Dance mom's are wack

[Fortune1211]

My mom told me about this show so I watched it on demand. I made it though 2 episodes before I realized how awful and scripted the whole thing was. The first episode wasn't available so I watched 2 and 3. The episode where Cathy and Vivi are sitting on Vivi's bed talking about her NOT wanting to do the bumble bee dance you can hear a man talking to Vivi and saying her lines to her! I hit rewind about 5 times because I couldn't believe I heard it! And then you can see how Vivi is looking a certain way to get the lines. I know reality TV is little reality at all anymore, but this really bugged me. I won't be watching any other episodes.

 

[Alyssa88]

For me the difference netween pageant and dance, is that the emphasis is on skill, not beauty

I grew up dancing, my mom started me shortly after I mastered walking. I was in a dance company for several years, it took a lot of my time. I went to a performing arts high school but was burnt out long before graduation. Luckilly, my parents valued my education as well so I had other options. I wonder if these girls will.

My old studio, especially at the company/competition team levels was very competitive (both within and outside of the studio). There were insane parents, and I havee witnessed many arguments.I don't think there was anything ever worthy of reality tv though.

From what I have learned from friends, most studios were not like mine at all. Dance Moms made me feel normal, lol. I did have a teacher like Abby Lee. She was nice to normal students but she had very high expectations for company dancers and had no problem making them cry. I sort of get Abby though, it's the Moms who I don't understand. Why coninue to put your kids through that?

The girls are talented, especially Maddie. Great technique but she seems like such a brat! (but I always was too before a performance or competition, so I can't talk, my mom dealt with worse!) I certainly was not dancing like that at 8!!

Also, I don't believe they learn the dance and compete it in a week. In some episodes I have seen them wear costumes for routines not featured on the show.

My best friend is a professional dancer and teaches on the side. We laugh at the show, he has a little bit of Abby Lee in him, and has since decided to work on it, lol.

That was long, sorry!

 

[jenrose66]

Wow. It's really a mess out there, isn't it?

The mom's are mad, the girls are sad, the teacher is nuts.

Almost makes Toddlers and Tiaras look sane. I saw it for the first time last night. The outfits. They dance to a song saying "I want to be your fantasy girl" as they strutted and bent over chairs they brought out to the stage. It was awful and completely inappropriate, flip to T&T and there's a 3 year old dressed up like the Pretty Woman hooker, complete with fake building to sautner around and hang out in front of.

What...in...the...heck.

So, all the dance mom's that were complaining on the last T&T thread about how inappropriate the outfits are and how the whole thing is so wrong. Um...yah. Got a glimpse of the Competition Dance thing, not pretty either. I'm not sure which is more disturbing.

All for the love of reality TV, right?

Yeah that show is nuts! I watched two episodes while folding laundry and I couldn't believe what I was seeing. It's my dream to put my DD into ballet class...if she is good at it, I hope that ballet competition isn't like that!

 

[LuvsDragonflies]

Yeah that show is nuts! I watched two episodes while folding laundry and I couldn't believe what I was seeing. It's my dream to put my DD into ballet class...if she is good at it, I hope that ballet competition isn't like that!

LOL, I was folding laundry too! Those girls just plain stink at group, I'm not all that impressed with any of them singly either. When did dance become all kinds of double jointed, freak show moves?

 

[Schmeck]

Those girls are extrodinary dancers. You realize Maddie is only 8 and has near perfect technique as far as I can see. I don't see how you can say they are mediocre. Brooke can do things I've never seen anyone do. That said...Abby is crazy...the Moms are crazy....and I don't believe for a second that Cathy is a "real" person. That is such a plant for added drama. No one can act like her for real.

They may be talented acrobats, but the flow and emotion they don't put into their dancing makes them far from extraordinary dancers. They remind me of the Chinese gymnasts - lots of tricks, no feeling. Little gumby robots...

You can finish choreographing a dance Thursday night and win the entire competition Sunday afternoon, without even a runthrough for cleanup... My daughter's senior dance company did this last year, for an OnstageNY competition. It was awesome!

 

[LuvsDragonflies]

I can't believe the black mom is still there with her child having to wear that godawful afro monstrosity. That would have been final straw for me.

 

[sookie]

but the abby lee miller studie is NOT FOR PROFIT!
bawhhahahahahahhahaha! oh please!
then did you catch that she brags every single time she can - "i take those kids out to dinner!" and "I loved Orlando so much that I bought a house there!". Oh please!

 

[castmember19]

I love this show. It might be because I don't have kids so I cannot relate to the way mothers must feel when they watch a dance teacher yell at their daughters, but I can't get enough.

I danced as a child, never competitively and just for fun, but once I got into high school I got a little competitive with other things- academics mostly. So I'm a competitive person and it might be why I don't see as much wrong with the show as others. Oh well.

That being said, I feel as if the first episode pushed it to the extreme. As the series has gone on, I feel like it's been toned down- er, well a little bit. Slightly.

I sometimes even find myself agreeing with Abbey on certain things (Nia has to be corrected over and over, fix their flaws before they go out into the real world, etc) but I'm afraid to admit it lest everyone on the DIS thinks I'm insane. But anyway, just like everyone else, I have my moments. "Electricity" and "Where have all the children gone" made me cringe. I find myself occasionally raising my eyebrows at whatever costume the girls have on. I wonder why they're always in full make-up.

But I like this show because truth be told, I don't get the impression that most of the girls are forced to do this (like Toddlers and Tiaras). They all seem to thoroughly enjoy dancing with the exception of Vivi (whose mother is just crazy) and Brooke- and Brooke I can make an exception for because even though her mother pushes her to continue with dancing, I think it's for good intentions- she mentioned in the first episode that 13 years old is when all the trouble starts and that's why she doesn't want Brooke to quit dance.

