Fan's dismay over 'not naked' dancers

The leaflet advertising the Phoenix Dance Theatre's performance

A theatre-goer left disappointed after expecting to see a show's naked dancers has had a complaint upheld by the advertising watchdogs.

He was annoyed when he spotted a leaflet for the performance by the Leeds-based Phoenix Dance Theatre.

In the black and white photograph - promoting the troupe's performance at London's Sadler's Wells Theatre - a man was shown leaping from the ground, with his back to the camera and a woman is curled into a ball and looking at the man.

The complainant told the Advertising Standards Authority, the leaflet was misleading "because the images did not resemble the actual performance".

The authority considered that readers were likely to expect that the performances contained naked dancers

Advertising Standards Authority adjudication

In defence, the Phoenix Dance Theatre justified the picture by claiming it showed movement which illustrated the prowess of the dancers.

The theatre company also argued the staged performance was a new work and they did not have time to take the correct pictures for the leaflets.

But the authority said the shot of the naked pair was positioned next to a list of performance times and dates as well as a review of the show.

"Because of that, the authority considered that readers were likely to expect that the performances contained naked dancers," the adjudication read.

If the theatre continues to use the image, it has been instructed to make it very clear that its dancers are fully-clothed.