Dance Moms

Dance Moms: The Debate Still Rages

~ televisionchangesblog ~ 4 Comments

Last night’s (Tuesday, October 10, 2017) on Dance Moms, we got to see the dances in their entirety.  I’m not going to throw shade at the younger dancers.  I do want to say that the first version I saw (season one) of “Where Have All the Children Gone” moved me to tears.  Here is the link for it if you never have seen it:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psxDS8QMrXs.  The gist of this is that all our children are exposed to acts of violence.  The version last night (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xE9tWaNApSo) looked like the schoolyard bully and no one standing up to him.  Granted Brynn did push him, but it was half-hearted and she ran off.  If he was the school yard bully, she should have confronted him.

Let’s now deal with the big controversy on last night’s Dance Moms.  Many complained about the mature nature and costumes of the girls dance.  Granted, it’s not what you are use to on Dance Moms.  No lyrical moves or pretty little facial expressions, it was hard hitting and actually age appropriate.  These girls are aged 15, 16, and 17.  They will be moving into college/jobs where they will be expected to perform like this or much worse.  They pulled the number off and I applaud them for it.  It’s a grown up dance and is seen in almost every music video.  If you didn’t see it, here’s the link (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oS3ysfpoQ4).

Abby’s complaint that this isn’t what she raised the girls to do is not reflected in what we have seen over seven seasons.  And while I’m sure Abby would say that producers made her do these dances, Abby could have stood up to them and refused.  She has dressed them as show girls.  Here’s the link and be sure to watch all of it  and especially view the judges faces.  They were in shock. Here the girls are complete with Vegas costumes and fans (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2_dTosvpnQ).

If this isn’t evidence enough of what Abby has had the girls do, let me remind you of a few others:

Electricity — better costumes than above but still objectionable contents by standards established on Twitter last night — (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Hbwed_7o20).

Make You Mine — due to costumes and dance moves  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiP8UuPabik

They Call Me Laquifa — This is from season one or two and notice that Abby has Nia twirking.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=re4L3VL91mI

Snapshot  — where the girls danced in bras/pants only they were swimsuits  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGgGTwWe8qI&list=PLmp3XLn02Xg1UHMpdTIcF7e9Pw-5jc3Ms&index=22

Nip and Tuck — another bra/pants routine.  This routine was supposed to imply that the moms had plastic surgery —  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5ugY3mDbWc&index=78&list=PLmp3XLn02Xg1UHMpdTIcF7e9Pw-5jc3Ms

And less we forget.  Here’s what Abby said to Nia about her video and the testimonial that follows:  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Fkjnb0XYjA). And . . . (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K47y_49IsjA).  And … (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gN7dRid084).    Yet Abby loves Maddie’s work with Shia and Sia (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRzrNAfy2-M)?  Most people’s opinion of “Elastic Heart” can be voiced by Cathy of Candy Apples (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INq7QgNiU4E).

And less you forget, Abby didn’t want Nia/Holly or JoJo/Jessalynn to come to Australia.  They were not included in any of the events so Holly took matters into her own hands (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOSNolfX_Yg, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIQiORnD940, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tl6NH5iKbEw and Nia’s and JoJo’s POWERFUL performance in Australia (without other girls being allowed to attend) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHWY9qIKw9Y (prep) and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hv2wuMk6M5k (performance).

As I said last night — Pot meet Kettle.  Abby and her supporters can’t complain because the evidence exists that she did the same thing and complained when Nia made it big without her.

Dance Moms Has Just Been Topped: Why Toddlers and Tiaras Has Gone Bad

~ televisionchangesblog ~ 1 Comment

“I thought that I would never a see, A show worse than Dance Moms could be.”

Guess what!  I may have just found it.  Dance Moms has been a staple on Lifetime for seven years.  TLC now has resurrected their show Toddlers and Tiaras. I’m beginning to wonder if this is because Abby and the Ziegler’s show didn’t get picked up — but that’s another story which we have no answer for.  And the resurrected Toddlers and Tiaras is facing an uphill climb if what I see is any indication of where it is going. Think of it as Dance Moms on steriods.

TLC I thought stood for “The Learning Channel.”  If that is the case, the network should change its name to “The Loser Channel.”  I have not learned anything from this network in years when I stopped by except maybe from Say Yes to the Dress.  That show makes me cry.  But instead of focusing on the bad at TLC, let’s look at its newest entry and how it compares to Dance Moms.  And yes, I’ll probably revisit this again and again.

