S05.E02: Abby Got Served

[Rhondinella]

The Maddie vs. Kalani showdown arrives. Meanwhile, Abby's rival, Jeanette, is out for revenge, as lawsuits continue to mount for Abby. The moms remain loyal, but Abby manages to turn her own team against her.

 

 

From thetvdb

[cali1981]

That should be interesting if it actually happens.  From what I've seen, except for tap dancing, I would expect Kalani to kick Maddie's ass almost every time time out.  She is older, bigger and appears to be a more mature dancer than Maddie.  Of course this is Dance Moms, not reality and If Kalani wins it blows a major underpinning out from the show's foundation, namely presenting Maddie as the best little dancer that ever was  (pure hogwash of course). It wouldn't shock me to see the "judges" somehow give Maddie the win or Kalani to mysteriously tank part of her routine. 

[Lemons]

 She is older, bigger and appears to be a more mature dancer than Maddie. 

 

She is a more mature dancer than Maddie as she has definitely gone through puberty. Maddie shows few signs of puberty yet.  Pre-pubescent dancers shouldn't really be compared to post-pubescent dancers.  It makes a world of difference. 

[cali1981]

She is a more mature dancer than Maddie as she has definitely gone through puberty. Maddie shows few signs of puberty yet.  Pre-pubescent dancers shouldn't really be compared to post-pubescent dancers.  It makes a world of difference.

Agreed.  How Kalani and Maddie are even in the same group or solo brackets is a complete mystery but then again so was Brooke still dancing with the junior group.  Reality has no place in this show.

[WelcomeStranger]

Who the hell is Jeanette?

 

ETA: Never mind. She's the mom with the "stalker edit."

 

I beg to differ when they say Jeanette's exit was the most spectacular. Across all the seasons, I still personally give that prize to Jill: 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mb6SW1j9ZjQ

Edited January 10, 2015 by WelcomeStranger

[Gianthambeast]

Would love to see Kalani and Maddi go head to head.  They are both very gifted and they could push each other to improve.  Maddi might have an advantage in quickness and turning ability, while Kalani has her beautiful lines and control.  Could we just see some legitimate dancing please and not this constant bullshit from the moms and Abby?  It's like five minutes of dance and 40 minutes of bullshit on this show.

[Hook75]

Boo to Abby and her crocodile tears. To use her own words- NO MORE CRYBABIES!!!!!!

 

Abby is allowed to whine, bitch and cry but not little girls after being bullied and abused, mostly by her.

 

Holly- either take your girl and leave or STFU. I don't feel sorry for you.

 

 

[spidermiss2426]

I love the lying that Abby did (scripted or not) in this episode.  Does she black out or what?  Before I was medicated and before I went through years of therapy, I would do/say things I did not remember doing.  If that is the image the show is portraying for Abby, well all it is doing is helping the lawsuit.  If Abby really is like that, well she put it on herself.

[wanderwoman]

I definitely think Abby is losing it. What sort of crack is she smoking by trying to deny what she said about Maddie, Kenzie, and Kaylani? Did she forget she was mic'ed? Did she forget there are cameras? Holly was absolutely justified in calling her out. However, I have a hard time taking Holly seriously when she defends Abby against Christy and Kelly, but turns around and whines about Abby doing the same things to her own kid. Sure. Your kid has danced with Abby all her life. Guess what? People move. Abby is NOT the best teacher out there and Nia could do so much more in life than be her whipping girl. Holly is allowing th I s to continue. Abby is horrid, but a parent that allows it for a reality show...? That's not great, either.

[RedheadZombie]

Oh I may be over this show.  In the group dance, every girl had an unflattering wig, hair, and/or nasty bandana - except guess who.  Maddie had beautiful glossy long locks tied back in a cute ribbon.  The other girls were deliberately uglied up, and Maddie was glamourized.  Why??  As a matter of fact, Maddie had the only cute costume.  Kalani looked like Bozo, Mackenzie looked like Strawberry Shortcake, Nia looked like Rosie the Riveter, and Kendall looked like a peg-legged hippy. 

[Laurie4H]

I think "stalker" mom should pay less attention to Abby and more attention to feeding her child a hamburger.

Holly might still be under contract and can't leave yet. Assuming any of this show is real which I doubt since the competitions aren't.

[NextIteration]

Haven't watched yet, but I get the impression that Ava? Jeanette's daughter is like Paige, just very thin and willowy after a growth spurt.  If she stays this way for very long though, I'd start to worry.

