Dance Moms on Lifetime

[Critical]

God forbid Holly care about education over dance. I can't believe those women let their children miss school for dance on a regular basis

I think that, no matter what happened, Christi would spin it and say that Maddie was being favored. If if was Chloe who didn't get a lollipop in the dance routine, she'd cry foul and say that her kid got singled out and punished while everyone else got a prop. The truth is that Maddie is just far and away better than the other girls. She's more talented and she's just got IT and obviously that casting agent felt the same way. Blaming Abby or Melissa for the focus being on Maddie is unfair. The focus is on Maddie because she deserves it. She works hard, doesn't complain and her mother doesn't cause trouble.

I couldn't believe Cathy. What an idiot. Like the casting director was going to swoop her up for some Broadway show. No wonder the other mothers haven't accepted her, except for Melissa, who seems to just need an ally against Christi. That mom's dance was embarrassing even before Cathi went rogue. Cathi ws right about one thing - those props should have been done WEEKS before the performance. Why they didn't cover them with something lighter, like cellphone, I don't know. That fabric looked too heavy to stay on very well.

[Kiz]

Didn't Holly say that the dance showcase was in conflict with her PhD graduation? At least that's what I understood. How could have that been a surprise? It made sense that she would have been practicing with the other moms in the first place because she would have know months in advance when graduation was going to take place, and she would have to have made arrangements for her daughter to attend the performance.

I agree with you, Critical, that Christi would have complained about Maddie regardless.

Maddie dances with so much passion, that appears effortless. She practically soars through the air. Chloe is a wonderful dancer, but she's just not at the same level of Maddie at this point. It's almost as if she's going through the steps, while Maddie seems to feel the music flowing through her body. I'm afraid Chloe's mom is going to drain the joy of dance from her by her constant sniping at Maddie and Melissa.

[mom2]

Holly was much nicer than I would have been, if wackjob Cathy tried to tell me to miss my PhD graduation to participate in a cute little dance.

I do think Maddy gets more attention, but then Christie does too because she's frustrated. Chloe is a talented young girl, she's obviously earned a national title (that Abby would cut her arm off before taking it away because it reflects on HER studio) and no mention that Maddy has one too.

I love that the 2 girls support each other throughout the crazy ... their parents and Abby and other moms.

Cathy just needs to Go Home.

[Harmony2000]

If you guys want some insight into this? There is a forum by the same name where real dance moms post and it's interesting reading their take on the competitions (since they were actually there) and on the studio (since many actually had children attending).

Abby's specialty is her male dancers. They are the so-called "beasts" of her company. I sort of wish they'd done a show on them because I keep reading things about how insanely good they are.

Christi - is a bitter, jealous, alcoholic. She just needs to go away. It's pathetic that she's so consumed with jealousy over an 8 year old little girl. I think the only thing holding Chloe back from being every bit as good as Maddie is her mother. Chloe seems hyper-aware of her mother sitting there judging her and measuring her against Maddie. That would affect anybody's love of the dance and that is the difference between Chloe and Maddie. Maddie loves to dance while Chloe just seems to go through the motions.

That whole talent agent thing was bogus. What exactly did Maddie win? "See me if you are ever in the City." Shouldn't it have been "Be here at this time for this thing." if she'd really been selected? Yeah, it is probably a friend of Abby's who got some free publicity out of it because Maddie wasn't exactly signed up.

About Cathy, I found what she did funny. I find anything that makes these women look even more like raging fools funny and that was pretty awesome. So was the looks on the dancers faces when Christi started snorting and chortling over the dance routine he was in. She was so clearly already toasted and making a fool of herself.

Anybody else think that other than Maddie these girls just look miserable? A child who is truly doing what they want to do and what they love wouldn't look as sad as these girls. If they were younger, they'd be screaming and crying like the T&T kids, they look that miserable.

[Minney]

I hope these moms/kids are being well compensated! This is probably one of the worst scripted/reality shows I've seen... and YES I still watch! I've been involved in studio dance for years and what they've done is taken all the bad and magnified it. So yes, there is truth in what they show. The moms and studio owners can be exactly like these moms. Funny thing that they aren't showing (lucky for the dancers) is the catty-ness that usually exists between the top dancers. Glad all the girls involved seem to genuinely support eachother! Christi is just saying what they all think, but she has no backbone to remove her daughter, so she should just remain silent--other than the scripting doesn't call for that!

Do people actually THINK before jumping into reality tv? Do they understand they are going to be portrayed as alcoholic, witch, manipulative, etc? While Maddie is a wonderful dancer, so are some of the other girls in her group. Not sure any have what it takes to make it as a child star. I hope she isn't taking too much heat by being the "star". It may have sounded like fun to be the best for this show, but kids and adults can be cruel. People will think (and judge) that these moms are like this in real life and it will impact them one way or the other.

