Dance Moms

[jingerdoe]

As in, I always thought Chloe had a lot of mental toughness and could withstand Abby's nonsense. Brooke and Paige, not so much.

[BrownieMomma]

As in, I always thought Chloe had a lot of mental toughness and could withstand Abby's nonsense. Brooke and Paige, not so much.

Are you suggesting Chloe is just better at being abused? :(

[notachance]

FWIW I know a girl who used to take lessons at Abby's studio (like, a decade ago) and she says Abby is way meaner IRL than she is on the show, which really makes you wonder how many children she's terrorized throughout the years

[Geechee Girl]

Sadly, teachers of the verbally abusive type are not unheard of in the dance industry. The ballet world is full of them, especially the old school type who also hit. Balanchine in drove his is dancers to eating disorders. The mean, verbally abusive coach is also common in athletics & music. I'm not saying it right, but Abby is far from the worst or first.

[Bugnyou]

Sadly, teachers of the verbally abusive type are not unheard of in the dance industry. The ballet world is full of them, especially the old school type who also hit. Balanchine in drove his is dancers to eating disorders. The mean, verbally abusive coach is also common in athletics & music. I'm not saying it right, but Abby is far from the worst or first.

Wow this surprises me so much, I mean why do parents keep their kids in it if they are so mean? I can't imagine what would make me keep my child in that type of abuse.

[16strong]

Sadly, teachers of the verbally abusive type are not unheard of in the dance industry. The ballet world is full of them, especially the old school type who also hit. Balanchine in drove his is dancers to eating disorders. The mean, verbally abusive coach is also common in athletics & music. I'm not saying it right, but Abby is far from the worst or first.

This is true. When I took ballet as a kid, my parents moved me from one studio to another, because the owner/teacher of the previous wasn't very kid-friendly. There's no reason to be so strict with kids who are likely just taking the class a couple of years so they can wear tu-tus and look cute.

[Geechee Girl]

Wow this surprises me so much, I mean why do parents keep their kids in it if they are so mean? I can't imagine what would make me keep my child in that type of abuse.

I can only speculate as to why this continues. I would hazard to guess the reasons are threefold:

1. Tradition, it's how it's always been done so the cycle continues

2. It produces results

3. It toughens kids up for the harsh realities of the biz. The pro world is cutthroat, and only those with a thick skin and plenty of armor will triumph

I wouldn't expose my child to that type of abuse, because I've been through it and know better. Parents are often unsuspecting. I know I hid it from mine. Most abuse happens in closed rehearsals and training sessions. The parents only see the winning results on the stage or field. Dance Moms actually put it out there. Competition studios don't allow the parents to observe.

**********trigger warning***********

[Maggie Mae]

I'm not a dancer, but I've had my share of mean coaches. Generally speaking, I'd take them over the dumb "nice" coaches I've had. Sometimes you need someone in your life to tell you like it is.

[SisterLilBunny]

I can only speculate as to why this continues. I would hazard to guess the reasons are threefold:

1. Tradition, it's how it's always been done so the cycle continues

2. It produces results

3. It toughens kids up for the harsh realities of the biz. The pro world is cutthroat, and only those with a thick skin and plenty of armor will triumph

I wouldn't expose my child to that type of abuse, because I've been through it and know better. Parents are often unsuspecting. I know I hid it from mine. Most abuse happens in closed rehearsals and training sessions. The parents only see the winning results on the stage or field. Dance Moms actually put it out there. Competition studios don't allow the parents to observe.

**********trigger warning***********

^^Holy crap. I'm honestly glad I got out of competitive/professional piano when I did. I was lucky I didn't get that type of teacher until college but still, the idea that it comes before friends, family, everything is one I'll always remember. And yeah, generally the parents don't see that side for a reason. We're there to make them proud after all.

[snarkykitty]

I. LOVE. DANCE MOMS.

Firstly... when the show started, all the moms signed a 4 season contract. They all took lessons at the studio... and Abby wasn't THAT bad. You can watch the first few seasons and she's tough but not that brutal.

Then it all went to shit. Abby's ego exploded. You can tell the girls and moms don't want to be there, but they were stuck in the Lifetime contract. The Hyland drama happened.

Thankfully, now Abby is moving to LA, the original contracts have expired, and I think only the Ziegler girls are signing on for the next round.

Unfortunately, I don't think this is gonna go anywhere. Yes, Abby is a horrible person and they have video evidence. But they also have evidence on Kelly being just as bad. What is important about this case is that it's gonna set the precedent for reality shows involving kids. Can rehearsal time count as filming? How do they count those working hours?