Teachers Who Don’t Care

We all know that on Dance Moms if your name wasn’t Maddie Ziegler, Abby Lee Miller wasn’t going to pay you any attention.  Now, from what I’m hearing, she’s moved on to Brynn.  Fine and dandy!  Teacher’s pets have always existed and always will.  But Jamie on Toddlers and Tiaras takes it to extremes.  While Abby at least has all the girls in a class together,  Jamie, it appears, uses two methods to teach.  The first is home visits.  If you are lucky to have a consultation with Jamie, you may know the right dress, the right hair, the right music and what to take with you to the pageant.  And instead of having a studio to meet in a big class, let’s all go to the mall and do our demonstrations there.  Last night, before I got mad and turned the station, they hung out in a home.  Doesn’t she believe in a business address?

Unfair Competitions

Okay raise your hand if you have ever said that Dance Mom‘s Abby Lee Miller or Lifetime/Collins production set up dance competitions designed so only Abby girls won!  I admit that I have.  Dance Moms had some ADLC dances that shouldn’t have placed beat dances that were much better.  Heck, we even watched Abby have the score reviewed when Chloe beat Maddie and Maddie awarded the first place prize due to a “judging error.”

Toddlers and Tiaras seems to have taken this to a new height. I got some tweets last night about the new height but I saw it before I tuned out in a commercial.  The pageant owner/producer is none other that Jamie’s mother?  Have you heard of special treatment?  Have you heard of an unfair advantage?  Would I let my daughter who is on another team ever compete?  No!  And then they had to pull a Dance Moms  scheme and ask for the birth certificate to keep the opposition out.  Come on folks!  Can we say RIGGED!  If Jamie has to resort to this to win, this show will find itself facing more scandal than Dance Moms ever saw (except Abby’s legal issues).

The Moms

Everyone knows how I feel about the moms on Dance Moms.  Holly is the voice of reason.  Melissa was the perpetual stage mom.  Jill (the mouth) wants only her daughter to shine.  Jessalynn was there to support JoJo.  Kelly and Christi wanted the kids to be treated fairly.  They supported the kids and they supported each other even when they fought.  Jill left the group and while Christi and Kelly did some investigating on the studio hopper, it never affected Kendall and the moms were never violent (except toward Abby and in New Orleans).

Well Toddlers and Tiaras took it a step further.  When Kim felt her daughter didn’t get the attention she needed, she checked into moving to the chief rival’s studio and discussed it with others.  Jamie’s Sassy Supreme moms attacked while Kim was trying to discuss the matter with Jamie.  You thought the New Orleans throw down on Dance Moms was bad?  Believe me the Sassy Supreme moms makes the Dance Moms look like innocents!  And the ultimatum that had me tuning out — “Either Kim leaves or I leave” — was what made me disgusted.  Instead of bringing peace, Jamie agreed.  Even Abby at her worse didn’t do that.  She may have locked them out of the studio but she always let them perform.  Jamie lets her moms misbehave and to me this doesn’t show team work or support.  I guess beauty and dance differ in that.

While I only watch Dance Moms these days when I have a free second, I still support the girls.  I am proud of what Nia has accomplished and applaud Maddie and Chloe for being stars.  With Toddlers and Tiaras, I don’t support anyone from the Sassy Supremes.  The moms are loud, obnoxious, and uncouth.  They cheat to win with rigged pageants.  I think I could like Cambria’s group.  They have discipline and a teacher who works with them but will we get much of their team.  Will I watch to find out.  Who knows — it will depend on what else is on.

 

 

 

Really Dance Moms?

~ televisionchangesblog ~ 1 Comment

I know where some of my friends are tonight!  They’re over watching Dance Moms on Lifetime.  Personally, I decided to take a break from that “kiss-up” show tonight when I learned it was Abby Lee Miller and her favorite student, Maddie Ziegler.  The good news is that they allowed MacKenzie, Maddie’s sister, be on the show also. The bad news is that Abby is fawning all over the Sia’s video star and not being faired to ALL her dancers.

Why forgo a show because of the theme?  Well, anytime I see a show with this much favoritism, I tune out.  Thus, I’ve been tuning out for several years now. That’s really hard when you are covering the show for a web site doing recaps.  It also makes it difficult not to make snide comments when you disagree with what you see and how the “actor” feels she is being represented.

I’m going to be honest.  I hate to see a teacher single out one student as a favorite.   Let me go one step further and say that I hate to see a teacher make fun and ridicule students to make one stand our more than others.  And to do this on television is actually being a bully.  There!  I’ve finally said part of what I think about Abby Lee Miller!  She’s a bully!

When you write for something that reaches many people you must be unbiased.  You may be open with your feelings with you do an op-ed piece.  Recaps though present the view of what happened on the show.  I left writing Dance Moms because I no longer was objective.  All I wanted to do was complain about Abby’s actions and that isn’t responsible journalism when writing a recap.

So, let’s just call this part one of my rant on the show Dance Moms.  Expect part two when I’m not ready to fall asleep.