S05.E13: Mackenzie's Time to Shine

[Alison]

I was listening to the latest Atfterbuzz podcast on Dance Moms (my obsession runs deep), and a listener wrote in to say Jojo didn't win first for her solo; if you look at the online results for that competition, another girl got first, Jojo won second and Mackenzie got third. Strange that the producers/show would manipulate results that are so easy to verify...

[Loves2Dance]

I was listening to the latest Atfterbuzz podcast on Dance Moms (my obsession runs deep), and a listener wrote in to say Jojo didn't win first for her solo; if you look at the online results for that competition, another girl got first, Jojo won second and Mackenzie got third. Strange that the producers/show would manipulate results that are so easy to verify...

That is messy. Lifetime is normally a lot better at covering their tracks. 

[realdancemom]

As much hate as there is for Cathy - I feel bad for her. The producers have staged her studio and performances so much that there is no reality left.Abby has complained for years about Cathy not doing her own choreography - sorry but neither does Abby - she also has guest choreographers and Gianna choreographing the dance. Abby complained about Cathy bringing in outside dancers - what has Abby been doing the past few seasons? At least Cathy can actually still dance.

 

The fact that Mac made that comment about Maddie, just goes to show how even her sister is sick of being reminded who really matters to Abby

I feel bad for Cathy's choreographers too.  Blake, Chehon, and others are part of the plot so Cathy's team has to lose with their choreography.  That doesn't look too good even though sometimes I like Cathy's losing dances better than the ALDC dances.

[tessa]

Although it doesn't look good for them - people in the industry know what a sham Dance Moms is and so the artists get to display their choreography in the hopes of picking up new contacts and possible jobs.

[Texas]

". . . (plus dealing with her mom and possibly Abby). "

I wonder if this is the real reason Melissa isn't with Maddie . . . The Sia producers don't want the 'Dance Moms' crazy manufactured drama on their set.

And Hi. :)

[NextIteration]

They need to lose to the Candy Apples sometime, otherwise the "rivalry" kind of doesn't exist and that storyline is dead.  

 

While I agree with this, they do not have to embarrass the girls and make them look awful.  Again and again on AfterBuzz and such, Abby has said that she's taken over the costuming from production because they did such an awful job.  The choreography didn't have to be crap to lose to a beautiful lyrical either, because in the real competition world, it's very true that a pretty lyrical (or "contemporary") will usually win, unless there is a really amazing ballet, cool tap or incredibly creative "open" type number.  This is a generality of course.

 

But I get what you say about Mack's routines.  To me, they look more like gymnastics floor routines, where a gymnast tries to cram as many tumbling moves/passes as possible to get the most points.  I would assume dance judges are more about the quality than the quantity, but I really have no idea.  It's a shame because Brooke was still winning comps with really pretty, controlled acro routines as teenager. 

 

It' pretty normal in Minis and Jrs to see trick after trick after trick in acro with little emphasis on control or artistry - sort of the same as the Jr Division generally - lots of fast turns and leaps - not always well controlled and no transitions or artistry at all.  (Again, generally speaking.)  That all changes as you move into the Teen and Sr divisions.  You will see beautiful Sr pieces with only a couple multiple turns and leaps that win - because of beautiful artistry, musicality, transitions and actual dancing.

 

I heard Madison too; and not that I would defend Melissa, but as a mom of 2 I have literally said the wrong name while putting my hand on the right child. That stuff just happens. And my two girl's don't even have similar names. 

 

My younger sister (who can be irritating) and both my kid's names start with a hard C... if my ire is up - you never know what will come out of my mouth. :P

Edited April 7, 2015 by NextIteration

[Tasya]

JoJo won 1st in her age division but got second overall. This is how Dance Moms gets the drama that they need. Depending on the storyline for the week they either showcase the individual division results or the overalls. Student A wins their division but doesn't place overall; if the storyline calls for the DRAMA of that student not placing, then they don't show the division results but just the overalls. Accordingly if Student B is supposed to win for the week and wins their division but not the overalls, they only show the division results. 

[NextIteration]

Are these true "age divisions" or are they the dance style/age groupings results, i.e. lyrical age 9-10?  What is the definition of the "overalls"?  Not that it matters, these invitationals are fake from the get go.

