The announcement that Malta’s Eurovision Song Contest performance would not be featuring any Maltese dancers but instead four foreign dancers who will accompany Destiny Chukunyere to Rotterdam caused an intense uproar on social media. Many Maltese dancers took to social media to express their disappointment that despite having used Maltese dancers for Destiny’s video, no Maltese dancer would actually be accompanying her to the actual competition.
Daphne Gatt, artistic director and choreographer for Kinetic Dance Academy, who also formed part of the official video for Je Me Casse, took to Facebook to state; ‘We were good enough to create the music video choreography and perform in it, but sadly to say foreign dancers were selected to represent Malta.’ These weren’t the only reactions to the post as various other dancers expressed their opinions;
The controversy however seems to have developed into what constitutes a professional dancer and what is amateur. The back-and-forth between dancers on various social media platforms resulted in the Malta Entertainment Industry and Arts Association (MEIA) issuing a statement saying that it does not differentiate between dancers who have studied abroad or on the island, but we support ‘Quality and Standards’. MEIA also stated that ‘It is one of MEIA’s priority to establish the professional status of dance.’
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