Dance Moms on Lifetime

[Tilden]

I agree about Brooke, except I think she is also using the exposure on the show to open up some doors. It sounds like its her mom's wish as well, as obviously Kelly would rather not be there, but asked Sophia's mom about agents. Haven't both Brooke and Paige started some kind of online singing on youtube? We'll see where it takes them, but I can tell that Brooke would rather be a tonne of places elsewhere. Oh Abby...you make it too easy for the girls and their moms not to be motivated to be there and seek other pursuits - especially if you constantly bark at all of them!

Brooke did a youtube song and then in one of the last episodes last season, the girls were all in a video where she sang the song (and Abby, naturally, directed). I don't think that was for anything more than youtube, though, although it's not as if I went looking for it anywhere either. Paige has done some modeling as well. And yeah, they probably are using the show for exposure to try and get other opportunities, which may account for some of Brooke's surliness--she'd rather be singing, or whatever, but she has to stick around ALDC in order to get more exposure.

I think it will be really interesting to see what all these girls are doing five years down the road. My guess is that a number of them will no longer be dancing, or at least will no longer be dancing at ALDC--and that they won't necessarily be all that unhappy about that.

[jadewarlock]

I used to think Holly was the only decent mother in that group, but now I'm starting to wonder, given that she's exposing Nia, who apparently has real issues with stress and anxiety that result in physical pain, to Abby, who's a walking, rasping source of nothing but stress and anxiety, except for the rare occasions on which she decides to bestow some praise on her favorite of the moment. Realistically, particularly given her medical situation, Nia probably isn't going to become a professional dancer. Very few little girls who start out in dance end up making a living at it, including little girls who have some talent and training for it, because there are too many other factors involved, not the least of which is that there just aren't that many jobs out there for dancers. Maybe Nia would be better off at another studio where she could still learn and grow as a dancer without feeling the pressure to make Abby's reputation for her.

Honestly with Holly/Nia I think there are two reasons why she's staying there:

1. The aforementioned contracts and

2. To show that there is some semblance of sanity in that studio.

Because I honestly get by her body language that Holly is to the point she WANTS to get her daughter out of that situation but I really truly don't think she can without being assesed penalites for breaking contract. They're not cheap to begin with and while Holly may be a principal, she probably doesn't make enough to break the contract. Sophia's case it probably wasn't a long term agreement to be at that studio - or her mom/agent (I say this only because she's worked elsewhere) probably found a way to include a bail out in the agreement - whereby if mom felt Sophia was being treated poorly she could leave.

And yes, last week's episode was particularly disturbing in terms of the total lack of maturity showed by some of the alleged adults involved. I've never been involved in competitive dance, but I can't believe that these competitions wouldn't have rules about basic civil behavior and that if they were violated that those who violated them wouldn't be asked to leave and be disqualified from the competition. Certainly I would think that after a pattern of such behavior became public knowledge that those engaging in it would not be so easily welcomed back--or so easily accepted at other competitions. I'd feel sorry for the dancers if that were the case, but it would serve people like Cathy and Abby right.

Admittedly there have been articles of competitions who have specifically banned ALDC from competition, but there aren't many. I would HOPE that parents of other dancers petition other competitions (at least bigger ones minus regionals/nationals) to ban the company. If that didn't change Abby's tune and tone down the attitude nothing would. (Oh and this would go for Cathy too).

[Critical]

Honestly with Holly/Nia I think there are two reasons why she's staying there:

1. The aforementioned contracts and

2. To show that there is some semblance of sanity in that studio.

Because I honestly get by her body language that Holly is to the point she WANTS to get her daughter out of that situation but I really truly don't think she can without being assesed penalites for breaking contract. They're not cheap to begin with and while Holly may be a principal, she probably doesn't make enough to break the contract. Sophia's case it probably wasn't a long term agreement to be at that studio - or her mom/agent (I say this only because she's worked elsewhere) probably found a way to include a bail out in the agreement - whereby if mom felt Sophia was being treated poorly she could leave.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't she quit her job last season to be with Nia full time? Did she just take a sabbatical?

