tessa

Mac's situation does scare me. She has no self confidence, she's been in the shadow of her older sister for years now and even when given the chance to break free and be her own person - she's never acknowledged for it. I feel her acting ability as seen on that Nickelodeon show was much better than Maddies.

Thanks sofia - that was very nice - good to see you again! We missed you.

Hey Cynthia - thanks for the video - it was really cute! Lemons - I know you get upset when people talk about Maddie - but it's nothing against her but the situation that she's been put in. Do I think Jojo is at risk for problems? Any child is at risk for problems - it's how well the parents handle the situation, what requirements or restrictions they access. Personally, I think Jesslyn has raised a pretty great kid and I wasn't always a fan of Jojo's - but both Jesslyn and even Kira - seem to be putting what's in their children's best interest first and foremost. I can't say the same for Melissa as far as Maddie is concerned.

http://www.realitytea.com/2015/08/05/maddie-ziegler-dance-transformation-plus-video-maddie-mackenzie-dance-falls-trends/ Newest little commercial with Mac and Maddie. Although Maddie was wonderful - I kind of thought Mac looked out of place and wondered who they're targeting as I can't really see older teens and young adults getting their fashion tips from this.

gimi - don't feel like that. Unfortunately, whether it's today or 100 years ago, attention and scrutiny is placed on anyone that puts themselves into the public eye - whether it be the President, an actress, a singer or someone seeking their 15 minutes of fame. It's just worse nowadays because of the addition of social media. Unlike someone like Princess Diana, these kids and their parents have the choice to withdraw from the public eye - but they don't. They obviously feel the benefits outweigh the negative. Plus managers have forever had the adage that any kind of publicity - good or bad means someone is still interested. In a way - Christi and Kelly are the smart ones. No the kids haven't reaped the benefits the ones still on the show have but both Paige and Brooke can enjoy the rest of their childhood without too much invasion of privacy. Chloe can concentrate on dance, her teenage years and has control pretty much over her social media exposure.

Well - even without the video released Nia's SLAY is #20 on the itunes US pop chart and #7 on Ireland's itunes pop chart. Chloe put up a cute photo of Nia and herself on Nia's instagram wishing her luck.

Lemons - in every routine - twice last week - Mac does the circle cartwheels. Maddie turns and shows the Maddie faces. Teachers highlight the most technically correct moves their student(s) can do in every dance. We unfortunately have to view them every week whether it be the ALDC or another dance studio as that's the show. There are only so many dance moves that qualify in each genre - so you're going to see most lyricals having the same moves performed by those doing lyrical at a competition. What it comes down to is the technical ability of those doing the moves, are they combined with other hard moves, how the moves relate to the telling of the story. It's no different than in figure skating with everyone does a lutz, - but it's how high they can get, what they pair that jump with and how well they express themselves.

Laurie - I'll disagree with you - we've had limited exposure to Erin kids - the last 2 routines were very well done and showed expression. I thought the lead dancer this week showed as much expression as Maddie does. You know it's all set up so why be suspicious that the other moms just happened to be there. It's Abby's behavior towards Nia that wasn't a set up. It's pretty easy to see what is producer driven and what are Abby's natural responses and tendencies. I do actually think that production got Abby with Nia's win - her face during Nia's performance was disgusting - especially when she choreographed the routine - but she was enthralled when Kalani danced. Time to put this company to rest and feature a new dance studio where although the moms might be in disagreement - the kids all get the same attention from the teacher. And please - give us a teacher who can actually dance.

Wow - so much negativity! Actually - I stayed up for last night's episode - and part of Thurs throwback. Here's my take on things. 1. If the grand opening is next week - Abby better get construction moving as the place looked pretty bad - Her dance studio reconstructions were done faster than her own studio. 2. She thinks Nia is doing too much all at once and yet she's opening a new dance studio - taking the girls to Nationals and having breakdowns in between. Like the pot calling the kettle black. 3. Quit with the fakery - we know what a beautiful dancer Kalani is and that Nia isn't in her league - that being said - this was a competition being judged by kids ( no matter their background - it's not as extensive as adult judges ) also kids look at things differently. 4. Nia not being allowed in the group dance - how many times has Kenzie or Maddie been gone part of the week and then been allowed to dance with the group 5. I actually thought Erin's number was way better than the ALDC. I couldn't see a lot of the dance, the lines, or expressions due to the parasols - which weren't even in sync for most of the dance - I thought this was the worst dance yet. Again - Maddie front and center with the Maddie face at the end. Sorry but Abby's dances are all recycling - hardly any new ideas - so you can't call someone else out for doing the same. Erin's concept was cool - the dancers strong and you could actually see the dance - even though the girls faces were covered - it didn't distract from the dance. 6. Again Abby's double standard with who gets a National solo. I was also appalled that she showed such favortism in front of Erin and her moms and I was glad they were supportive of Nia. 7. Jill and Melissa - they are pathetic - love to brag about their own kids but Holly can't and then to rudely act that way toward Erin - who was not talking to them. 8. Nia's video or preview plus the whole song on youtube is getting multiple hits and positive comments already from thousands. We can tell the Kendall lovers. 9. The aftershow - had to turn it off - Jill's mouth never closes and both she and Kendall, I thought, had some pretty rude and not nice things to say. Again - Kendall becoming a member of the ALDC was preplanned but let's make a production out of it so it looks like we're having tryouts. Actually - I think production wanted Jill between the two - due to the drama she's brings.