[tessa]

I'm watching this right now on Lifetime and I'm blown away! Agreed Abby and her crocodile tears - grow up. The moms coming down on Paige and Kelly after witnessing years of this behavior of Abby's not only to Paige but their own children as well. Holly lost me this time - berating Kira about getting special privileges and not confronting Abby about it - repeat of season 1,2,3 where the mom's were telling Melissa the same thing about the special treatment given to Maddie - where did that get them?   And if any of those kids received special treatment - 10-1 - none of the moms would tell Abby - That's not fair.

 

The girls all moving to LA - what about the families of these kids  - dads and siblings stay behind? Maybe that's why Chloe was treated so poorly and was so sad. Maybe Christie and her husband decided it wasn't in their family's best interest to make such a big move or sacrifice and Abby couldn't accept that to some family is more important than money or fame.

 

And the photo shoot - what a joke! There's not one publicist that already doesn't have pics of Maddie and Mac due to the videos - Kendall and Nia were the one who needed updated shots. And to say that in front of the others that Kalani , Maddie and Mac were the ones marketable. And I'm just in the 1st 15 minutes of the episode!

[tessa]

Just finished watching and I did love the group dance. Ava is really a beautiful dancer but her boney appearance turns me off - thought Kalani was spot on and should have placed higher than Maddi and maybe she did in the real world. Abby is difinitly losing it and this show with her lies, her delussions, and her favortism is going to mark the end of ALDC as a show

[goodbyeglittergirl]

Oh Holly, your antics fall on deaf ears now. You know how Abby is. If you wanted Nia out of there, you would have gotten her out of there long before now, but you're into the fame and fortune of it all. Not interested in you giving Abby down the road anymore - you're just as bad as she is because you continue to put your daughter in that environment. 

[Darknight]

I think "stalker" mom should pay less attention to Abby and more attention to feeding her child a hamburger.

Holly might still be under contract and can't leave yet. Assuming any of this show is real which I doubt since the competitions aren't.

[snip] Ava just looks like she had a growth spurt and is all leg. My daughter is tall and skinny and has the same body type as Ava and Kali.

I'm watching this right now on Lifetime and I'm blown away! Agreed Abby and her crocodile tears - grow up. The moms coming down on Paige and Kelly after witnessing years of this behavior of Abby's not only to Paige but their own children as well. Holly lost me this time - berating Kira about getting special privileges and not confronting Abby about it - repeat of season 1,2,3 where the mom's were telling Melissa the same thing about the special treatment given to Maddie - where did that get them? And if any of those kids received special treatment - 10-1 - none of the moms would tell Abby - That's not fair.

The girls all moving to LA - what about the families of these kids - dads and siblings stay behind? Maybe that's why Chloe was treated so poorly and was so sad. Maybe Christie and her husband decided it wasn't in their family's best interest to make such a big move or sacrifice and Abby couldn't accept that to some family is more important than money or fame.

And the photo shoot - what a joke! There's not one publicist that already doesn't have pics of Maddie and Mac due to the videos - Kendall and Nia were the one who needed updated shots. And to say that in front of the others that Kalani , Maddie and Mac were the ones marketable. And I'm just in the 1st 15 minutes of the episode!

Don't these kids have school? I know Maddie and Mackenzie are "homeschooled" but what about the others. And why move half way across the country for dance when there are many amazing studios right in your hometown?

Edited January 17, 2015 by Rhondinella

[tessa]

I'm in no way making fun of any child as we're all different. I just feel that instead of a costume bra - a 1 piece outfit may have been more beneficial as the viewers eyes aren't drawn to her rib cage. Kalani has filled out but the 1 piece costume gave her a sleeker look this week rather than last week's costume which accentuated those filled out parts.

[Absolom]

All to be on "Tee Vee"  of course.  There can't be much of any other reason than being a fame whore to subject oneself and one's child to Abby and this production team.  

[cali1981]

Words almost fail me after last night's train wreck. Abby is a pathological liar but a very bold one.  Holly has become the new idiot girl among the moms.  The competition was a full on joke.  Why didn't they show the routine that allegedly beat Maddie's. Could it be that in this staged event, there really wasn't one?  Maddie did dance well but so did Kalani and there's no way that there should have been a two place difference between them.  As someone noted earlier, when the group routine started, I immediately noticed that all of the girls were in complete costume and makeup except for Maddie who was clearly and easily identifiable.  Abby's comments to both Maddie and Kalani prior to their routines and during rehearsals were despicable.  She isn't running a dance school.  She's like the deformed hunchback who emceed the death match in Thunderdome chanting "Two girls enter, one girl goes home".  The bottom line is that the show runners and Abby have so much invested in Maddie's in-house "invincible" character that they will never let Kalani or anyone else from ALDC beat her.  Hell, if Misty Copeland was in ALDC, she would lose to Maddie as well. It's all one big farce.

