Dance Moms: Deeper than dance

There are different forms of reality television such as games shows like Survivor, everyday lives like Jersey Shore, trying to find your true love like in The Bachelor, or dance competitions like Dance Moms, which is the one I'm specifically going to talk about. To give a background on a typical episode of Dance Moms, you have two dance teams, the Juniors who range from 12-16 and the Minis who are under the age of 8. Sometimes the teams dance separately, other times they come together for routines. You also have their mothers and Abby Lee who is the creator of the routines and the owner of the Abby Lee Dance Company or "ALDC." Every week there is a group dance and usually a couple solo performances or duets. The one hour episode is intended to sum up 60 hours of filming throughout the week of them training, learning the routine, and practicing it as well as seeing the actual performances at the competitions and the results (Duff p. 71). Amongst that you see other things that happen in an average person's life but I must admit, there is a lot of drama that helps the show thrive. I would say about 50% of the show is you watching drama between the mothers and Abby Lee. Even Abby admitted that she wished,"Dance Moms could have more dancing and less mama drama" (Donkin p. E1). The constant bickering is usually caused from the solos because every mom believes that their kid deserves the spot each competition, other arguments consequence from someone saying something about someone else’s kid or if a Mom believes Abby is being unfair in some type of way. Besides the drama though, there are some things we may be able to take away from this show.

Abby Lee getting in an argument with a Mom

ALDC is obviously well-known because of their television show, however they're also known for being a great dance team. If you watch the show often you'll notice that very rarely the teams lose at competitions. Abby puts a big emphasis on getting 1st place, she always says, "2nd place is the first loser." Clearly, Abby knows what she's doing as a dance instructor. If someone wanted some ideas or inspiration then I would suggest watching this show, especially if you wanted a winning number. Occasionally, Abby will take a current issue, TV show, movie or something else to base her dances off of. One time she had Nia do a routine based off the show How to Get Away with Murder. Another dancer or choreographer could take her advice or watch her dances and use some of her moves. 

Becoming a professional dancer can be an ambitious dream and friends and family aren't always supportive of dreams that seem too unrealistic. When people are watching girls at young ages pursuing and succeeding at being a dancer it can help other kids or even adults continue/start their passion for dance. Maddie Ziegler who has a previous member of the squad started out in 2011 now is working with the music producer/singer Sia and performing in her music videos. She has performed on the Ellen show and the Grammys. Her career blossomed all from her start at a dance studio in Pittsburgh, PA, and she's only 14. Many of the other members like Kendall, Nia and Jojo have started on music careers and had acting opportunities from their popularity on the show. This has the potential to increase overall involvement and enhance the health and quality of life of participants who decide to take up dance (Cardinal p. 7). Even if you're not a performer, you can be encouraged to go after your dreams no matter how big or small.

The girls didn't have it easy however, they definitely had to work for their accomplishments. On average, the dancers spend about 6-8 hours a day practicing technique and rehearsing (Duff p. 71). Their dance season starts in the Fall and "ends" in Winter. It doesn't technically end for the kids since they're still expected to practice through the off season. Some girls have to learn 2 dances a week if they're in the group dance and have a duet or solo. The dance can be of any genre such as jazz, lyrical, pointe, acrobatic, hip hop and tap. The girls are expected to be proficient in all categories. Seeing how hard the girls work gives you a sense of appreciation for them. Young adults who would like to start dancing should watch this show to realize how much dedication and time it takes get what you want, and everyone needs to learn that. There's more to dance than just the wins you get.

I believe reality television has the reputation it does because many of them do revolve around and rely on the drama that goes on to give them views. I don't think producers should use their platform in that way. Some people do only tune in for the laughs and that is fine, but when you have a huge audience and have real people then you have many possibilities to influence your viewers in a positive way. I'm sure that the point of some episodes/shows is for that purpose but people don't realize it. When it comes to Dance Moms I do see underlying meanings but they can be hard to find through the distractions from the Moms and Abby. If you can look past the screaming and arguing, then hopefully you can find some life lessons through the drama.

ALDC season 7 team

Work Cited

Cardinal, Marita. "Deciphering Dance in Reality Television: The Good, the Questionable, and the Unconscionable." The Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, vol. 84, no. 1, Jan 2013, pp. 7-10. SPORTDiscus, 

http://eds.b.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=5&sid=26ed3fda-8009-4024-880a-8b6180b0e189%40sessionmgr103&hid=121

Duff, Chelsea. "Let's get real: Kendall Vertes dishes on all the Dance Moms drama--and she's not holding back." Girls' Life, vol. 23, no. 2, Oct/Nov. 2016, pp. 68-87. InfoTrac Junior Edition,
http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/eds/command/detail?vid=6&sid=8733da1d-a223-46eb-8be5-cdf951a4a321%40sessionmgr4008&hid=4203&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU%3d#AN=edsgcl.464353274&db=edsgij

Donkin, Karissa. "Abby Lee Miller back for more 'mama drama' Reality TV star most proud of helping kids live their dreams." The Toronto Star, 3 Sep. 2013, p. E1. InfoTrac Newsstand, http://ux8qz8ge6t.search.serialssolutions.com/?sid=EBSCO:InfoTrac%20Newsstand&genre=article&title=The Toronto Star (Toronto, Ontario)&atitle=Abby Lee Miller back for more \'mama drama\' Reality TV star most proud of helping kids live their dreams&aulast=&volume=&issue=&spage=&pages=&issn=03190781&isbn=&Date=2013-09-03