[jadewarlock]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't she quit her job last season to be with Nia full time? Did she just take a sabbatical?

I'm not sure there - but that would make my argument more valid that Holly is stuck there and going through this if she doesn't have a job to fall back on.

[Tilden]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't she quit her job last season to be with Nia full time? Did she just take a sabbatical?

If my memory serves (and it may not), I believe Holly said she quit her job. At the time, I remember wondering why someone who would go to all the effort to get advanced degrees in education and manage to rise to being principal of a school and then just give it all up to be a dance mom. I wonder now, though, if part of it is how she feels about Nia's illness and how important dance is to her continued recovery from that--and wanting to be there for Nia, because Abby isn't someone with whom she feels safe leaving Nia anymore (assuming she can't get out of that contract and take her somewhere else). I fervently hope, however, that once Holly and Nia can get out of there, they do. I think Nia's got some spunk and has a realistic attitude about her dance "career." I'd hate to see Abby crush that or for Holly, the only dance mom who seems halfway sensible about her daughter's "career," to get sucked into the ALDC vortex completely.

[PA Snow Bunny]

So whatever did happen to Sophia?

[Tilden]

So whatever did happen to Sophia?

She appears to have disappeared. I guess she had better things to do than become Abby's flavor of the moment. Funny how the same thing happened with Ally, isn't it? Meanwhile Abby was criticizing Kathy for bringing in dancers from elsewhere to dance for her studio when she was doing the same thing (not that I'm any fonder of Kathy than I am of Abby--it's just that Abby was being a hypocrite about that).

[mom2]

Abbey is a hypocrite about many things. She yelled when the girls would forget the choreography and freeze, then she yells at Chloe when she forgets the choreography and fills in until she gets it back. She's backtracked on many things, the above mentioned "Cathy bringing in ringers" but when Abbey brought in Sophie it was different. Hated that Abbey didn't even deign to mention Chloe's special award.

Love Holly, love all the girls.

[PA Snow Bunny]

Okay I have only been able to see brief flashes of any reality tv shows so I am not up-to-date with anything. One of those boys Kathy had dance for her, correct me if I am worng but wasn't he a contestant on Abby Lee's dance showy competition? He looks familiar. Whatever happened to Justice?
I loved Brooke's quote "My dance is called Carless because I care less about dancing". Okay so why is she still there if clearly she does not want to dance anymore??? Is this a case of a mom living through her daughter?

[jadewarlock]

Okay I have only been able to see brief flashes of any reality tv shows so I am not up-to-date with anything. One of those boys Kathy had dance for her, correct me if I am worng but wasn't he a contestant on Abby Lee's dance showy competition? He looks familiar. Whatever happened to Justice?
I loved Brooke's quote "My dance is called Carless because I care less about dancing". Okay so why is she still there if clearly she does not want to dance anymore??? Is this a case of a mom living through her daughter?

Contract I guess - because even I know Brooke clearly is HATING this show in general and wants a real life.

I truly TRULY believe that she was basically told by the show's producers she couldn't be a cheerleader even after making it - that they were filming it ONLY so they'd have a good story and fodder for Abby and the moms to fight.

The reason I say that I feel the "I don't want to be a cheerleader" thing was fake is that cheerleaders are seen as very popular and cool and something that Brooke was VERY good at being a stunning acrobat dancer and gymnast. Most cheer squads would (not literally but) KILL to have someone that flexible to possibly be a flier for their pyramids.

They also at their worst - and sadly being a mascot at a university for a year HAVE seen the worst (they tried to kick me off because I was not a party/clubbing-person - no joke, as it had ZERO to do with my "work ethic" as they always focused on themselves), are still better behaved than Abby is toward these girls.

Meaning Brooke most likely would've stayed had there not been production interference (or worse, she really was truly treated worse in the cheer squad, but the only way I can see this as being legit - the squad would be removed by the school board).