Wonder if Abbey has actually thought this through too. If I was looking for a studio in her area I'd probably run the other way no matter how much I was told "it was all for tv we aren't really like that in person". Same with Kathy.

Just glad they are leaving the drama to the owner and moms and for the most part leaving the girls out of it. Will never understand why people think reality tv is a good idea for their children!

[Kiz]

...Wonder if Abbey has actually thought this through too. If I was looking for a studio in her area I'd probably run the other way no matter how much I was told "it was all for tv we aren't really like that in person". ...

Minney, I posted a link to an article (PRESS TOUR: Lifetime exec defends 'Dance Moms' - from post 63) that had taken a quote from another interview with Abbey in TV Guide. Here's a link and a snippet from the TV Guide Interview that you might find interesting:

snipped

Conventional wisdom is that positive reinforcement helps kids learn. Do you reject that?
Miller: No. I do positive reinforcement. There's nothing that satisfies me as a teacher more than me spotting a child, let's say [during] an aerial — a cartwheel without hands. I'll spot them over and over and over again, and it's like taking the training wheels off of a bicycle. When they execute that trick properly [by themselves] and jump up and down and scream and yell and run into my arms and hug me, that's amazing. That's a wonderful feeling. I would love to feel that every day. But when you're talking about a competition, and investing tons of money, you want to go out there and put your best foot forward.


Your pyramid system of visually ranking your favorite students was very controversial on the Internet ...
Miller: I've never done that in my life. That has nothing to do with me. That's the show. They came up with that whole process.

Is it tough to be asked to do something you wouldn't normally? Ultimately, you're representing yourself and your business and no one watching can accurately distinguish reality TV machinations from reality.
Miller: No. There's a lot of things on the show that would never, ever happen. It's television. When we got the opportunity to do the show, all the competitions that came to Pittsburgh were over. All these competitions we're attending, I've never attended in my life. Teaching children a routine in a hotel hallway that they are performing onstage the next day? That's insane. Nobody would do that. But you know what? These kids' ability to comprehend quickly is truly a gift. This show has taught them, "I'm gonna learn it, and I'm gonna do it." The whole pyramid thing was for the show because we could not do a new solo for every single child, and a new group and new duets and trios every single week. There's just not time available.

Do you worry at all that by representing your process on air differently than how it is in real life, you're cheating yourself out of business?
Miller: My student just won Mr. Dance of America and I have three title winners for Dance Educators of America in Vegas. I've been around for a long time. My name is not unfamiliar to anybody in the dance community. I'm talking the upper echelon of dance studios. As far as business in Pittsburgh, business is bad anyway. Pittsburgh is a very depressed community. I built my building from the ground up. As far as the general public is concerned, I always tell people that you need to look like a dance teacher like you're looking for a pediatrician. It's hands-on, and you might be with them from age 3 to 18: I've spent 15 years with [some]. I see them more than their families do.

snipped

Dance Moms' Abby Lee Miller On Ranking Students and Dressing Them Sexily - Today's News: Our Take | TVGuide.com

[Harmony2000]

Minney, I posted a link to an article

You know, I've been quoting this article everywhere when defending Abby (sort of defending her) and I couldn't for the life of me remember where I'd heard that the pyramid thing wasn't really her thing. Thank you for reminding me! I should have known it was one of FORT's awesome posters.

Doesn't the article go on to say that she knew what she was getting into but her business was failing, times are hard, and she felt that the exposure was worth the risk? In other words, it's already going downhill and this is the last ditch effort to save it. Economy is down, expensive dance lessons will get cut out of a family budget because of necessity.

[Kiz]

Harmony, is the last question that I snipped from the article the one you're referring to?

I thought both articles were very interesting, and answered several questions I had about the show. Abbey also answers the question I had about the minister mom in the TV Guide article. Well, there's nothing really that could explain her actions, and I wonder if she's still a minister, but she had a history of ugly outbursts with Abbey's studio as well as others.

[Harmony2000]

Harmony, is the last question that I snipped from the article the one you're referring to?

Actually it was just me grabbing your name and letting you know that I was thanking you for bringing this information to us, lol.

Ah yes, it is that. I can understand where Abby is coming from, if you see that your business is failing and you have to resort to something that you know will make you look bad but may save your business in the long run. It would make anybody act the way she is. This is her life and it's slipping away. I sort of feel sorry for her now. Her screaming and actions now seem to come from desperation.

[Minney]

Great articles and thank you for sharing them! It's good to get perspective on the people and their motivation for doing shows such as this. After watching RTV for so many years I'm surprised that people (participants) don't seem to think through all the reactions and generalizations the viewers will make towards the "characters" on the show. It looks like Abbey went into this with her eyes wide open and the "mom" knew what they were getting into-- all are playing along with their assigned roles. However... hope the viewing public understands this as well and doesn't hold it against them or their daughters!