They disqualify a Catalan 'pole dance' group from an international tournament for a performance that recalls Nazi horror
The artists argue that "art is born to disturb" and the jury considers that the number "can be profoundly offensive"
BarcelonaThe jury of the Pole Spain tournament, an international pole dance competition, disqualified a Catalan group in mid-May for a performance they considered "inappropriate content", as reported by Eldiario.es. According to a statement published by the competition organization, they decided to eliminate the group from the competition because they used "a large Nazi symbol as the main element on stage along with performing Nazi salutes" during the performance. The jury argues that "these types of images can be deeply offensive and disturbing to many people", which is why they made "a collective decision taking into account the competition environment, the impact on the audience, and the event's standards". "We believe that the image used went beyond what was necessary to convey the narrative or artistic message of the performance," they add.
The affected act is a choreography by Jordana de Haro, who is also the head of the InGravity Studio academy. "It is one of the hardest, most complex, and emotionally intense pieces we have ever created. For months, we have worked with a very clear intention: not to glorify horror, but to remember it. To remember how far society can go when hatred is normalized," the group stated via Instagram. According to the artists, "the audience understood the message" and "coaches from various countries" approached them to say they were "moved". Regarding the jury's decision, they say they "deeply respect that different sensitivities exist around such a painful topic", but they also believe "that remembering a historical tragedy should not be understood as appropriating it". The dancers point out that "art is not always born to be comfortable" but that "sometimes it is born to shake, to discomfort, and to force us to look at what many would prefer to forget".
Eldiario.es explains that in the choreography the artists represented peoples exterminated by the Third Reich and performed acrobatics in front of projections of swastikas and performing the Roman salute. At one point in the performance, they themselves formed a swastika with their bodies, forced by Nazi soldiers on stage. In statements to the digital outlet, Jordana de Haro argues that "art does not exist to be politically correct" and says that the competition rules do not contemplate political issues. De Haro defends that the Holocaust is part of history and denies that the performance has bothered families of Nazi victims. "A Polish girl, a relative of Holocaust victims, wrote to me to tell me it was a very necessary piece, and a person from Ukraine thanked me for showing the horrors of war".