[Lemons]

Just finished watching and I did love the group dance. Ava is really a beautiful dancer but her boney appearance turns me off - thought Kalani was spot on and should have placed higher than Maddi and maybe she did in the real world. Abby is difinitly losing it and this show with her lies, her delussions, and her favortism is going to mark the end of ALDC as a show

I don't think Ava really dances, she just stretches a lot and throws in a couple of the same turns. Kalani does not stand out for her age and she will fall into the middle more and more.

I loved their group dance, it wasn't the usual lyrical crap. Maddie showed how exceptional and well rounded she can be in that dance. she needs more original choreography for her solos.

I guess holly got the lead part as the big mouth now that Christy is gone.

[goofygirl]

I'm with all of you upthread regarding Holly.  She's known how Abby is for YEARS now and yet  continues to subject Nia to that bullshit.  Fameho much Holly?

Edited January 14, 2015 by goofygirl

[AdorkableWitch]

So, I am going to pull out my armchair psychologist here - Abby is a narcissist. Saying things then denying them, the "golden child/scapegoat" dynamic she runs the team with, and her denial of ever being wrong are all pretty classic behaviors. Rather than admit that Maddie and Kalani's solos were pretty basic, she claimed the contest was rigged. If the contest was rigged, wouldn't ALDC have lost the group competition to Jeanette's team that won second place?

[leighroda]

I'm in no way making fun of any child as we're all different. I just feel that instead of a costume bra - a 1 piece outfit may have been more beneficial as the viewers eyes aren't drawn to her rib cage. Kalani has filled out but the 1 piece costume gave her a sleeker look this week rather than last week's costume which accentuated those filled out parts.

I agree ten thousand percent. I'm not going to say anything about her actual body type, and I didn't see last nights episode, but based on the last time I saw Ava in the Nationals episode this was my issue. She's tall and thin, [snip]. But for me the more distracting part was that her costume was essentially a bra and a little skirt, so you could see and count every single bone in that girls body. I'm not saying she has to wear a burka either, just that I feel like there are more flattering costumes. As long as she is healthy and eating well she can be as tall and thin as she wants to be.

Edited January 17, 2015 by Rhondinella

[tessa]

I was thinking the same thing - never mind that if the contest was rigged Ava would have won over Kalani and Maddie.

 

I also see how delusional Abby is when she yelled at the program director about how many of Abby's students are on Broadway  and the fact that the program director has none.  There are thousands and thousands of dancers in NY from studios all across the country - there's Broadway, off Broadway, private theatre - and Abby knows every dancer and every studio they attended and can challenge that woman - I don't think so. Being the vast majority of real competitions - ALDC - doesn't attend due to the skewing of results - they may find that other studios don't even want to do the invitationals with them.

[RedheadZombie]

So, I am going to pull out my armchair psychologist here - Abby is a narcissist. Saying things then denying them, the "golden child/scapegoat" dynamic she runs the team with, and her denial of ever being wrong are all pretty classic behaviors. Rather than admit that Maddie and Kalani's solos were pretty basic, she claimed the contest was rigged. If the contest was rigged, wouldn't ALDC have lost the group competition to Jeanette's team that won second place?

 

Abby backtracked a little and was very careful to say she thought the judges were fine.  In my humble opinion, she came perilously close to breaking the fourth wall.  It's been proven that the show misrepresents who gets solos and what places the girls take.  Abby was pissed because she anticipated the script calling for Maddie to lose.  The only other times she gets worked up like this is when Candy Apples is involved.  Abby doesn't freak out about Kathy because she's intimidated, but because she knows the producers occasionally throw in "wins" for Kathy for storyline purposes.  And although she's completely partial to Maddie, I think some of the WTF moments in pyramid, is because Abby is going off what actually happened, not how the show presented it.

[NextIteration]

Who was Kalani supposed to be portraying?  Or were there no one-to-one character assignments to the OITNB characters?

 

Never mind, Nicky.

