CENSORSHIP?: Certain dance moves have been banned at future Sunshine Coast Dance Eisteddfods.

CENSORSHIP?: Certain dance moves have been banned at future Sunshine Coast Dance Eisteddfods. Iain Curry

NEWS that certain "crotch" movements will be banned from performances at future Sunshine Coast Dance Eisteddfods left a Gympie instructor flabbergasted yesterday.

Parents and dance teachers were at a loss to understand the new standards, highlighted a week before the annual competition begins.

Gympie dance and ballet students do not traditionally compete in the Sunshine Coast Dance Eisteddfod, but some coast parents have labelled the new standards as censorship, while teachers argue some of the banned moves are part of the dance syllabus.

As of 2014, students competing at the eisteddfod must wear a pair of flesh tights and avoid the overextended (turned in/inverted) mount with the crotch facing the audience.

Parents were told the changes were because the eisteddfod was a "family orientated event" and "protecting the students remains our priority".

But a dance teacher said "so many movements include the view of the crotch area, including middle split jump, round kick, plie in second, an open grande jete and so on." The Gympie teacher said mounts were "pretty standard" and showed off the student's flexibility.

"Maybe it isn't a great idea to choreograph it with the move facing the audience directly," she said. "I definitely wouldn't do that, but as a dance move, if the dancer can do it, good on them," she said.

The Gympie instructor agreed with coast teachers who said the ban had made them think of the moves in a different manner and they were now looking at crotches.

"It just makes people think that way, whereas dancers and teachers wouldn't before; they are just dancing," she said.

"Dancing is about the body and I suppose that opens it up for lots of this type of thing. There are far more inappropriate moves I have seen on film clips copied by young dancers that should not turn up on a stage in a dance concert or eisteddfod.

"As I don't have any students who compete in this event, it really doesn't affect me. I think that the teachers have to use their commonsense and so do those who make the rules, but in this day and age - commonsense - what is that again?"

Reader poll What do you think of the eisteddfod committee ban on some moves? This poll ended on 30 June 2013. Current Results It's good to see someone take a moral stand 36% I can see their point but it may be a touch hard 14% Way too prudish for me - lighten up 36% It's censorship - we don't want censorship 12% This is not a scientific poll. The results reflect only the opinions of those who chose to participate.