Dance Mums UK: Episode and General Discussion

[Loves2Dance]

What the What?

 

http://www.mylifetime.com/shows/dance-mums-uk

 

Apparently it premiered today. 

[Jellowslr]

What the!?? I admit I fast forward through commercials, but I haven't seen or read anything about this. Luckily I'm on the west coast so I can still DVR it. 

[crabbypants]

Abby is so batshit crazy that Lifetime had to go to another continent to find people willing to work with her? Or maybe she's trying to avoid her lawsuits. It's hard to appear before a judge when there's an ocean between the two.

[Tinfoil Hat]

I hadn't seen previews for it, either. It was 7:03 p.m. West coast time, and Abb Lee was on my screen, so I checked it out.

There was about a half-hour of Abby with a studio in Liverpool, then an hour of a UK Dance Mums (no Abby). The mums brought the drama. The dance teacher, Jennifer, seems a lot nicer than Abby and less inclined to tear the kids down.

During the Abby session, I was amazed by how the kids seemed to adore Abby, with one girl wishing she were American...and one mum describing Abby as "a big black cloud."

I DVRed future episodes. Definite Trainwreck potential.

[Shell76]

Is this show the one that played at 10:00 EST, this past Tuesday?  I wasn't sure if that was the actual "Dance Mums" or just a special for Lifetime that showed Abby interacting with Jennifer and her kids.  Whatever it was, I watched up through the second commercial break and my mind was blown - it's like Dance Moms on speed, almost seizure-inducing.  I can't watch that again, and I can't take the same drama all over again.  They even have a little Maddie, named Tayleur(sp?).  

[Loves2Dance]

Don't forget a Chloe named Ahliea or something along those lines. 

 

Honestly, the 30 minute special was ridiculous. Abby is a freak of nature and I feel bad that Sam thinks she's the best in the world. 

 

The actual episode, that Danielle chick needs to jump off a bridge and never be heard of again. She is bat sh*t crazy. 

[dmmetler]

I wonder why the UK show is using recognizable music, when the r US show uses suspiciously similar substitutes? Copyright is international, isn't it?

I like Jen better than Abby, but the moms make up for it, and I have no clue what the girls are like, or even how to tell them apart. I suspect this will be like the Miami version.

[RazzleberryPie]

Hmmmm. Initial observations = all but one of the girls are pretty good dancers. As good as or maybe better than the Original DM girls. I can't understand at least half of the moms, and I'm pretty good at deciphering regional dialects of English (thank you BBC America). The teacher seems nicer and more encouraging than Abby. There's a wide range of ages/sizes in these girls, for one team. Dang, this is one homely buch of moms (style and grooming as much as natural features they can't help).

[Absolom]

I didn't watch it and I hope to avoid it, but I'll report at least once on the ratings.  It didn't make the top 100 cable shows of the day.

[Rhondinella]

Hmmm.  I need to investigate.  We may need to create a separate forum for this show if people are wanting to talk about it.  For now you can put it in this thread, though.  I'll let you know when/if we decide on a new forum.

 

Also . . . . .I ADORE the fact that in the UK the show is called Dance MUMS.  Heh.  Yeah, I'll have to check it out.

[NextIteration]

Does it feature traditional dance styles or is based on the "disco freestyle" competitions?

[Loves2Dance]

Does it feature traditional dance styles or is based on the "disco freestyle" competitions?

They did lyrical and jazz in episode 1 but it leads up to the Dance World Cup and it's only 8 episodes long.

 

 

Hmmm.  I need to investigate.  We may need to create a separate forum for this show if people are wanting to talk about it.  For now you can put it in this thread, though.  I'll let you know when/if we decide on a new forum.

 

Also . . . . .I ADORE the fact that in the UK the show is called Dance MUMS.  Heh.  Yeah, I'll have to check it out.

 

I definitely don't think it's going to garner enough attention for a separate forum. Lifetime is doing 0 advertisement for it---not even on their FB page and it seems like a filler. It's also only 8 episodes long. 

[ancslove]

Jennifer Ellison was Meg Giry in the Gerard Butler Phantom of the Opera movie, if anyone wants to see her work.

[Rhondinella]

I definitely don't think it's going to garner enough attention for a separate forum. Lifetime is doing 0 advertisement for it---not even on their FB page and it seems like a filler. It's also only 8 episodes long.

 

 

Fair point.  I think we'll just keep the discussion of this show in this thread for the time being.  Thanks!

[EVS]

I'm going to watch since it's only 8 episodes and the teacher doesn't seem to be a horrible human being like Abby. I think it's only 8 episodes because, if I understood correctly, they put this group together just for the show. The teacher is a former dancer, which is a refreshing change from Abby, but it sounds like she has never taught before. The kids were brought in for the show. Maybe 8 episodes was all they were willing to commit to, especially the teacher. Either that, or they will see how it does and then decide whether to order more episodes. I don't think it will do well because of the lack of advertising (which I find odd) and for the same reason imo Miami didn't do well: I don't think the show works as well when there is no previous relationship or connection between the girls or between the moms. We'll see. I've pretty much stopped watching the original so this is a nice alternative, especially since it's a short term commitment.

