan]

I just learned this school year (I don't remember which month) that the band (forgot their names) wanted this version of the song. And that they just changed "retarded" to "started" so that people would play it.
But yeah, not a good choice for a dance competition.

 

[Cruisin]

I'm wondering also about the parents of those dancers.

Did none of them ever see the dance and therefore hear the music before the competition?

I know with the team my daughter was on, I watched them practice all of the time and I would have definitely had a problem with the teacher picking a piece of inappropriate music like that.

Actually my daughter's team danced to the song "Let's Get It Started" at competitions this year.