Reality television is not protected by labor laws. Therefore, whether the kids spend 10 hours a day filming or 1, it doesn't matter what they're doing - dancing, doing interviews (talking heads), or playing in a swimming pool.

[calimojo]

The few shows that I saw showed Kelly being pretty awful and her friend the blonde one as well.

But as horrible as ABBY is, those mom kept their kids there and so any abuse they got witnessed by the moms who just sat their and bitched about it, but did nothing.

Contracts or not, my kids would have been out of there: with some of the shit Abby pulled. My daughter took dance for years and the dance school had many students who went on to major in dance in college and pursue dance careers. The teachers were demanding, but not demeaning.

[Walking Cat Bed]

Good for Paige. I don't know the specifics of the contracts (such as penalties for ending them), but the way Abby treated Paige was unconscionable. Not to diminish the other girls' experiences at all, but Paige in particular got a lot more cruelty than any child deserves from any adult ever.

I enjoyed that show more when it was the moms bickering with Abby and among themselves, and had to stop when Abby started getting downright hateful with the kids.

[Bugnyou]

I can only speculate as to why this continues. I would hazard to guess the reasons are threefold:

1. Tradition, it's how it's always been done so the cycle continues

2. It produces results

3. It toughens kids up for the harsh realities of the biz. The pro world is cutthroat, and only those with a thick skin and plenty of armor will triumph

I wouldn't expose my child to that type of abuse, because I've been through it and know better. Parents are often unsuspecting. I know I hid it from mine. Most abuse happens in closed rehearsals and training sessions. The parents only see the winning results on the stage or field. Dance Moms actually put it out there. Competition studios don't allow the parents to observe.

**********trigger warning***********

Wow that is really upsetting. We had our son in piano lessons and when we sat in she was so tough on him. One time when I wasn't there he said that the teacher hit him. He was 6 and sensitive, we didn't use any physical discipline with him (well there was when he ran in the road at 3), so I didn't know if it was a hard tap or what. He was hating going so we stopped sending him. He would just cry when it was time to go and afterwards. I never knew what that "hit" was but we didn't want to take any chances. Watching that trailer makes me glad we had him stop.

[Geechee Girl]

Bugnyou, I'm so sorry your son experienced that. I hope this film begins to shine a light on the awfulness that goes on behind the closed doors of elite training sessions.

Abby and the moms played right into the hands of the network. Contention and fighting makes "good tv." It's a shame that other performance-based shows tanked because they didn't bring the drama that gets people talking.

[fabkiwi06]

Reality television is not protected by labor laws. Therefore, whether the kids spend 10 hours a day filming or 1, it doesn't matter what they're doing - dancing, doing interviews (talking heads), or playing in a swimming pool.

From what I've been told through work, they operate under a lot of grey area. It depends on how "real" the situations are, how much staging, what state you're in, initial contracts, individual production companies... etc. There is some oversight but not much. Child Labor Laws do apply - same as if they were working at a part time job in High School. But... with the reality shows, what they count as "work" is very hazy.

[musikat]

The show encouraged Abby to act that way-in the beginning she wasn't as awful as she is now. The moms were fame hungry and dragged their children into this situation. What happened? A little girl got hurt (emotionally and mentally) but it, and I'm sure the other girls are suffering from their participation on the show as well.

Reality television is not somewhere that kids belong. Kids need to be off being kids and not subject to filming that doesn't need to follow child labor laws and producers who care about "drama" but not how it affects the people involved.

Lifetime should be ashamed they allowed this to happen and Kelly should as well.

[Coconut Flan]

Abby Lee can't seem to get the hang of following the law and telling the truth:

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/06/21/dance-moms-abby-miller-hit-with-foreign-currency-charge.html

[Toothfairy]

The moms signed on for a second season. I remember when that casting call went out. It was called just dance. It was supposed to be like toddlers and tiaras. The single ladies girls were suppose to sign on but all declined due to the outrage they had. So John Collins and Collins Ave started searching for studios. Christie's veriosn of how the show got started is right. There wasn't suppose to be an Abby. But she's so crazy that the producers thought it would make good tv. Abby Lee wasn't even well known in the dance world. 

 

And I hate Melissa. She's a bitch. So are Jill and Christie. But damn Melissa is worse than both. 

[Coconut Flan]

May it fail quickly.  It's gotten repetitive and boring for me.

[Geechee Girl]

The show has been circling the drain for years. The made up competitions and manufactured drama are not fun to watch. The show would be better if they focused on dance training and performance. I can do without the moms.