S05.E15: Maddie vs. Kalani

[OnceSane]

The ALDC take on the Murrieta Dance Project, the team that won with a perfect score the last time they met. Abby gives solos to her two strongest dancers, Maddie and Kalani. Meanwhile, sparks fly between Jill and Holly when Nia is left out of a show business opportunity and it puts a strain on the team members when they try to master an edgy rose garden-themed routine.

[Darknight]

I swear Kalani looks 18/19. Not 14. She has that mature face and body. I still don't get why she's at ALDC dancing with mediocre dancers.

[Loves2Dance]

If Kalani does another acro dance to Maddie's lyrical I'm not sure my eyes will survive how far they roll backwards.

[LexiconDevilOne]

I'll predict it now...Maddie wins. Kalani comes in third, or doesn't place at all.

 

 

This monstrosity of a show has become far too predictable.

[Loves2Dance]

Is Kalani the oldest on the team next to Nia? I predict that Abby will go after her next (after Nia leaves) since she wants to stay in the junior level. Unless, she recruits a younger dancer...

Yes, but she was brought on while older so I have a feeling Abby is keeping her around for a reason. Though she's not at a Maddie level of stalker for Abby, she's up there---and has been since she continually referred to her as an 'ALDC' type dancer at the Ultimate Competition. 

 

I have a feeling the new team will always revolve around her, Maddie, and Mackenzie---when this singing stuff fails for Kendall, she'll disappear too. 

[sofiah]

Is Kalani the oldest on the team next to Nia? I predict that Abby will go after her next (after Nia leaves) since she wants to stay in the junior level. Unless, she recruits a younger dancer...

 

I doubt that.  Very unlike the other "guests" on the team, Abby actually worked hard to convince Kalani and her mom to come back onto the show.  She wants them there and actually pursued them.  Abby loves her and has since she competed in AUDC, and she's friends with her mom too.  

[realdancemom]

Is Kalani the oldest on the team next to Nia? I predict that Abby will go after her next (after Nia leaves) since she wants to stay in the junior level. Unless, she recruits a younger dancer...

When Nia leaves, Kendall will be the one that Abby goes after.

[LexiconDevilOne]

Yesh...boring, predictable, yawn...

 

So much so, nobody else has commented.

[RedFire2000]

Tonight's episode was boring zzzzzz....

Maddie won, YAWN... Same old recycled lyrical solo

Holly & Jill fighting, fake or staged don't give a crap.

Kendall's smart ass comment "I know, I heard you" to Abby. Rude little snot

ALDC beating Murietta girls, NO WAY IN HELL! Tired of this shows fake ass competitions.

I don't care about the girls doing videos or acting/singing.

 

I'm losing interest, Same ole BS, different week.

[allonsyalice]

Abby's hair looks really, really good, though. good for her.

[tessa]

Not really much to add. I have to say that Jill is my least favorite mom of all the moms who have ever been on Dance Moms. I think she lives through Kendall more than any of the others. I do agree with her that she had nothing to do with Nia not getting invited but once she and Melissa realized that - they both should have told the girls - No mention of this on Social Media - so others don't feel bad. Being neither Maddie nor Mac are involved with Kendall's video - I see no reason for either of them to have gone with Kendall.

 

Despite the announcement that she has a building in LA now - it's still unconfirmed as posted in other threads. Also, Abby proclaiming having a hand in 4 videos now - I'm assuming that she's counting 2 of Mac's as the only others I can remember are Brooke and now Kendall. I think Holly is smart to have gone off on her own, which I don't understand if she has the previous contract with Abby as the girls' supposed manager - but with the lack of success Brooke and Mac have had - Nia at least has a chance that something may come from it using outside help.

 

And I was glad the MDP or whatever, mom called them out on doing essentially the same dance every time with diff. costumes and music. It's refreshing to see the girls do something outside the box like Stomp the Yard instead of the tried and true classic.

[Higgins]

The whole show is a farce. These are average at best dancers. They don't even point their toes properly.

