Officials cancel hip-hop show in US because of 'illegal' twerking

A dancer twerks on stage (file image)
Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images
Hannah Al-Othman22 February 2016

US officials cancelled a hip-hop show which contains "twerking," after they ruled the provocative dance could be in violation of alcohol laws in the state of Mississippi.

New Orleans hip-hop artist Big Freedia was banned from performing after shows with the sexualised dance move were deemed to be "adult entertainment."

Officials from the Mississippi Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) have the power to place limits on scantily clad or sexualised entertainment in places where alcohol is served, and in January they decided to start enforcing them.

The February 12 gig at the Dollar Box Showroom in Hattiesburg was cancelled after the club owner, Ben Shemper, was told by a State Alcohol Beverage Control officer that after watching some Big Freedia videos on Youtube, it had been decided her show might be in violation of Mississippi laws.

Mr Shemper was told that if he did not cancel the show he could be fined - or even lose his alcohol licence.

Explaining the rules governing so-called "adult entertainment" in Mississippi, ABC Chief of Enforcement Rusty Hanna said: “You can’t wear a thong. You must keep the cleft of your buttocks covered. And you cannot simulate a sex act.

After the show was cancelled Big Freedia posted a statement on her Facebook page, saying: “I would just like to apologize to all my fans in Mississippi for my show being canceled tonight due to the state alcohol beverage control saying that my show violates some law out there.

“This is some twerkloose bulls**t.”

The bounce star has even started selling a range of t-shirts reading: "Mississippi is a right to twerk state."

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