Central’s 2010 scheduleSept. 10: Silverdale BaptistSept. 17: Hixson*Sept. 24: At South PittsburgOct. 1: Red Bank*Oct. 8: At Brainerd*Oct. 15: At Tyner*Oct. 22: At East Ridge*Oct. 29: At East Hamilton**District 6-AA game
Central High School principal Finley King benched the school’s dance team Friday for “inappropriate” moves.
King said the girls couldn’t perform at Friday’s Howard-Central football game or any other until they change their dance routine.
“I told them it was inappropriate for our school,” King said. “I told them, ‘Guys, you really need to work on it and clean it up some.’ It just didn’t seem to be age-appropriate for me.”
King said he made the decision after seeing the 12-member dance team perform at the Sequatchie-Central football game Aug. 27. He said some parents also expressed concern that the dance team was pushing the envelope a bit too much.
“I don’t want my high school girls dancing in a provocative way,” he said. “I’m a father myself, and I would not want my daughter performing like that in front of an audience.”
Some dance team parents said they are disappointed because the girls practiced all summer and many nights during the school year to prepare.
And of all the games, the Howard battle was where many girls most looked forward to showing off their skill, parent India Martin said.
“It’s like battle of the bands,” Martin said. “The girls talked all of that smack, and they were ready to show. They looked good, and they wanted to show Howard that they could do it, too.”
Central hired the same choreographer as Brainerd, Tyner and Howard to work with the dance team.
Efforts to reach the choreographer were unsuccessful.
She said the school knew the girls’ dancing style and approved of it until other people started to complain.
King said he wants to be considerate of all cultures at the school.
“We’ve got a school that’s diverse and we’ve got to make it acceptable for everyone, something that we can all be proud of,” King said.
He said he is hiring another choreographer to work with the girls and will allow them to perform as soon as he sees an acceptable dance routine.