[Loves2Dance]

This show was meant to follow them to the World Cup---from start to finish it was 8 weeks.

[Tinfoil Hat]

Season (Series) 2 of Dance Mums; wonder if it will air in the U.S.....

http://renewcanceltv.com/dance-mums-with-jennifer-ellison-renewed-for-series-2-by-lifetime-uk/

Also, this little gem from the Daily Mail, which describes Danielle differently from how I perceived her:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2796000/are-women-competitive-mothers-britain-dance-mums-reveal-extreme-lengths-bid-make-daughters-dreams-come-true.html

[luna70]

I am watching, I guess, what is the 1st episode of 'Dance Mums'..before ALM comes aboard, on demand. It is like they gave the entire 'cast' the EXACT same script the Pittsburgh idiots have and they are REPEATING it -sometimes-word for word, other times-phrase for phrase. The only difference is that 'Head Monster.. err, Instructor just does not come across as bad as Abby Lee Miller-You know-ripping the Souls and all creativity out of those children whose mothers she cannot stand! (Maybe it is the accent that makes her sound nicer?). And yes, even before A.L.M. made the scene (unless they have the episodes #'d wrong), the obnoxious, Mother hating Pyramid is there! (And this H.M. changes who is on top of the pyramid-WHENEVER she wants-not just at the beginning of the week! Either this is a new thing or she has never watched the U.S Version of D.M. and doesn't know the "Pyramid Rules' -i.e. Always put your favorite on top even if she did not have a solo the previous week or even danced! Well, she has time to learn.. and be hated!!).

 

Oh, wait, the show has a part I and II.. Part II has 'ABBY'..Yes, Abby, Great Britain needs Dance Moms.. just as much as it would need a version of 19 kids (one of the married daughters moving there..) , or Sister wives, (The browns flee Vegas claiming the arms of the law from Utah ..) or any of our other 'Reality shows' that are NOT reality.. (Housewives of London People?)

 

And of course, the 1st thing she asks who is the favorite! Why? Doesn't Abby claim she doesn't have favorites but that Maddie gets all those solos because she is the best, never lets Abby down? (If the Team dance does not get 1st afterall, it is never Maddie's fault, but someone else on the team and Abby always names that person!). 

 

I do not know if this show is going to have it's 8 week run on Lifetime, but seeing the parents reaction to Abby, I do not think Great Britain or anyother part of Europe is ready for A.L.M.'s type of 'instruction. Her shouting, yelling, screaming might do better in a military camp.

[luna70]

Episode 2, on tonight, does not mention Abby being on it. The Part II of episode 1 ended with out any conclusion that I do not know if there is a Part III, IV,  or it concludes tonight. If she is not on tonight..(Abby), she was not on the Great Britain show that much, and well, left without doing much other then yelling, screaming, etc..

But, then, that Is basically what she does for most of her U.S show. Does anyone know if A.L.M. is on the remaining episodes of 'DANCE MUMS'? (Maybe the 20 minutes she was on was all G.B. could take of her? )

 

Also- Does Abby Lee Miller really believe that she has that much, uhm, say, (I do not know that right word.) Pull? To go and say that she can make sure that Charlotte's daughter(and others, for other shows?) will never be cast in the show 'Wicked' (Because, right now the girl could or would, not walk across the room on her hands).Or, was that just Abby's mouth flapping, or just the writers trying to make Abby appear bigger (not size wise ) then she is?

[torus351]

I haven't seen this UK version yet, but i imagine that those "scouser" ( Liverpool English ) accents are gonna confuse a lot of Americans.

[Tasya]

The mothers on this version are horrendous. 

[NextIteration]

I haven't seen this UK version yet, but i imagine that those "scouser" ( Liverpool English ) accents are gonna confuse a lot of Americans.

 

I'm getting 98% of it, not bragging - this is really some awful TV and mediocre dancing.  Most of these "mothers" deserve a special place in hell - but the director is much better than Abby.

[Tasya]

Yeah the only thing they have going for them is the director. I'd like to see her have Abby's girls to work with. Only Tayleur and Eleiyah (these names; seriously) are good of the big girls and Chloe is good for her age. Sam and Chloe Senior are just as bad as Nia and Molly is average. Aleah shouldn't even be in the show. 

[Loves2Dance]

Lifetime pulled it from their list of shows and no new episode online. 

[NextIteration]

My DVR shows it as taping next week - but didn't show it last night, who knows with these Abby spin-offs.

[Kromm]

This seems like an interesting case of Lifetime experimenting to see if American audiences would be wiling to watch something that existed anyway.