[Lemons]

 

ALDC beating Murietta girls, NO WAY IN HELL! Tired of this shows fake ass competitions.

I don't care about the girls doing videos or acting/singing.

 

Why?  We only saw a very little, so it's hard to say who was "better."  The little they showed, I thought they were pretty even.  The second place group must have been on par with these two groups also.

The little teeny tiny dancer from Murietta was not that good.  She was a good example of a dance teacher showing her too many tricks and advanced moves too quickly and trying to skip the basics.  She had terrible transitions.  No artistry.  She moved more like a gymnast or a cheerleader.  Other dance moms might not notice these things, but judges do.   Maddie and Kalani move like dancers. 

 

Maddie's dance was super boring, but it showed what a beautiful dancer she is at 12 years old. 

 

It was funny when the dance mom on the other team commented about them doing the same dance.  You ALL do.  The other team comes to a halt, does some fouettes.  Then they all hold on to their legs with their hands and lift them up.  And scorpions?  Y'all aren't a high school dance team!

[iluvobx]

Glad to know I didn't miss anything.  Also glad this show is no longer taking up space on my dvr.

[Absolom]

Holly didn't go out on her own.  That's just a storyline put out there.  Abby isn't their manager except for storyline purposes.  

[cali1981]

Could this show be any more predictable?  Not sure I agree with the ALDC group dance winning.  It was very good but so was MDP's and it was more creative. Maddie and Kalani are both very good dancers but Kalani looks so out of place in this group.  Each week she seems to get more beautiful.  She looked great in that selfie thing or whatever it was.   I get such a laugh out in the tease before commercial breaks where the announcer says "and the best overall group is" and the ALDC kids are sitting with anxious looks. Duh!  If you haven't been announced yet and it's down to the last award it means you won nitwits.  The MDP director, even if she is playing "the villain", is much more gracious than Abby.  She applauds when the ALDC kids complete a routine while Abby Lard Ass sits indifferently or is texting on her cell phone when MDP performs. Very classy.

[Laurie4H]

That can all be edited. We don't know what they are clapping and or look angry at. I know this show is fake but Maddie winning isn't that unrealistic. Yes her competitor is technically good but they don't have the heart and aren't as graceful as Maddie or Kalani for that matter. And yes Kalani does look out of place in the group. She does look about 18 but probably because she is taller and more voluptuous. She will have to be careful though. She has that type of body that can easily get heavy if eating too much. (I speak from experience). How many people compete in these supposed competitions? How is it that their and they competitors (Candy Apples, MDP) almost always place right before or after them? Are we really supposed to believe there isn't another group or soloist that can beat them?

Edited April 15, 2015 by Laurie4H

[Law Mom]

What in a gadda da vida were the girls wearing on their heads during the group number?

[Absolom]

Ratings dropped a bit more: 1.423 M viewers and a .6 rating.

[sofiah]

I totally buy that Maddie won 1st overall.  As someone mentioned upthread, I didn't think the little girl from MDP was that impressive, just flexible and tricks -- I really liked Kalani's solo and so also thought it was believable that she got 2nd overall.  I wonder if she won 1st in teen? Did they show that and I missed it? It would also make sense for Maddie to beat Kalani in the overalls because teens are generally scored much more rigorously then juniors.

 

The group dance I liked but why oh why with the hideous cheesy costumes?  Would have been so much better with simple black leotards, maybe a red skirt and a little pop of green somewhere, etc.  And those horrible nails!  Does anyone know if Abby is forced to use these over the top costumes for the show -- or is this really just her taste?

 

I find the music video stuff boring -- don't really care about either girls' music videos if I'm honest.  Its sad to hear their mothers talk about their "music careers" starting.  So delusional.

[Loves2Dance]

Kalani did place first in teen. The score between her and Maddie were tenths of points. 

 

As for the storyline---boring, overplayed, and over it at this point.

 

As for 4 videos---Jojo is coming out with a single so I assume a video will follow. 

[missbonnie]

I may go to hell for this but, Nia simply is not on the same level dance wise as most of the rest of the team. Even JoJo seems to have cleaned up her dancing. I think that Nia would be better off doing music videos from what little I've seen.

