By Caroline Carter
Staff Writer
Step into the Abby Lee Miller Dance Company and you’ll find plenty of rhinestoned costumes, hundreds of talented dancers and the occasional cat fight between mothers. Lifetime’s hit television show Dance Moms has taken viewers by storm and has left them eager for more juicy drama.
Following the lives of eight young dancers as well as their moms and instructors, Dance Moms sheds light on the intense pressures and competitiveness in the world of dance.
“As a dancer, I love watching all the talent that the little girls on the show have.” Freshman and Silver Star Landry Walker said. “I enjoy seeing the moms take everything to the extreme because I know it’s probably fake. It’s still interesting to watch.”
Filmed in Pittsburg at one of the most acclaimed studios in Pennsylvania, the show depicts the unique relationship between the dancers, moms and head instructor, Abby Lee Miller.
At age 14, Miller opened up her own dance studio after realizing her passion for dance after taking classes as a child under the direction of her own mother. Miller has taught over 3,000 students with many alumni continuing their dancing on Broadway, Tokyo Disneyland and the Grammy’s.
Like most dancers, the young stars of Miller’s company attend classes nearly every day of the week with practices sometimes lasting until the late hours of the night. The dancers do not take on this alone; their mothers are with them every step of the way by watching all practices, competitions and giving their own opinion of the events that occur at the studio, much to the annoyance of the Miller.
“The moms on the show are crazy.” Senior Lieutenant Erin Nicholson said. “The show is very interesting and entertaining to see a different style of teaching and dance than here in Texas.”
From costuming disagreements to suspicions about favoritism in the dance routines, every episode never fails to provide heated arguments between the moms and Miller.
“The moms and the teachers equally cause some of the problems.” Nicholson said. “The (the moms) are very into getting their daughter ahead. They also put a lot more pressures than I have seen at studios here in Coppell.
Picking favorites is the name of the game for Miller. The mothers give gifts to Miller in order to increase their daughter’s time in the spotlight and even to possibly earn coveted time for dance privates.
However, many dancers have concerns about the validity of Dance Moms. Though the show does provide a great amount of drama needed to fill a TV show, does it truly depict the real world of dance?
Madison Weaver, who has been dancing since the age of two, is an avid fan of the show. Although she enjoys watching it, she feels as it might be giving off the wrong impression of the world of dance.
“Dance is an extremely competitive sport, but the show is giving off the wrong impression.” Weaver said. “It is dog eat dog industry, but the show shows a side that isn’t very common. However, Abby knows how to make stars and she does this in her own way.”
One of the most controversial ways that Miller assesses her students is through a dance pyramid. By aligning her students from the worst students on the bottom to the best at the top, Miller gives only the best students a solo for the upcoming competitions.
“The pyramid is pretty harsh.” Madison Weaver said. “But I read somewhere that it was done purely for the show. It definitely adds a lot of drama to the show.”
Overall, Dance Moms gives its viewers a taste of the world of dance. Even though there has been questioning regarding Miller’s tactics, there is no doubt that the students on the show are on their way to stardom.