 

I don't have any specific knowledge here, but I bet Dance Moms (Abby version) is a hit playing on the UK channel that airs it (looks like it's also Lifetime there, although that's certainly not always the case for US reality shows playing over there--they don't always have an International version of the same channel).  So they go ahead and greenlight a local version, so they have some "original programming" rather than showing endless US Real Housewives and Dance Moms.  Ergo "Dance Mums" (non-Abby version).  They introduce it with Abby because she IS known there, because the US show is known there.  Her being on it still has only to do with the local audience and setting up a handoff to the local talent (that's what was done, for example--mind you from a totally unrelated channel/franchise--with the Australian version of The Biggest Loser, years ago, when that got handed off--the producers of that actually had Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels go over there and appear on their show--in their case for the first few seasons, but it could have just as easily been just guest appearances if they'd known ahead of time that local viewers didn't NEED that much Bob and Jillian to keep watching).

 

Getting back to Dance Moms and Dance Mums, if its really the same corporate ownership at it's base as the US channel (seemingly--again not always the case even if channels have the same name and branding), then maybe they decide to try and recoup some costs by tossing it into the US schedule and seeing if it picks up any interest.

 

So I imagine that whether or not it succeeds in the US is largely irrelevant.  It was made for the UK viewers and any success in the US would just be gravy for them.

Edited April 2, 2015 by Kromm

[NextIteration]

Well as far as production goes, I didn't notice "Collins" anywhere in the credits.

[dmmetler]

The later ones are on the Lifetime App, if you have a provider log-in.

 

My general feeling is that Jennifer is a much better instructor than Abby, mostly due to being a better dancer, and is better at using girls in their strengths and getting kids who are weaker into roles that don't harm the routine. But she's got basically no skills at managing adults, and with parents who were either selected for the purpose of being overdramatic and insane or have been told to act that way, she comes off looking and being completely ineffectual. I'd still rather put my daughter in her studio than Abby's, though.

[hqtextbook]

Just decided to watch some of these. My comments:

 

1. Why do these competitions seem so fake? Its like a bunch of people gathered around a square tile on the floor. And the judges just kinda call out the winner...seems not legit. 

 

2. What is up with the little girl who can't dance at all?? What is she doing there? Did her mom pay someone off? The poor kid is just so out of place. And her mother is so delusional. 

 

3. I really like this teacher much better than Abby...she actually uses constructive criticism and no manipulative mind games of torture. The moms are psychotic though. Like absolutely nuts. 

[NextIteration]

1. Why do these competitions seem so fake? Its like a bunch of people gathered around a square tile on the floor. And the judges just kinda call out the winner...seems not legit. 

 

I'm not from England, but the small wooden floor on carpet is not that rare of a thing even at US competitions.  Oftentimes, even large competitions have overflow solo, duet, trio rooms that do not have elevated stages and just a patch of parquet set down on the carpet in another ballroom (which of course would also be put down for something like a wedding reception for a dance floor) or such at a convention center or hotel.  For the record, they are usually slippery as hell and relatively dangerous.  It should be required that they overlay that crap with Marley but usually they don't.

 

The competitions in the UK are often set up as festivals, and many of them follow the ISTD standards.  Don't ask me any details lol, everything I know about British dance competitions I learned on Dance.net.

 

(This illustrates both Marley rolled onto a stage and the stupid parquet that's taped to the carpet all in one, it's a workshop class from the Convention/Competition NYCDA.)

[tessa]

I started competing back in the 60's. Our recitals were always held in a school auditorium but many of the dance competitions were had the exact type of floor as seen in Dance Mums. As a matter of fact, when we went to Atlantic City to compete in the Miss Dance competition - we were in a hotel ballroom - chairs on the floor - with that parquet floor front and center. We came in first and as a child - that atmosphere was a lot less intimidating than being up on stage for the recitals.

[torus351]

I just watched this today.

 

Miss Abby seemed like a Kamikaze pilot on his first and last visit to a foreign country.

 

Crash, Boom, Bang!! The ALDC has landed!

[torus351]

I'm getting 98% of it, not bragging - this is really some awful TV and mediocre dancing.  Most of these "mothers" deserve a special place in hell - but the director is much better than Abby.

I just watched the 1st episode yesterday, all these Liverpudians sound like chipmunks,..the dancers were okay at best. I'm surprised that it was only a 30 minute program, i'd like to see more.

[torus351]

It's obvious, the same template from Dance Moms.

The top 2 dancers on the pyramid are quite good, I'll have to keep watching their progress.

 

Will there be a "Maddie" that emerges from this this studio?, quite possibly, only time will tell.

[hqtextbook]

are only the first 5 online? are there more than that?

[NextIteration]

@hqtextbook - it seems so, I was hoping that we'd get the balance of episodes, I think there might be five more - that culminates with their trip to Portugal but they haven't updated them for weeks.

[Bananna]

In the UK, dance competitions aren't that popular. There are a few but not that many

[torus351]

The production looks a bit second rate, especially during competition.

 

Most of the mums look like they'd just gotten out of bed, how about a little makeup ladies!

 

The screenplay and drama are so identical that it seems almost like a parody of the original,...but i'll keep watching.

[torus351]

Same old drama with the mums, annoying as ever.

I'd love to see Tayluer join the ALDC LA as a guest dancer on the junior elite team, if i was the producer, i'd make it happen.