But, I think that when people worry about the sexualization of cheerleaders, dance also comes into play because cheer and dance moves overlap. Do people in the dance community worry about this topic as much as cheer parents do?
I suppose it depends on which dance genre/style you're a part of. You have to remember, dance is an art form that has been around for centuries... there are thousands of dance styles ranging from ballet and traditional culture dances to jazz, ballroom and hip hop.
For instance, if your child is a classics ballet dancer I wouldn't worry too much seeing as it's a more conservative style. However, what I've noticed is that competitive jazz dancers, especially in the U.S., are the ones who have recently been known for more... provocative choreography. The outfits they have on while performing don't help either. And jazz competitions are so highly commercialised that I can see how easy it is for other performance-based sports like cheerleading to get influenced by it... because apparently sex appeal is the new fierce?
I am, by no means, putting the blame on jazz dancers. I'm a dancer myself and I love jazz choreographies, but I do believe it has gotten just a tad bit out of hand... Latin ballroom, in my opinion, has done a pretty good job at keeping its sensuosity without being too grimy (also, to be fair, it's a more matured dance style).
My focus is mostly on contemporary dance styles, so feel free to correct me if you feel I've made any generalisations that completely misrepresent other genres.
