A video of dancers working in hotpants during an Australian military rally took the country by storm.
The scene was irregular, bizarre and funny. It naturally went viral when it appeared on Wednesday.
But the choreography in the style of the music video – with bumps, pushes and shakes of the buttocks – also attacked. Conservative lawmakers have led the chorus among those calling it “inappropriate.”
Pony newspapers made headlines that hampered military standards. But others have been offended elsewhere – to embarrass dancers and label their routine as “sexualized”.
It again caused setbacks over the policing of women’s bodies and women dancing. The dance group in the footage, 101 Doll Squadron, complained about the media coverage.
As it turns out that the recording was incorrectly edited by ABC, the national broadcaster, the voices got louder and louder. How exactly did this ‘navy twerking’ saga unfold?
A step-by-step through what happened … 5,6,7,8!
101 Doll Squadron has been appointed by the Royal Australian Navy to perform at a commissioning ceremony for a new ship, the HMAS Supply, on Saturday.
However, the occasion only got wider attention after an ABC reporter shared a separate video on Twitter – which cut shots of the women’s energetic women with reactions of stones to the attendance of military leaders.
His tweet – which was later deleted – quoted a government MP complaining about the decline in army standards. This essay sparked a viral firestorm.
But on Thursday, it appears the footage was processed incorrectly, prompting questions from the ABC, apologizing.
The navy said none of the officials or dignitaries, such as the governor-general, saw the performance as it had taken place before their arrival. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said ‘standards have failed’ but criticized the ABC’s ‘misreporting’.
The navy did not explain why the dancers were hired.
The video showed that the rest of the event continued at a slower pace. It contains the typical splendor: brass band performances; formal speeches; ranks of seafarers salute and march on lock. Not as much pizzazz as the dancers.
But the dance vision had already been unleashed online and elicited many negative reactions.
“Half dressed … is probably inappropriate”
Conservative politicians jumped on the bandwagon on Thursday morning, saying it was an inappropriate display during a military event.
Independent Senator Jacqui Lambie, a veteran of the military, calls it an absolute shock of a decision by military leadership. She thought she was watching the Super Bowl, she said, referring to the half-entertainment program.
“Good for the young ladies who got out there, but I’m telling you that being half-broken outside a warship is probably inappropriate,” she said.
But criticism of the army’s strange choice of entertainment also washed down the shame and sexualization of the dancers and the dance style.
101 Doll Squadron is a dance group with members from indigenous and multiracial backgrounds.
They specialize in dancehall, reggae, afrobeats, commercial jazz and hip hop – dance genres that sometimes shocked the general white culture, but are now common in modern dance. The commercial group is hired more frequently for parties, social evenings and workshops.
But the Sydney newspaper The Daily Telegraph – a tabloid owned by Murdoch – blew up photos of the dancers on their front page and in a double distribution:
Several commentators online have also projected opinions that the choreography is ‘degrading for women’. Many have joined the event with a wider gender inequality debate currently dominating Australian politics.
The original ABC article quotes another politician – anonymously – who says: “At a time when we are promoting women’s rights not to be objectified, there are other dance moves that will be fun and equally energetic.”
But because they supposedly spoke for the rights of women, very few asked the dancers what they themselves thought.
‘You sexualized us’
Talk on Thursday morning about the ‘scandalous’ video that dominates the breakfast radio and TV shows. Twerking – last time a pop culture debate sparked by Miley Cyrus in 2013 – has started to trend again on Australian Twitter.
But members of the 101 Doll Squadron said it was the media’s reinforcement of the story that was most damaging in the first place.
In particular, they accuse the ABC of ‘fraudulent editing’ of falsely capturing shots of military guests and dignitaries in the video which includes ‘shooting from angles that could not be seen by the audience’.
“We found it very creepy and more reflect the ABC camera operator and their need to sexualize these women and their dance piece for their own satisfaction,” their statement read.
They said they were subjected to trolling and attacks online. and feeling “threatened and exploited” because of the attention.
Others online have also questioned whether the hysteria was really about the dancers’ moves and the specific dance style.
The Australian women’s website Mamamia publishes a piece that says: “It is the Royal Australian Navy that made it bizarre. It is the Royal Australian Navy that has transformed their art form into a mockery.”
“At the end of the day, these women just did their job.”
Does twerking objectify or empower women? The BBC explored this here in this 2016 video: