Agnez Mo affirms Indonesian dancers criticised of adopting “foreign influence”

Indonesian pop singer Agnez Mo has expressed her support for a pair of young, local cha-cha dancers whose viral performance clip has attracted criticism from conservatives over the adoption of “foreign influence”.

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The clip in question depicts a pair of school students performing a flamboyant dance routine before their school’s student population. As of today, the original post has garnered over 1.1 million views on Twitter.

Keren banget, ya Tuhan, anak SMA (atau SMP?) bisa Jive kayak gini.

*Abaikan musik latarnya yg gak nyambung dan gengges pic.twitter.com/wJleucSJHf

— Parameçvara (@Paramecwara) January 5, 2023

Though the original poster expressed admiration for the pair – their Twitter caption reading, “It’s so cool, my God, high school (or middle school?) kids can Jive like this” – conservative netizens were noted to express less enthusiasm, prompting the students’ school, SMPN 1 Ciawi, to respond on social media.

The post responds specifically to a screenshot of a Whatsapp text, which according to Coconuts Jakarta translates to: “Younger generation Muslims are starting to be susceptible to foreign influence. SMPN 1 Ciawi introduced dance in its extracurricular program… Be mindful of how we raise our children and grandchildren”. The post also notes that the students in question belong to the school’s “Dance Sport” extra-curricular club, and that they had won a gold medal at a competition in 2022.

Agnez Mo then took to now-expired Instagram stories to affirm the students depicted in the clip, stating in the now-expired posts: “Having these achievements and accomplishments in dance is not something to apologize for. @smpn1ciawi_bogor please support them at times like this when they desperately need real adults to back them up”.

In addition, the pop singer addressed the dancers directly, saying: “Ure just getting started! Dont let nobody bring you down. And i would like to meet you and congratulate you myself.” She also indicated that her team is currently attempting to contact the pair.

In February 2022, Agnez Mo released her last single ‘Patience’, which was accompanied by a glitzy music video directed by Danny “TopShelf Junior” alongside the singer-songwriter. She also noted intentions to release more singles in future.

The Los Angeles-based pop veteran began her career in 2003, but only released her debut album ‘X’ in 2017 independently. Her career has seen her collaborate with global stars, including T.I., Timbaland, French Montana, and more.

The post Agnez Mo affirms Indonesian dancers criticised of adopting “foreign influence” appeared first on NME.