Disney ‘regrets’ performance by visiting school drill team
ASSOCIATED PRESS
The newly painted Cinderella Castle at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World was seen with the crest to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the theme park on Aug. 30, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Officials at Walt Disney World said today that a performance by a visiting Texas high school drill team that used American Indian stereotypes, including chants of “scalp them,” doesn’t reflect the Florida resort’s values.
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. >> Officials at Walt Disney World said today that a performance by a visiting Texas high school drill team that used American Indian stereotypes, including chants of “scalp them,” doesn’t reflect the Florida resort’s values.
The performance this week in the Magic Kingdom by the “Indianettes” drill team from Port Neches-Grove High School “did not reflect our core values, and we regret it took place,” Disney spokeswoman Jacquee Wahler said in an emailed statement.
An audition tape that the school had provided in order to be selected to perform at the theme park resort was inconsistent with the actual performance, the statement said.
Wahler said new measures have been implemented to prevent that from happening again. She did not elaborate.
In a video of the performance posted on Twitter, members of the drill team are seen tapping their hands over their mouths and whooping, as a drum pounds in the background, in what is stereotypically called a “war cry.”
Cortnie Schexnaider, the director of the drill team, didn’t respond to an email seeking comment. Port Neches is located near the Gulf Coast about 13 miles (20 kilometers) southeast of Beaumont, Texas.