Edited January 14, 2015 by NextIteration

[Darknight]

So, I am going to pull out my armchair psychologist here - Abby is a narcissist. Saying things then denying them, the "golden child/scapegoat" dynamic she runs the team with, and her denial of ever being wrong are all pretty classic behaviors. Rather than admit that Maddie and Kalani's solos were pretty basic, she claimed the contest was rigged. If the contest was rigged, wouldn't ALDC have lost the group competition to Jeanette's team that won second place?

But aren't all dance moms competition rigged in favor of ALDC. No way Abby wins all the time especially with that choreography and attitude

[tessa]

The results of even the invitationals are skewed and but not always in Abby's favor as then even the true believers that the show is real would have doubts if she always won. There have been 2 invitationals here in my area. There was never any advertisements on the news or radio that they would be filming here. We have a lot of great dance teachers in the area but not one was invited to the "invitational". Three of the studios are owned and run by past winners of the Dance Masters National Miss Dance of America.

 

Two of the local studios actually were in a competition in Pittsburgh and were up against Abby's kids. The studios kids did just as well if not better than Abby's kids - she is not the be all and end all of dance teachers like she wants everyone to think.

[Laurie4H]

I guess I think they are all acting. If the competitions aren't real than how can Abby being upset if they aren't 1st place be real?

[allonsyalice]

Abby telling Maddie that "if you lose you won't just be dissapointing me, you'll also be dissapointing Sia and blah blah blah" was awful, same with her telling the photographer lady that Mack, Maddie and Kalani would be the only ones to make it in LA. Being said. I think I enjoy Kalani (and Kira and Kalani as a team) the most. I'd like to see Kalani dance something that wasn't Abby (I'm sure there is stuff on youtube though) I'm so over Holly now, to be honest. She used to be the best mom but ugh.
the group was a nice change of pace, but still blah.
why do I still watch this show???

[cali1981]

Abby telling Maddie that "if you lose you won't just be dissapointing me, you'll also be dissapointing Sia and blah blah blah" was awful,

Well since Maddie did lose, I expect to hear news about Sia being so grief stricken that she ended it all.  The rest of the blah, blahs were so overcome with disappointment that they sought solace by joining Monasteries and Convents.  Maybe Abby can follow suit (on the latter)?

[Darknight]

Abby telling Maddie that "if you lose you won't just be dissapointing me, you'll also be dissapointing Sia and blah blah blah" was awful, same with her telling the photographer lady that Mack, Maddie and Kalani would be the only ones to make it in LA. Being said. I think I enjoy Kalani (and Kira and Kalani as a team) the most. I'd like to see Kalani dance something that wasn't Abby (I'm sure there is stuff on youtube though) I'm so over Holly now, to be honest. She used to be the best mom but ugh.

the group was a nice change of pace, but still blah.

why do I still watch this show???

Omg it's a damn fake dance competition. Melissa run as fast as you can. I see Maddies future as a bad one

[sofiah]

I don't think Ava really dances, she just stretches a lot and throws in a couple of the same turns. Kalani does not stand out for her age and she will fall into the middle more and more.

 

I think Abby actually has the unique ability of making exceptional dancers look average through her trite cheesy and repetitive choreography.  Kalani has pretty amazing extensions and control and she is very fluid - Abby does not do a good job of showcasing any of that.  It's like dance by numbers with Abby. I am not a huge Kalani fan but she is much, much more impressive doing Alexa Moffett's  (her real teacher) choreography.  

 

I'd love to see Maddie dance a solo choreographed by someone other then Abby or Gianna.  The kid is obviously versatile, it'd be great to see something different from her.

 

I think I enjoy Kalani (and Kira and Kalani as a team) the most. I'd like to see Kalani dance something that wasn't Abby (I'm sure there is stuff on youtube though) 

 

Watch her solo, 'Another Level', its beautiful -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqv0_QzNGVc

Edited January 15, 2015 by sofiah

[allonsyalice]

Well since Maddie did lose, I expect to hear news about Sia being so grief stricken that she ended it all.  The rest of the blah, blahs were so overcome with disappointment that they sought solace by joining Monasteries and Convents.  Maybe Abby can follow suit (on the latter)?

 

one can only hope. 

although, I think the nuns would have many Sound of Music moments "How do we solve a problem like Abby!!??"

 

 

Watch her solo, 'Another Level', its beautiful -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqv0_QzNGVc

Oh my god she is so good just just needs to leave the aldc again.

