February 18, 2008
Celtics Dancers, Porn or Not Porn? Discuss.
An editorial in yesterday's Globe swiftly rose to the top of the "Most E-Mailed" ranks. The title alone was a grabber: "Go-Go Dancing All Over Red's Grave."
The author, Kate Darnton, writes a juicy screed against the Boston Celtics dancers, who are in her opinion more like strippers than dancers. She describes how embarrassing it is to watch the dancers strut their stuff: "The lights dim, the music pounds, and suddenly you've all been transported to the Bada Bing. Booties shake. Pelvises grind. Cleavage heaves. All that's missing for the perfect pole dance is the pole."
And we thought the main side attraction at a Celtics game was Gino. Darnton is entitled to her opinion, but a few points in the article mystified us. For starters, how close does the author get to sit to the floor? Bostonist gets to enjoy the nosebleeds at TD Banknorth. If the Celtics dancers were skanks, we'd never know.
Dancers aside, Darnton also seems to think that Boston isn't supposed to be "sexy": "As a fairly recent transplant from New York, I'm a little puzzled by all this. I thought that I was moving to the land of stiff collars and self-restraint. No one thinks of Boston as 'sexy.' Boston is classic. It's distinguished. It's Brooks Brothers and Bloody Marys."
More after the jump! The opinions in this post belong solely to this Bostonist. Image from the Celtics Dancers home page. Compared to Britney Spears, they look like Puritans.
Would it be OK if the Celtics dancers wore Jackie O cuts, pearls, the aforementioned stiff collars, and hot pants with a duck print? Sure, we spend most of the year wearing layers of warm clothes and looking like the offspring of Michelin men, but does that mean that Boston can't get its sexy on when it wants to?
Now, if the halftime show gets too raunchy, that's another matter altogether, and parents have a right to complain if the Celtics dancers prompt early puberty or low self esteem in young girls. And the dancers, their tailors, and their choreographers might want to reflect on how they're making other women feel. But let's not encourage Boston's national reputation as the most uptight city around.
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Emblematic of everything that drives me crazy about the Globe.The same people who have a phony "This is Boston" ad campaign (thanks for telling me I can't drive to the Cape at 5 PM on a Friday, no sh#t!) and then rename every Boston neighborhood south of Faneuil Hall as a Manhattan homage. (SoWa? Get over yourself.)"Recent transplant from New York" who obviously can't stand the lack of corned-beef sandwiches and seltzer at 4 AM but has been disillusioned that Boston doesn't fit her preconceived idea that New Yorkers are somehow different from Bostonians, (what, no 3-cornered hats and buckle shoes?) Philadelphians or any other Northeasterners. It's the smug, self-satisfied pontificating (by people who are actually quite ignorant) that grates. Darnton probably brought trinkets to trade with us natives.
With apologies to Hef...
I only go to Celtics games for the basketball.
I agree 100%, aging cynic.
Darnton does have one point though. Celtics games are a show now. The lights, the "Cheer Now." signs, the kids introduction this, the something else contest that, it's annoying. The cheerleaders are the one non basketball part that's actually entertaining, as they are more synchronized than the various oh-so-cute childrens dance troupes that they bring out constantly. Porn? Hardly. Strip dancing? Hardly. A distraction from the game. Sure. As is all the other junk that they try to jam in during every time out.
As it is, I have more of a problem with how kidstastic the games are. Don't get me wrong, I love kids, but if I see one more 3rd grade dance recital by kids not on my christmas list, I'm going to puke.
i agree with aging cynic and celtics lifer. i was very, very young when my parents brought me to the old garden for a celtics game in the 80's, but im pretty sure the nonsense that goes on today wouldnt be tolerated back then. say what you will about the popularity and yuppie-ization of fenway, but at least theres none of this OmGz LoL nonsene going on there.. yet. Also, as a woman I can't really get behind a group that makes a living off of presenting themselves as sexual objects, but I'm not offended by it, it's nothing new in this world, and it's certainly no reason to get up in arms, tons of sports teams do it, so that reporter needs to chill out big time.