Awkward move!
Australian military brass appeared gobsmacked when the country’s navy invited a group of scantily clad dancers to gyrate at a formal ceremony.
In footage of the event, the women are shown wearing red berets and tiny black shorts as they twerk in unison next to a newly unveiled naval ship in Sydney last weekend, according to a clip from ABC Australia.
The video is interspersed with stone-faced officers in the audience.
The steamy dance number outraged some government officials who called it disgraceful and tone-deaf, the outlet reported.
“What would Horatio Nelson think of this s–tshow?” one unnamed official fumed, referencing the late British naval commander. “Many [members of Parliament] have expressed surprise at this ceremony to government.”
Military officers were gobsmacked by twerking dancers at the ceremony. Screenshot ABCThe source added, “The dancers are beside the point — we’re meant to be a fighting force.”
The dancers had been asked to perform at the event celebrating the commission of a new warship, which was attended by the chief of the defense force, the country’s governor general and members of Parliament.
The dancers had been asked to perform at the event celebrating the commission of a new warship. Screenshot ABCPhillip Bruce Thompson, an Australian politician and former soldier, said the standards for military events should be higher.
“Standards in the ADF, and definitely when commissioning a ship, should be a little bit higher than that,” he said. “We’ve got the CDF, we’ve got members of Parliament there, and the governor-general’s there, I don’t think it’s appropriate to be twerking.”
The steamy dance number outraged some government officials. Screenshot ABC