[NextIteration]

The one time that the show brought an invitational to our area, they had their butts handed to them.  It was one of the In10sity ones a couple years ago.

Edited January 15, 2015 by NextIteration

[Absolom]

First Abby acted extremely foolishly over being served "at her place of business."  Where did the twit think she'd be served?  Having been in a dance studio when an owner was served and no one really noticed because the owner didn't act like an overly dramatic six year old, it was all the more obvious to me.  So far this season has only been nauseating for me.

 

Ratings:  1.554 M viewers and a .5 rating.  She was beaten by Kate Gosselin.  

[BusyOctober]

Just watched this On Demand.  I've long believed these "competitions" are all scripted.  Further proof - that ridiculous group dance.  The choreography was not intricate or difficult for Abby's supposed great dancers.  Cartwheels and angry faces don't impress me as dance technique.  I don't watch this dreck as often as I used to but I have noticed Abby never offers up the level of choreography that I've seen in other studios. I guess when you have to put those kids on a bus every weekend to fake competitions, they can't handle learning new difficult dances in such short time frames.

 

And I think keeping Mackenzie in this group is further proof that Melissa's hubby is footing Abby's bills. Mackenzie is adorable and may have commercial appeal as a print model or acting in community theater (please don't let her pursue her "singing" career). However, she is not a great dancer.  I think she peaked as a little girl when she was doing cutesy gymnastic tricks dressed as a daisy. IMO she doesn't have the same ability as Maddie - AND THAT IS OK! She may still like to dance but it would be great for her if her PITA,fame obsessed  mom and teacher would let her do it for her own enjoyment vs. trying to make a Maddie v2.0.  That said, I don't think Maddie is the end all, be all, mostest & bestest talented EVER in the world dancer.  As posters here & on TWOP have noted for years, just look on You Tube for a thousand videos of a thousand fantastic dancers.

[potatoradio]

 

I guess holly got the lead part as the big mouth now that Christy is gone.

Ah...between a bigger role and a contract, I can understand why this seemingly level-headed woman is still on this show. I actually like seeing the conflict between an emotional-outburst prone person (Abby) and a more rational, thoughtful person, because watching two emotional, screaming people (Christi/Abby) just gives me a headache, but Holly's moral outrage? Oh, that dog so does not hunt anymore.

 

 

Well since Maddie did lose, I expect to hear news about Sia being so grief stricken that she ended it all.

 That kind of gives new meaning to the lyric "swing from the chandelier." I'm sorry, I'm awful. I just had to. I hate that overwrought, warble-croaked song THAT much. 

[Maccagirl]

I have a couple of questions for those of you who are experienced in the competitive dance world.  Let me start off by saying I am a viewer who thinks most of the show is fake, scripted, acted, exaggerated, etc.  However, I am perplexed by the fact that at ALDC the girls only have 1 week (sometimes it is portrayed as even less) to learn new dance routines (some girls have both group and solos, duos, etc.).  (1) Is this regular - or unusual?  I would think in order to be fiercely competitive, you would want a longer rehearsal time.  Also, can Abby really be putting together choreography and ordering/receiving "coshtumes" that quickly, week after week?  (2)Also, can a studio reuse a dance routine at all across different competitions? 

 

I am hoping that most of this adds to the drama and the timeline is not as tight as the show makes it seem.  That would be an unbelievable amount of stress for most of us, never mind young kids who are also busy with school, social stuff, etc.

 

Thanks in advance for any and all insight you can provide, I greatly appreciate it.

[leighroda]

I danced growing up, and we learned our dances towards the end of the summer and used the same dances every competition. I believe the new dance every week thing is just so we are not seeing the same dances over and over for tv. Really though if you watch closely, especially solos, it's alot of the same combinations just in a different order to match new music.

[tessa]

It's been many moons since I danced but I've kept in contact with some of the kids I danced with who now have studios. In the old days, we learned a dance in the Fall that we'd use for competitions and outside activities - visiting the VA hospital, nursing homes ect. The Spring, we learned another routine for the recital and competitions.

 

Now competition teams are the big thing - but the studios I know only teach a few routines to the students and they perfect these to be used at the competitions which are more frequent. There used to be Dance Masters - but now you have In10sity ect..

 

It's been talked about many times on the show, the moms ask how long Maddie knew the dance ect.. I think that these girls actually learn sequences of choreography - much of it similar, throughout the year and then Abby just puts sequences together to suit the music. I'm not taking anything away from the girls - but to learn a solo, trio and team dance and perform them at the level they do is not possible.