[Tasya]

They are true age divisions - Mini, Junior, Teen, Senior. The overalls are all categories merged together with the breakdown going by points irregardless of age division. What happens at many competitions is that it's much easier to win the Mini or Junior divisions, but it can be harder for those winners to win overalls because they are up against the teens and seniors. That's also why in the more well known competitions there are no overalls (Jump, Nuvo) that span age divisions. The reason these invitationals have overalls is so that they can tailor the results they air. Even though they are real competitions (in the sense that the judges are real and the other teams are really there competing) they can air or not air what they want to fit the storyline. Energy and Star(power or quest; I forget which) are real competitions but for the Dance Mom shows they add overalls when they don't normally have them. 

[NextIteration]

Gotcha.  The only "overalls" that I've ever experienced that spanned age divisions were at International Dance Challenge (IDC) where there were overalls for Minis/Jrs and overalls for Teens/Seniors, so it's not something I've usually encountered.  First season they did show some StarPower real competitions but I think they got the axe because of manipulated judging shown (as you describe) and the hassle of the tapings.  I think some of the early in10sity competitions may not have been invitationals but they all have been been since my daughter was competing her last year (2012-13 season).

 

I also noted in the first season or two - Abby would sometimes enter them in the "intermediate" levels - which was pretty yucky as well - can't stand studios that do that sort of thing just to win.  (Group dances, I wouldn't have quibbled if someone like Vivi were entered there for a solo since it's based on hours per week dancing or years competing as a general rule.)

[Alison]

I feel bad for Cathy's choreographers too.  Blake, Chehon, and others are part of the plot so Cathy's team has to lose with their choreography.  That doesn't look too good even though sometimes I like Cathy's losing dances better than the ALDC dances.

My sympathy only runs so deep, though. These choreographers have to know what Dance Moms is like and have to know how Cathy/the Candy Apples are portrayed within the show, so is it worth a little bit of exposure/airtime to be associated with her?

[DoctorWhovian]

". . . (plus dealing with her mom and possibly Abby). "

I wonder if this is the real reason Melissa isn't with Maddie . . . The Sia producers don't want the 'Dance Moms' crazy manufactured drama on their set.

And Hi. :)

 

Without a doubt it's part of it. From my experience working in TV, child actors are definitely lumped in with their parents, and a bad parent prevents them from getting work in the future e(and can lead to them being let go in the first place). Kids with enjoyable parents are talked about in terms of how easy they were to work with.

[shillyshalley 74]

I  was a casting director in New York for more than twenty years.  In the case of these girls, I do not think either Nia or Mackenzie will make it as pop stars or as dancers.  Maddie will probably work as will Kalani.  Kendall is so beautiful she can probably already get modeling work and possibly some jobs as a dancer or back up dancer.

 

Right now the only one with true natural star quality is JoJo.  She is electric on stage to the point where she shines out above them all.  She also seems to want to do this and has a nice mother who is supportive.

 

As for Chloe, she is a beautiful  dancer and I hope she is not ruined. I have always felt that she should be taking classes at Ballet Theater School or the School of American ballet. 

 

What is needed with all these would be dancers is more concentration on their technique and less on their "stardom."  They need to remember to point their toes and not fall out of turns.  They are not ready to really dance professionally yet.

 

I wish them all well and hope they come out of this unscathed.

[Darknight]

Are these true "age divisions" or are they the dance style/age groupings results, i.e. lyrical age 9-10? What is the definition of the "overalls"? Not that it matters, these invitationals are fake from the get go.

Overalls means in your age group against all the other genres of dance. Example dancer A wins 1st in her category 10-12 for Jazz but dancer b gets 1st overall 10-12 for her ballet solo against all the other dancers that brought solos. The way dm does overall is the whole competition. So all the age groups together. Since its fake and small it's created for drama. So Mac age 10 wins her age group 10-12, then Kalani wins her age group 13-15. Then it's the overalls for the whole competition. So Mac places 2nd overall and Kalani places first. However in real life they would never be in the overalls together.

Without a doubt it's part of it. From my experience working in TV, child actors are definitely lumped in with their parents, and a bad parent prevents them from getting work in the future e(and can lead to them being let go in the first place). Kids with enjoyable parents are talked about in terms of how easy they were to work with.

I wish these moms would understand that. Their behavior reflects on their children. Remember when Lindsay Lohan couldn't book jobs because of her mother. And Macaulay Cullen whatever his name is that boy from home alone. His father was so demanding that he couldn't book jobs. So the moms acting a fool on tv isn't helping their daughters

[shillyshalley 74]

Maddie's future depends on several things.  Her height for one.  She can dance well for a girl her age and she has stage presence and beauty.  However, she is still very young and has yet to mature.  When I say she will work I do not necessarily mean stardom on Broadway or movies.  I do think she will be able to get work as a dancer in some capacity.