AND I still like it even though I'm pretty aware that most of the things are probably pushed and/or scripted (Candy Apples showdown... seriously?)

Anyway, there's my crazy rant. I've been afraid to admit that I love this show at the risk that people will flame me but it's my guilty pleasure.

 

[LuvsDragonflies]

nah, it's okay Castmember. BUT. If you go all Toddlers and Tiaras or Kate Plus Eight...well

 

[Magic Mom]

I can't believe the black mom is still there with her child having to wear that godawful afro monstrosity. That would have been final straw for me.

To me the really sad part is that she is a principal and she is showing such complete poor judgement. She does not need to be in charge of kids any more than Abby does.

 

[LuvsDragonflies]

She's a principal and she's letting that woman crap all over her and her daughter like that?

 

[Magic Mom]

She's a principal and she's letting that woman crap all over her and her daughter like that?

On national television!

 

[princessmom29]

Those girls are extrodinary dancers. You realize Maddie is only 8 and has near perfect technique as far as I can see. I don't see how you can say they are mediocre. Brooke can do things I've never seen anyone do. That said...Abby is crazy...the Moms are crazy....and I don't believe for a second that Cathy is a "real" person. That is such a plant for added drama. No one can act like her for real.

It depends on how you define perfect technique. Her legs are straight, her turnout is good, ect but all of them lack what we always called the "conncetive tissue" of dance. The underlying musicality and transitional skills that knit all the "big ticket" tricks together is just not there the way it should be in dancers who are throwing those kinds of skills. I have found that a lot of times with younger girls it is a trade off. You can either push them into these major skills at 8-10 or you can slow down and teach musicality, flow, and connection to the music and wait on the "big" skills until they are ready to integrate them into a fluid routine. Our sudio errs on the side of waiting to teach foutes untill they are 10-11 and teaching those connective skills first.

 

[LuvsDragonflies]

I'm not quite sure what all that means princess, but I think we are agreeing they pretty much dance like crap. Sorry guys. Call it as I see it. There is NO talent there, nothing due to Abby anyway. They look like contortionists out there, not dancers.

 

[N&B'smom]

DD8 is on a dance team, this is her second year. Her team is NOTHING like that. They are very careful about the costumes, they won't even allow their bellies to be uncovered. The dances are very appropriate. If her dance team, the moms or the dance coach were ANYTHING like the ones on this show, we would NEVER be a part of it.

As a matter of fact, they are dancing at Disney in Feb!

 

[CurlyGirl]

To me the really sad part is that she is a principal and she is showing such complete poor judgement. She does not need to be in charge of kids any more than Abby does.

What poor judgements has Holly made? Holly knows that Abby Lee is the one whose students end up on Broadway, dancing for Disney, in Cirque de Soliel, etc. If that's what Nia wants, then what choice does Holly have? Holly complained to Abby Lee about the costumes twice and Abby told her if she didn't like it, she could go elsewhere. Where else is Holly going to go if Abby's the only show in town that has such a high success rate?

She's a principal and she's letting that woman crap all over her and her daughter like that?

When your kid wants to be a pro dancer and Abby Lee turns out pro dancers, are you really going to leave a studio that offers the best chance of making your child's dreams come true? If Nia were miseable, you can bet she wouldn't dance there anymore.

Abby is a bulldog and there's only one way with her ... and it's her way. Like Abby says, people can go elsewhere if they don't like it but elsewhere doesn't turn out the pros like she does. You can see that Holly's frustrated ... but what can she do? Pull her daughter and destroy the kid's dreams?! Or just suck it up and have the area's most successful dance teacher training her kid?

 

[castmember19]

What poor judgements has Holly made? Holly knows that Abby Lee is the one whose students end up on Broadway, dancing for Disney, in Cirque de Soliel, etc.

This is so true. If you do research on Abby Lee alumni, you'll find that a good amount of them go on to perform at Disney.

 

[CurlyGirl]

It depends on how you define perfect technique. Her legs are straight, her turnout is good, ect but all of them lack what we always called the "conncetive tissue" of dance. The underlying musicality and transitional skills that knit all the "big ticket" tricks together is just not there the way it should be in dancers who are throwing those kinds of skills. I have found that a lot of times with younger girls it is a trade off. You can either push them into these major skills at 8-10 or you can slow down and teach musicality, flow, and connection to the music and wait on the "big" skills until they are ready to integrate them into a fluid routine. Our sudio errs on the side of waiting to teach foutes untill they are 10-11 and teaching those connective skills first.

I know what you're saying. Their transitional movements aren't very fluid. There is no "flow". It's almost like you can hear the kid saying the routine in their head as they're performing -- "Chasse, now arabesque, then spot turn, ok aerial cartwheel" in their head. It doesn't come from just letting the music "take them". They focus on the technique (good turnout, perfect landing) and just don't let the movements flow. It's like they know the steps and are repeating the steps but aren't letting the music take them.

ETA -- I would guess that a lot of that has to do with the fact that they have a week to learn a new routine before presenting it in competition. They can't get the "lyrical" format of fluid movement down because they're so focused on remembering the steps.

 

[LuvsDragonflies]

So, you'll teach your daughter to tramp it up and let herself get treated like dirt, all for the glory of being a two bit chorus girl on Broadway? Seems like very little return for teaching a kid some self respect.


AND, I still think they dance like crap. It's unmoving, it's uninspired and it's not even pretty to watch.

 

[lilmissdisney216]

Speak of the devil, watching the episode from last night right now!!