 

In the old days - costumes weren't just thrown together and many times we went to costume makers / dressmakers for them - today - you'll see catelogs of premade costumes and for some of the routines you'll notice just a pair of short and a crop top which the moms will throw some sequins on.

[Tasya]

Wow, can't believe it took me this long to register after the end of TWOP; I guess I was in denial. 

 

Anyway, on to the show! Just to clear something up about the competitions (my niece dances in the same general area). Energy, Sheer Talent, Starpower and Starbound are all real competitions. They are the only true ones that still allow Dance Moms to film so Abby should watch it with her favoritism talk. The competitions that are staged for the purposes of the show are easily tracked if you check that wikia page thing. When you see "Special Dance Moms Edition" or "Invitational" that means the competition only exists because Dance Moms wanted to film in that city for whatever storyline has been dreamed up.

 

I don't think that the results are staged because I have been at some where the girls lose. However in my opinion what is staged is what cities and thus competitive teams they choose to visit and invite. For instance if the storyline calls for the girls to have some easy wins, they'll likely choose to go to a city where the competition is known to be light. When they are up for a challenge they go somewhere more difficult and invite the really good teams (like going to VA and inviting Studio Bleu; who they almost always lose to). I also don't believe the competitions are rigged because the dance world is just not that big. Many of the judges at these Dance Mom competitions have to make the rounds through other circuits and if they are rigging, they wouldn't be allowed. 

 

On to the actual episode. I thought that the group dance was one of their better ones. As is usually the case when it's something unique and different, it was not choreographed by either Abby or Gianna. Molly Long from Club Dance did the choreography for this one. Maddie actually placed 1st in her division and Kalani placed 2nd in hers (Ava was 2nd in Junior behind Maddie). As per usual the show broadcasts the results they want to further the storyline.

 

Holly is ridiculous and the one that is most disappointing. She's supposed to be so highly educated and yet she keeps her child there knowing that Abby will NEVER favor Nia. I know some people chalk it up to race but I disagree; Abby likes a certain type of dancer and Nia is not it. While I don't excuse Abby's behavior, Holly should realize that Nia will never be a Kalani or Maddie; all of the teaching in the world can't give you something that you don't have. However that are studios out there that would focus on what Nia does do well and help her to move along in that area. Abby is not the person to promote Nia and if Holly is waiting for it to happen she's naive. I

[Darknight]

At my studio and a lot of other studios, choreography and dances start rehearsing in the fall or late summer. Then they rehearse a few times a week leading up to the competition. Right now our first competition is in March. The dancers at my daughters studio has been rehearsing and picking out dances since the beginning of the dance season(September) ALDC never learned their dances in a few days that'd impossible. Comp fees, Costume, choreography, makeup, travel, etc needs to be made months in advanced. Also no way can all these kids who aren't even on the same dance level learn choreography in a day. Which is why the dances all look the same. And I've heard ALDC does rehearsal at Booty camp

Wow, can't believe it took me this long to register after the end of TWOP; I guess I was in denial.

Anyway, on to the show! Just to clear something up about the competitions (my niece dances in the same general area). Energy, Sheer Talent, Starpower and Starbound are all real competitions. They are the only true ones that still allow Dance Moms to film so Abby should watch it with her favoritism talk. The competitions that are staged for the purposes of the show are easily tracked if you check that wikia page thing. When you see "Special Dance Moms Edition" or "Invitational" that means the competition only exists because Dance Moms wanted to film in that city for whatever storyline has been dreamed up.

I don't think that the results are staged because I have been at some where the girls lose. However in my opinion what is staged is what cities and thus competitive teams they choose to visit and invite. For instance if the storyline calls for the girls to have some easy wins, they'll likely choose to go to a city where the competition is known to be light. When they are up for a challenge they go somewhere more difficult and invite the really good teams (like going to VA and inviting Studio Bleu; who they almost always lose to). I also don't believe the competitions are rigged because the dance world is just not that big. Many of the judges at these Dance Mom competitions have to make the rounds through other circuits and if they are rigging, they wouldn't be allowed.

On to the actual episode. I thought that the group dance was one of their better ones. As is usually the case when it's something unique and different, it was not choreographed by either Abby or Gianna. Molly Long from Club Dance did the choreography for this one. Maddie actually placed 1st in her division and Kalani placed 2nd in hers (Ava was 2nd in Junior behind Maddie). As per usual the show broadcasts the results they want to further the storyline.