Again - putting Nia up against Kalani this week is just as ludacris. Both Maddie and Chloe attended Nationals and competed against each other - there's no reason each of the girls can't go

The comments are the best - first half supporting her - than ALM posts (?) followed by criticism.

I know it is but I still love the concept and would love for them to just feature new dancers and another studio.

Well people may be on vacation - but the board is a little tense now and people may be hesitant to post.

- Another Maddy B video coming out and who's in it but Jojo - I'm happy for her but sad that Mac is so self conscious and uncomfortable that she's missing a lot of opportunities.

Nikki - excellent idea!

http://www.designntrend.com/articles/58113/20150730/dance-moms-star-maddie-ziegler-feuding-chloe-lukasiak-blames-abby.htm I haven't watched the after programs but found this when I was searching to see if there was anymore about the Maddie incident. Wow, Maddie is going to ruffle Abby's feathers! And a little article on Maddie - I'm glad the kid is looking in the right direction and not like Melissa. Hopefully, in 10 years when they do a Where Are They Now - Maddie will in deed be going strong and just not another Dance Teacher at Abby's - then again - if that's what she wants - more power to her - as long as she's happy. Not sure Melissa will be cool with it! http://www.movienewsguide.com/will-maddie-ziegler-go-college-parents-want-give-education/78588

Jill lengthen your skirts - you're too old for minis. When she's sitting in the chairs - you can look up her skirt - jeez!! Again what a change a week makes. Abby didn't want Kira nor Kalani back. This week she's overjoyed about the baby - planning a baby shower for Kira and screaming when Kira walks in the room, back from the hospital, before the group number. What the hey! Group dance - cute! - Watching the whole dance - Abby had to throw in Mac's circle cartwheel - ugh - I kept my eyes mostly on Jojo as she seemed to portray her character throughout the dance. Anyone want to explain to me what was going on at the end between Jill and Melissa. Why would anyone make plans to go home before Nationals? I must have missed something. I heard Melissa say she was going to Hawaii - was she leaving the girls with Abby?

Good gosh - I feel so bad for Mac - I think the dance has too many elements and is so fast that none of them will look completed. When these kids stress so much that they cry because they know it's too much for them and that they'll disappoint Abby - it tears my heart out. Oh - Abby - next time you cry I'll remind you that only babies cry. Ironic - Maddie can miss days and still be in the group number but Nia missing one at the end of the week may exclude her from the group dance? Mac's routine - a lot of tricks but it didn't cut it for me - too many unfinished endings and parts looked immature. Maddie's routine - beautiful as was her costuming. There are just so many Maddie faces that turn me off though - I wish Abby had never started with the Maddie face thing so I can watch the rest of the dancing instead of being distracted by a face. Kendall just doesn't connect with either myself or the judges. Her face is mostly void of emotion and that too me was a piece where you could have many facial expressions and take the emphasis of the lack of context in the dance. I watch the full dances on youtube.

Right from the start - the dumpster is the main topic of conversation? Come on production - people expect dumpsters where there is remodeling. Abby blaming the girls because they haven't gotten better - come on Abby - you haven't been around to teach then - even if they practiced every night - there is no one to correct them if they're doing it wrong and they haven't learned anything new in a year from you. Maddie #2 on pyramid - since when was she suppose to be the main dancer? It was obvious from the get go that Mac was the one with all the tricks and the one everyone would be watching! Why this competition for Nationals - haven't we seen 2 girls in the same age group competing in Nationals before?

gimi - if you actually look at "all" the youtube videos - Nia's has been played much more than Kendall's. It's hard to get true count as so many different people have uploaded it. Oart of the reason is I think they leaked Kendall's video but kept fans in suspense and didn't release Nia's as early.

I hope Dance Moms continue but that they bring on a new studio and new kids. The girls are getting older now and other opportunities are presenting themselves now. I'm wondering in week's to come if we'll see Nia's new video Slay with Coco being introduced as it still hasn't leaked on youtube. I feel bad for Kendall in a way because Nia is the one production is focusing on.

May be just my way of looking at things - but after Melissa snubbed Sia's mom and she had the other group of kids dance to her song I figured Melissa had ticked her off. I know I would be upset if I had gotten this kid the exposure that I did and then my mother was not even allowed to meet Maddie.

I think Jesslyn is awesome and at first she did seem to get a bad rap but I think she now comes across as the most level headed mom - a position Holly use to have.

http://nypost.com/2015/07/25/chandelier-kid-maddie-ziegler-ditched-sia-for-a-new-gig/- nothing new here but I'd like to write that guy and tell him it's old news he's reporting and Sia actually dumped Maddie - not the other way around

I'll disagree with the last part as Kalani is of another mind set. She's experienced national rejection on AUDC. Just this last episode or so she commented that she knows as Kira has been telling her that since she was 10. Maddie has a type A personality. She herself says she has to be perfect - she wants to be perfect. Melissa just shrugs that off as that's how Maddie is. Some of the top reasons for teen suicide is stress, cyber bullying and divorce, all of which Maddie has experienced. She's obsessed with perfection and being perfect. She needs to be counciled that it's OK not to be perfect. If she reads any of the message boards - she's seeing the exact thing you have talked about and it's hard for an adult to deal with criticism let alone a child and Melissa's divorce does not sound like it was an easy one. The dad has to have a lot of hurt feelings and I think Melissa transfers hers onto the girls. Abby and Melissa don't help with the constant pressure. I do hope that things work out OK - but when you look at the group of kids that have been in the public eye in the last 20 yrs - it's pretty disturbing how they have made out.