Xinshashui Kindergarten in Shenzhen, China, created a stir on social media when it welcomed students back to school with pole-dancing performances on September 3.

The performances were reportedly organised by the school's principal and performed by members of her pole-dancing class.

The principal also put on a performance herself, as seen below.

So before our kids got out of kindergarten for the summer, there was 10 days of military "activities" and displays of machine guns and mortars at the door; now the principal has welcomed them back with a strip pole dance on the flagpole bearing the PRC flag. She's gone nuts. pic.twitter.com/BJr4UI6Oq3

— Michael Standaert (@mstandaert) September 3, 2018

Principal defends pole-dancing performances amidst outrage

Needless to say, this did not sit well with some parents.

A China-based freelance journalist, Michael Standaert, tweeted that the performance immediately made him decide to pull his two children out of the school.

It did not help that the principal subsequently defended the performance as "international and good exercise" upon being called by his wife.

To top it off, the kindergarten also put up advertisements for a pole-dancing school around the kindergarten.

Apology issued by school's management company

As That's Mags, a China-based lifestyle magazine reports, it was the school’s management company which eventually issued an apology instead.

According to That's Mags translation of the letter, provided by Standaert, it stated:

"Distinguished parents:

At the opening ceremony of our kindergarten, we arranged many programs, with the intention to not only make the performances different and unconventional, but also expose the children to a wider range of dances, hence the introduction of pole dancing. We did not, however, have the intention of promoting pole dancing among children as part of their learning, and we surely did not consider the large reaction it would cause. We apologize for the trouble we created for the parents!

In the process of learning, children will only be exposed to the basics of Chinese dance. After today, the children will not again be introduced to forms of dance that parents do not accept and do not recognize. Parents, please don’t feel too nervous, as there is no pole dancing involved in our course curriculm. All of the courses are made for traditional content, which is integrated with our operating materials, without additional programs. Parents, please rest assured!"

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This was likely due to the complaints being escalated to the management company.

Quick action taken in firing

Even so, despite the company's statement that removing the principal and replacing her will take two weeks, it would seem that the action taken for the first part of the statement has been swift.

Another Chinese media outlet, The Paper, and Standaert himself have since confirmed that the principal has been fired by the Bao'an education authorities.

That has not stopped Standaert from looking at other schools however:

Top image from Michael Standaert Twitter