Holly is ridiculous and the one that is most disappointing. She's supposed to be so highly educated and yet she keeps her child there knowing that Abby will NEVER favor Nia. I know some people chalk it up to race but I disagree; Abby likes a certain type of dancer and Nia is not it. While I don't excuse Abby's behavior, Holly should realize that Nia will never be a Kalani or Maddie; all of the teaching in the world can't give you something that you don't have. However that are studios out there that would focus on what Nia does do well and help her to move along in that area. Abby is not the person to promote Nia and if Holly is waiting for it to happen she's naive. I

Do you know if they compete against rec dancers? Or how many studios and dancers are actually at the competitions

[Tasya]

At the competitions I have been at they are competing against other competition teams. Most competitions have strict rules against tier cheating. They put you into categories based on the number of hours you dance a week. So a recreational dancer would never be up against any of the ALDC girls. The producers don't need to cheat that badly to manufacture the results. They just have to do minimal research and pick areas that don't have any true standout team. They are many many many bad dance studios out there. It's simple enough to structure invitationals against those teams. However, let me say this. The majority of the time Abby's girls do go against teams of their own level. They are neither the best dance studio in the world or the worse. They are solidly in the middle and their results (other than for Maddie) tend to show that.

 

As much hate as Maddie gets, and I know I said this before on TWOP, seeing her in person is worth it if you get the chance. She has a really big presence and at the competitions I have been at I was never surprised to see her win (although she has been beaten as well). If Maddie went to Club Dance or Mather or Rage or somewhere like that I believe she would be truly phenomenal. She's a kid that would likely excel at any studio.

[Lemons]

Tasha, what skills do you think Maddie would have if she was at a "top" studio? She seems pretty advanced and talented for her age.

I see these kids lacking a good ballet base, but I think that's the case with a lot of competition studios because they teach them to turn and leap at very young ages. This becomes a problem when you see shoulders raised and poor posture. Kendall, for example, could use better ballet training.

[sofiah]

Sorry guys, having some trouble with my computer - meant to edit one section of my post and ended up deleting the whole thing!

 

I'll try and repost what I had...

 

I totally agree with you, Tasya.  I think Maddie would excel at any of those studios because she seems to me like a kid who wants to be the best and works very hard to get there.  As it stands I feel like she, and the others, lack a bit of control and strength.  They can kick their leg up high, for example, but can't hold it there and bring it down slowly.  Likewise their extensions are not as impressive as some of the other dancers out there.  But, to be fair,  I don't think they themselves have ever claimed to the absolute best.  And, to be honest, I find it very difficult to compare Maddie and the other ALDC'ers to other dancers because Abby's choreography is so cheesy and sub-par it's not an even playing field.  I'd love to see Maddie dance a solo that was choreographed and taught to her by someone else.  I imagine Abby would not like to see that happen anytime soon though, I have a feeling she keeps the Zieglers on a pretty tight leash.

 

As for all the dances they learn - the girls really do learn dances that fast… that's why they're never very clean or unique.  You can tell what the "real" solos are and there's usually only 1-2 per competition season.  You can tell because a) the choreography is a bit better, b) they dance them much better, you can see they've rehearsed them, cleaned them up, etc. and c) the girls actually compete them at competitions, like Nuvo, that don't get filmed for the show (but you can still see the results and usually watch them on youtube).  I think Maddie's "Leaving Berlin" was one, and "Birthday" as well.  I actually loved both those solos.  Can't remember any of the more other ones though… 

Edited January 18, 2015 by sofiah

[Tasya]

I think in general Maddie's biggest issues are exactly what you focused on. Her turns for instance, while they have gotten better are still not the best. She sometimes steps out of them still. Also Maddie sometimes does not extend all the way through every movement. 

[allonsyalice]

I didn't watch the show (I prefer to read your commentary), but I'm kind of appalled that they based the dance on OITNB. That show is completely inappropriate for kids thieir age. Ugh.

I agree, big time. I doubt their parents have let them watch it. (or you know what, maybe they have, but I wouldn't let my 13 yr old daughter watch it) but it would be forgivable if it was a good dance, you know? but of course it wasn't.