[CakeLeigh]

Interesting that when they announced the "overall" placings for the small group dance, they said MDP placed third in the overall.  But when they announced ALDC, they said "First Place in junior small group".  I bet MDP's dance was in the teen group and could have actually placed higher in the "overall" than ALDC.

 

But who would know... it's all a set up.  There was probably only one or two other teams present.  A typical competition would have had 20+ teams and no "overall" placings except within the respective age divisions.

 

My daughter is a 8 year dance competition veteran... I've seen it all.  LOL  Competition dance really has changed in recent years.  Way less jazz and "traditional" type dances and a whole lot of what my late mother used to call "faint and fall" dances.  There are some competitions that will place jazz, tap, and musical theatre in their top placings, but most these days go for the lyrical and contemporary dances.  Depends on which coast the judges are from.

[spanana]

I know I say this every week and watch anyway, but this show is awful.  I'm not arguing the outcome of the competition in the sense that I know Maddie and Kalani were competing in different age groups and Kalani's age group is held to a higher standard and blah blah blah, but the part that is tired is the editing.  The part that is tired is that the episode was literally titled Maddie vs. Kalani and so the whole point of the episode was to tell the viewers once again that Maddie is the best and can beat anyone and everyone, even when they are older than her.  I have nothing against Maddie, but come up with a freaking new storyline already.   Everyone knows there will never be a Maddie vs. anyone storyline on this show where Maddie comes out on the losing end.  I also don't understand why Kalani's mother subjects her to this.  What does she get out of it?

 

I can't even comment on the other nonsense since it's all set up anyway.  But is Kendall going to become a brat as well?  Lovely.

[sofiah]

Interesting that when they announced the "overall" placings for the small group dance, they said MDP placed third in the overall.  But when they announced ALDC, they said "First Place in junior small group".  I bet MDP's dance was in the teen group and could have actually placed higher in the "overall" than ALDC.

 

 

I thought the same thing - but you can check the results on their website and both groups were in the junior category, and ALDC did win overall.  

It was an invitational though so I don't know how meaningful that is!  

[hqtextbook]

I feel like Holly needs to chill the hell out. This kind of junk is what every kid in middle school experiences right? and Nia didn't even seem upset...Holly just went absolutely crazy. Either decide that your kid should be taken out of this situation or realize that she's fine and calm down!!

[NextIteration]

My daughter is a 8 year dance competition veteran... I've seen it all.  LOL  Competition dance really has changed in recent years.  Way less jazz and "traditional" type dances and a whole lot of what my late mother used to call "faint and fall" dances.  There are some competitions that will place jazz, tap, and musical theatre in their top placings, but most these days go for the lyrical and contemporary dances.  Depends on which coast the judges are from.

 

In the 2000s (before SYTYCD type choreography and genre obscuring began to rule the day) we called them angsty slap/pound the floor lyricals.  This was before modern or contemporary were even categories very often, modern sometimes where you'd see actual modern technique... not angsty pound the floor stuff.

 

Our studio actually used to win overalls with ballet, imagine that!

 

I'm sorry for your loss.

Edited April 16, 2015 by NextIteration

[Absolom]

 

I feel like Holly needs to chill the hell out. This kind of junk is what every kid in middle school experiences right? and Nia didn't even seem upset...Holly just went absolutely crazy. Either decide that your kid should be taken out of this situation or realize that she's fine and calm down!!

Sadly, Holly took on the show as her real job and her role is now the crazy mom.  She's being paid to act her lines.  I have no idea how she feels about the position she's put herself into, but she's mostly just following the script.  

[cali1981]

Ironically, She's probably the most educated person employed by Collins yet she knowingly makes these poor choices which seriously threaten her future earning capacity in her field. She can grab all the money she wants now but I'm betting that the net result will be less money earned as a "Dance Mom" versus someone with a PhD in Education from Penn over time.

