On Monday, the first day of the fall semester, children at Xinshahui Kindergarten in Shenzhen’s Bao’an District were inexplicably treated to a pole dance performance that led to the school’s principal being ordered to step down.

As scantily clad performers swung around a pole and danced onstage, children in the audience imitated their moves, according to videos parents shared on social media. Next to the dancers — and unused as a performance prop — is a pole bearing the Chinese flag. While the parents didn’t seem inherently opposed to the art of pole dance, many questioned its suitability for such a young audience.

Sixth Tone was unable to reach the kindergarten, but the Bao’an District education authority issued a press release on Monday afternoon saying the principal would be dismissed. (Image: From Weibo user @中国刘杰)