She has the talent, moves, and groove. At 10-years-old, Amy Zhu has conquered not just the online world but the whole world with her hip-hop dance. But is it appropriate for a young internet star to act like an adult? Critics believe the kid is being sexualized, and she should never be in the hip-hop world.
Amy Zhu's dance videos on social media platforms earn hundreds of thousands of views both in China and the United States. Despite her young age, she successfully caught the attention of the many with her incredible dance skill.
However, along with her rising fame, the critics and detractors are also watching her every move. According to the South China Morning Post, what they see on Amy Zhu's prominence is "sexualization of a little girl." They also said that "a child has no place in the world of hip-hop dancing."
They, too, are worried that Amy Zhu is trying to look "too adult" for her age. But the way this young girl moves and talks, she can assure everyone that she is just like any other kid -- except she has a great talent.
For Amy Zhu, her love for dance is just simple; she is happy when she's doing it. "Dancing makes my life happier," she said. When she graced the stage of "The Ellen Show" in January 2018, she told Ellen DeGeneres that "dancing makes her happy." "It drives me to continue dancing," she added, per A Plus.
View this post on InstagramI am so happy to see you again, I appreciate it no matter where, @yanismarshall u always take care of me, so love me, thank you so much my English is not good, don't know how to express with you, but I really love you very much thank you for your class, let me know the update, thank you! Love uuuuuuuuuuu ️ A post shared by Sinostage-Amy (@sinostage_amy) on Dec 5, 2018 at 3:13am PST
Two of Amy Zhu's videos in question are both choreographed by the French dancer and choreographer Yanis Marshall. Both clips have over half a million views and almost two thousand comments.
Although some comments are supportive, others criticized Amy Zhu's dance clips for being over-sexualized and inappropriate for a 10-year-old girl. The kid seemed not to mind the criticisms, but Yanis Marshall revealed his sentiments about it.
"Don't get me started with the 'She's too young for that' comments ... that's her mother's problem, not mine," he said in a post on Instagram. He went on to say his class is made up of people 16-years-old and older, but Amy Zhu is an exemption because she's "special." He even toned it down for her to suit her age.
Yanis Marshall even assured everyone people around Amy Zhu would keep her on the right track. Knowing that the industry she is now into can bring her on the wrong way, he would make sure that she would never turn in the wrong path. He added she has great teachers who would never teach her "sexual stuff."
