I have a username called "DanceNerd", so OF COURSE I follow all dance-related things!
As you may have already guessed, I'm going to discuss the Lifetime television reality series Dance Moms. The show is pretty much self-explanatory. It's about a group of kids that dance at the Abby Lee Dance Studio in Philadelphia and their moms who supervise them. The show also focuses on the kids' tough-as-nails dance teacher, Abby Lee. She's loud, she's mean, she doesn't take anybody's sh*t, and she has some pretty outlandish ideas. Oh yes, and she also ranks the children through the illustration of a pyramid, which she shows to them and their parents in every episode. As expected, the moms constantly clash with Abby whenever they do not agree with her choices or whenever they feel their children are being bullied. The moms also frequently fight with each other. Just imagine watching an episode of Housewives; it's pretty much the same. They also added in a stupid rivalry between Abby's studio and another lady's studio. But all this bickering is just icing on top of my favorite part of the show- The actual dancing.
This show features some of the most talented dancers I have seen in a while- and they aren't even old enough to have drivers licences! These girls are crazy good, and I personally love watching them dance every week. Abby isn't too shabby of a dance educator, either. For as harsh as she can be at times, she does have some points that I find valid and she does know how to produce excellent and highly professional dancers. I tune in to watch this show every week. It entertains me for the full hour that it is on TV, no matter how ridiculous the plot is. However, everybody does not love this show, and while they may dislike it for good reasons, I still offer some rebuttals.
"These poor children are being exploited. It's just like Toddlers and Tiaras."
Okay. Okay. That's fine that you accuse this show of exploiting children. If you are pointing your finger at this show, however, you had better also be pointing many more fingers at all of the other child actors in the world. These kids are in showbiz just like every other child entertainer. They're on a contract, just like the Olsen twins were. The difference is because of the added drama on the show (which the producers fabricate, by the way), and because it has "reality" attached to the name, people cry 'exploitation'. Also, I've heard multiple individuals compare this show to the monstrosity that is Toddlers and Tiaras. The only thing Dance Moms and that show has in common is that the children in both shows participate in competitions. Toddlers is degrading because children are judged on how artificially "beautiful" they are. It is also clear that the mothers of that show do the competitions more for themselves than their children (judging by the fact that most of the kids on that show can barely talk). Dance Moms, on the other hand, features kids who have expressed that they want to be dancing. They want to compete and each would like to win titles. Where Toddlers requires no talent whatsoever, Dance Moms is full of it.
"Abby Lee is evil. She is not fit to be a dance teacher. She's also obese, so I don't know how she even teaches."
I agree that Abby is a bit on the heavy side, and I personally have some problems with others instructing their students to do things that they cannot even do themselves. However, there are many choreographers who are still fantastic choreographers even though they are not physically able to do the movements. This is why they have assistants. Do you think Baryshnikov is demonstrating 540 ballet kicks at 64 years old? I think not! Also, I do agree that she can be a big ol' bitch at times... Okay, most of the time... But she's good at what she does, and she has a pretty damn good success rate, so I wouldn't argue with her. Also, she's not exactly the spawn of Satan. There have been episodes where she does express that she cares about the kids' well-being and their growth as dancers. She even takes them out away from their moms from time to time. Also, keep in mind that the TV only shows less than 60 minutes of her personality...
"These moms are bat-sh*t crazy."
Well... I really have no arguments against this statement. Especially after watching the latest episode... Keep in mind again, that this is TV. If the show was 100% truth and reality, it wouldn't need producers. Just sayin'...
"The show just...sucks. It's not good."
No. It really is not good at all. It's a pretty awful show. In fact, all "reality" television is borderline crap. But as I said, the "drama" on Dance Moms is just extra features to me. I just love watching the dances and seeing what crazy ideas Miss Abby Lee comes up with. Also, it's IMDB rating doesn't say much about it's quality.
So am I trying to say that everyone should like this show and watch it? Absolutely not. There are way better things in life to do than sit in your home watching Dance Moms. Unfortunately for me, I am way too drawn to this show to miss it. This show is addicting to me, probably because of the dance elements and the outrageous personalities displayed in the show. I used to be a competitive dancer, so I somewhat identify with these kids. I was never half as good as they are, and I probably never will be. Still, I wish I would have had to opportunity to train with Abby Lee when I was younger. It honestly would have been a dream, and I know she would've pushed me so hard... And I'd be okay with that. Would I ever be a "dance mom" and send my future children to Abby Lee or the equivalent? My answer is 'no'. First of all; a dance education is freaking expensive as hell. Second of all, I would only send my kids to dance professionally if they truly wanted to. If they did become dancers, I would sit and watch their rehearsals not to live vicariously through my kids, but to watch them grow and become amazing.
Actually, I'd probably just teach my kids how to dance on my own. It's free!
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