[NextIteration]

Waves at Taysa, so glad to hear your niece is still dancing and enjoying it. :)

 

I have a couple of questions for those of you who are experienced in the competitive dance world.  Let me start off by saying I am a viewer who thinks most of the show is fake, scripted, acted, exaggerated, etc.  However, I am perplexed by the fact that at ALDC the girls only have 1 week (sometimes it is portrayed as even less) to learn new dance routines (some girls have both group and solos, duos, etc.).  (1) Is this regular - or unusual?  I would think in order to be fiercely competitive, you would want a longer rehearsal time.  Also, can Abby really be putting together choreography and ordering/receiving "coshtumes" that quickly, week after week?  (2)Also, can a studio reuse a dance routine at all across different competitions? 

 

I am hoping that most of this adds to the drama and the timeline is not as tight as the show makes it seem.  That would be an unbelievable amount of stress for most of us, never mind young kids who are also busy with school, social stuff, etc.

 

Thanks in advance for any and all insight you can provide, I greatly appreciate it.

 

Learning new routines every week is highly unusual, the only thing I've experienced rarely is that sometimes a Sr solo or two may get done/finished pretty close to the beginning of competition season since they are deemed the quickest to learn and there is only so much time for privates.  And I have seen coshtumes being customized up until they go on stage, but that's the exception not the rule.

 

My experience is that a lot of the combinations that are in the choreography for the year, both recital and competition are learned during summer boot-camp and this is generally where auditions take place for the various teams.  Some studios place a child on one level across all genres, others will place a child on different levels for different genres... since some kids excel at jazz but aren't as good at lyrical/contemporary or are good at everything but behind in tap.  It just depends on the philosophy of the studio.  Once auditions and placements are done, some studios begin work right away in August/September on their competition pieces, while others continue working on technique and Holiday programs - starting competition choreography later, like in December.  It all depends on whether they bring numbers to the workshops, many of which take place in the fall.  (At least in my area, most of them are in the fall with the pure competition season heating up in late February going through late May).

 

Solos, some start right away in August on them, my daughter's last studio didn't start them until December - solo/duet/trio requests were due in November, but there were chosen solos by the director and teachers that were sometimes started a little earlier generally speaking. She usually had those privates over Winter Break and then started cleaning in January, her preference, she generally peaks at performing anything shortly after she's finished learning it and then gets bored - so that's her thing.

 

Coshtumes and choreography - I think Abby plots out the season with genre themes and coshtumes ahead of time, they seem to use a mix of full custom, high end catalog, customized on top of dance basics and some general retail clothing as coshtumes.  I'm sort of surprised that we aren't getting some sort of cohstume company promotion in the show, which makes me think that most of the catalog stuff they are using is from the "always available" sections of the catalog because ordering dance coshtumes takes anywhere from 4-12 weeks and can be a nightmare.  I'm pretty sure that Abby has a few full time dressmakers close at hand.  As stated above, Abby and Gianna forever take the same combinations and rehash them to new music so the kids aren't really required to learn anything new, except for a little twist here and there in their solos.

 

Most studios do use the same pieces across all competitions in one season.  I do know that we had a few pieces that crossed years because we had our youth ballet pieces and you can only enter so many dances of one type, so a few of our Nutcracker pieces crossed years as did a few of our other contemporary and classical ballet pieces, based on which competitions we attended. Generally, you don't ever repeat a dance at the same competition from year to year.

 

What would be a really good twist but I don't think control freak Abby would ever allow it and I'm not sure of any choreographer that really would want to be associated with this hot mess, would be to bring in a big name choreographer to do a weekend workshop to teach and then create a piece for the following week's competition - could be done as a two part.  I think we'd see who picks up choreography quickly, embraces a style properly and excels.  I just think it would be a cool change up from what we see every seek. We do get to see this with the Candy Apples sometimes but it's not as interesting as it could be because she just brings in ringers from all over the country instead of focusing on a cohesive team.

 

Finally as state above, some of the pieces we see are the real pieces/solos that ALDC takes to the real competitions they compete at with the full cohort from the studio - meaning all the teams and not just the "Jr Elite" team.  You can recognize them in that they are much more polished and and advanced - those pieces are just like it's done at any studio - learned early, practiced often and cleaned to as close as perfection as possible.

 

[Maccagirl]

Thanks to leighroda, Tessa, darknight and nextiteration and any others who responded to my questions; I truly appreciate your helpful insight.

 

Hope you all have a lovely weekend.  Mine will be nice because I will not be trapped on a charter bus driving to some competition with Abby screaming, crying and whining the whole time!