I doubt that any serious educational institution would hire Holly for a significant position.  There is no way that she can explain her participation in this televised exercise in child abuse, be it staged or real, and come out ahead.  She might as well put that hard earned PhD in a drawer and never look at it again.  I think that Holly wrote a book recently but would anyone except the most rabid DM fans actually rely on her for advice concerning anything?  Nia is more of an adult at this point than her mother is, or at least that's how it's being portrayed.

[cali1981]

You're being generous. Wasn't that a brochure through a vanity publisher?

Whatever it is, it's being sold for $9.95 on Amazon.  In looking at the first few preview pages, I almost did a spit take at this piece of sage advice: "Surround yourself with positive people and non-toxic surroundings".  Al I can say to that is Doctor, heal thyself.  You're involved with a realty show that is the antithesis of that.

[NextIteration]

"Those who cannot do, teach" seems to apply to this cast on many different levels

 

This particular meme gets a little old for me when it comes to dance, not for someone like Abby, but so many dancers move on to teaching after their performance careers are over - it's just too broad to apply to all dance teachers.  Look at the NYCB system, almost all of the "teachers" are previous company members.  Look at dance faculty on the university level, read their bios, almost all of them were performers, it's what makes their résumé along with where and under whom they trained.

[dmmetler]

For dance (and, for that matter, sports coaching) it's often "those who cannot do what they used to be able to do, teach"-because so many retire from actively performing/competing to teaching after suffering injury (or just getting old enough that the joints won't handle what they used to handle). Or just choosing to stay in one place and have a stable lifestyle. It's hard to have a family and be a professional performer, especially for a woman.

 

The big difference between the instructor on Dance Mums UK and Abby is that the UK instructor DOES have that professional performing and dance experience.

[NextIteration]

The more I've thought about Holly and her PhD in Education really?  The less I really think it's that big of a deal, in my state, if you want to reach the top tier of salary it's an expectation that you complete your PhD in teaching.  The first bump is for a Masters but to reach the top level salary you need a PhD.

[limecoke]

So I knew the Maddie vs. Kalani was a crock because Kalani is a teen and Maddie has been 11 for four years.  Getting sick of the editing hijinks because it's getting old.  I wonder how the Real Holly feels about being the designated downtrodden screecher now that Christi and Chloe are gone.  (Yay Chloe!!!)

 

Speaking of getting old.  Maddie is a lovely dancer and I really do see that but why does every dance have to end in that pose with the hand gently sweeping across the face and landing lightly on the chest while looking soulfully at the sky?  

 

I sincerely hated that group dance with the Carmen Miranda-like head pieces.  They were butt ugly and the dance wasn't all that great either.

 

I didn't know there was a Dance Mums UK so am watching Episode 1 to see if it's better than the load of boring crap this one has become.

Edited April 17, 2015 by limecoke

[hqtextbook]

So I knew the Maddie vs. Kalani was a crock because Kalani is a teen and Maddie has been 11 for four years.  Getting sick of the editing hijinks because it's getting old.  I wonder how the Real Holly feels about being the designated downtrodden screecher now that Christi and Chloe are gone.  (Yay Chloe!!!)

 

Speaking of getting old.  Maddie is a lovely dancer and I really do see that but why does every dance have to end in that pose with the hand gently sweeping across the face and landing lightly on the chest while looking soulfully at the sky?  

 

I sincerely hated that group dance with the Carmen Miranda-like head pieces.  They were butt ugly and the dance wasn't all that great either.

 

I didn't know there was a Dance Mums UK so am watching Episode 1 to see if it's better than the load of boring crap this one has become.

Was it?

[NextIteration]

I was referring to Holly's book and her Ed school degree/former role as a principal (she can't keep "toxic" people out of her life the way she urges other people to) and Abby, I guess, since she never was a dancer.

 

I thought you were, I was just speaking about  dance in general and the meme being applied to dance teachers, because it really does happen often.

 

Justifiably so for a lot of Dolly Dinkle type studios, but not quality ones.  I always chuckle when I look at a studio website, check the faculty and every single teacher started dancing at 3 at said dance studio and never performed beyond competing with the studio.