Strictly Come Dancing slammed for ‘racist’ opening group dance
Strictly Come Dancing viewers have slammed this week's opening group dance for 'misappropriating Mexican culture'.
All the professional dancer and celebs took part in the group number at the start of the Halloween week show.
The musical number was based on the Mexican 'Day of the Dead' holiday – but fans were outraged.
The song 'Jump In Line' by Harry Belafonte, which was made famous in the 1988 film Beetlejuice, was used for the group dance.
They claimed the Afro-Caribbean song was 'disrespectful' to Mexican culture and the song had nothing to do with the country or Halloween.
Danny John-Jules started the group number holding a guitar, before Charles Venn and Seann Walsh banged on some drums.
The other dancers, wearing face paint to look like skeletons and sombreros, then joined in the performance.
The pro dancers and celebrities mingled with each other as they sprung into action on the dance floor.
Neil Jones was unrecognisable as his classic ginger hair had been replaced by a white barnet.
Pussycat Doll Ashley Roberts appeared from a coffin to join in the fun.
The couples leaped across the dance floor for the action-packed opening number.
Confetti sprayed over the dancers as they got into the spirit of the dance.
The delighted audience gave them a standing ovation as the big number came to an end.
"Terrifying Tess Daly" and "Creepy Claudia Winkleman" then appeared in the studio.
Furious Strictly viewers took to Twitter to slam the opening number.
One viewer said: "Surely #Strictly misappropriating Mexican culture is EXACTLY the same as what the black and white minstrels used to do in the '60s ~"
Another added: "Are #strictly really going to pretend like that isn’t the most disrespectful opening to a halloween show they could have come up with? ffs, leave mexican tradition ALONE
A third said: "Family member – “what does Mexico have to do with Halloween…” OH JUST GO WITH THE FLOW"
*Strictly Come Dancing airs tonight on BBC One at 6.50pm
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