Dance Mom Kids (and Friends) In the Wild

[sofiah]

Here's a video of Maddie dancing a very, very different style from ALDC choreography.  

She is waaaaay better then I thought she would be at this kind of stuff!  Go Maddie!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4Bl5FUstgE  you can see her starting around :36

[tessa]

That was good - here's another one with Trinity from Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition in blue

[sofiah]

That was good - here's another one with Trinity from Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition in blue

 

And I recognize the girl in the front in the two first dances ... Simrin Player who goes to Kalani's studio and was teen best dancer this year.  She is amazing!

 

I'm super impressed with Maddie... really good for someone totally not used to this type of dance.

Edited June 8, 2015 by sofiah

[Loves2Dance]

That style of dance isn't that hard to pick up, as long as you haven't been drilled with classical ballet your entire life. Is it as easy as it looks? No. But does it shock me that Maddie can do it? Nope. To be honest, this genre suits Maddie more than lyrical/contemporary/ballet ever will---her feet suck (they're not natural dancer feet), her torso and legs are too short for the long extensions that make ballet fun to watch. Long term speaking, this style is what will get her into the door with Disney, Nickelodeon, and most other kid type venues/casting---she will never make it into an actual ballet company and she has enough skill for some Broadway. This area is where she should be focusing, imo. 

[sofiah]

I don't think that the type of dancing in these videos is that difficult. I'm lolling at the choreographer in heels. No complaints though, he seems pretty skilled at dancing in heels!

 

Thats Brian Friedman... who is kind of a big deal in the dance world - he has choreographed for Britney Spears, Beyonce, etc. and he's the creative director of X-Factor and I think also America's Got Talent.  He's also creative director of The Pulse on Tour convention which tours around the world with some of the most successful choreographers in the business.  So, its kinda cool for Maddie to be dancing right next to him!  But anyway, I lol'ed at the heels too, haha! He also obviously adding Maddie's name to the title of the video to get more hits because I wouldn't say this video really "features" her.

Edited June 9, 2015 by sofiah

[Loves2Dance]

Thats Brian Friedman... who is kind of a big deal in the dance world - he has choreographed for Britney Spears, Beyonce, etc. and he's the creative director of X-Factor and I think also America's Got Talent.  He's also creative director of The Pulse on Tour convention which tours around the world with some of the most successful choreographers in the business.  So, its kinda cool for Maddie to be dancing right next to him!  But anyway, I lol'ed at the heels too, haha! He also obviously adding Maddie's name to the title of the video to get more hits because I wouldn't say this video really "features" her.

Brian is definitely a huge deal in the dance world. Here is the entire featured list:

 

Featuring: Maddie Ziegler, Jade Chynoweth, Trinity Inay, Logan Hassel, Salemah Gabriel, Kaili Bright, Kayla Radomski, Montana Efaw, Abby Lett & Sohey Sugihara

 

My guess is that Youtube limited how many characters he could put. 

[NextIteration]

Brian Friedman is teaching a combo that should be done in heels in that clip with Maddie, I think it's admirable that he strapped some on to embody what he's teaching (huge Brian Friedman fan).  That sort of dance is and isn't easy to pick up.  Maddie picked up the choreo but zero of the artistry or nuance, I would say compare her to the older girls but that isn't really fair - it would have been nice to see another youngster in there to really compare her to (the gal in the black and white baby doll with boots looks closest in age).  She didn't pick up any of the intricate detail that Brian is known for.  It is good that Maddie is taking advantage of being in LA and taking class at what looks like Millennium.

 

Squee, Brian putting his flavor on Bob Fosse, iconic indeed.

 

I watched the second clip first and didn't pay any attention to the YouTube channel and immediately knew it was Friedman choreography, ha!  Brian is always very good about naming featured dancers in his teaching clips.

Edited June 9, 2015 by NextIteration

[sofiah]

Brian is definitely a huge deal in the dance world. Here is the entire featured list:

 

Featuring: Maddie Ziegler, Jade Chynoweth, Trinity Inay, Logan Hassel, Salemah Gabriel, Kaili Bright, Kayla Radomski, Montana Efaw, Abby Lett & Sohey Sugihara

 

My guess is that Youtube limited how many characters he could put. 

 

I didn't realize it featured all the others as well!  I take that back then ;) 

[NextIteration]

Oh I overlooked that completely - no, Brian does not need Maddie for hits on his stuff.

Edited June 9, 2015 by NextIteration

[Absolom]

 

Maddie picked up the choreo but zero of the artistry or nuance, I would say compare her to the older girls but that isn't really fair - it would have been nice to see another youngster in there to really compare her to (the gal in the black and white baby doll with boots looks closest in age).

Thank you for saying that.  Maddie can go through the motions, but what makes the dance was missing from her performance.  

[tessa]

Girls - just a cute little something that showed up on my Facebook - this is the kind of dancing I like to see - a kid enjoying themselves and getting into he routine. You don't have to be perfect - just love to dance!

 

http://www.today.com/parents/little-girl-dances-aretha-franklins-respect-recital-t25201

[NextIteration]

Oh @tessa, I shared that bad-assed baby on my FB page a couple days ago.  This is what "IT" is called!

 

You are welcome @Absolom, it was painfully obvious.  It's almost like a little girl playing dress-up, when the little girl can apply make-up perfectly, it still isn't the same.

Edited June 9, 2015 by NextIteration

[NextIteration]

Why not have Brian come in and choreograph a Hip Hop for them?  Oh I know why - their heads would explode from the intricacy, and they'd have to clean it for months with him or all the intricacy would be lost.  I wish I could find the package for this because Kamiliah in her talking head talks about Brian's intricacy, all these years later, this holds up as one of my favorite SYTYCD hip-hops.

 

Brian could do a teen lyrcal as well, he's probably the most diverse choreographer in the business.

Edited June 10, 2015 by NextIteration

[Lemons]

My guess is that Youtube limited how many characters he could put. 

 

That's why he named the video:  New Dorp. New York. Feat. Maddie Ziegler _ @BrianFriedman Choreography.  He singled out her name and not the others for the title because she has so many young fans who follow her.  (and also apparently dance moms who hate her). 

It's nice to see that even with her crappy training at abby's competition studio, her innate talent allows her to be so versatile.  (except ballet, of course, but that's true with all the girls).

[sofiah]

 I would say compare her to the older girls but that isn't really fair - it would have been nice to see another youngster in there to really compare her to (the gal in the black and white baby doll with boots looks closest in age).  She didn't pick up any of the intricate detail that Brian is known for.  

 

 

Here's a video of some kids of similar age... the little ones start at 1:10.  Its not Brian though - Tricia Miranda. 

 

 

I'm no expert but they look like they'd eat Maddie alive, hehe!  The little girl on the left (with the maroon shirt) is not showy but so good - so smooth! And the middle one was actually on Dance Moms in the Candy Apple team! But Maddie would probably eat them alive in lyrical, so this isn't a dig at her at all - I just didn't realize little kids danced like this!  

 

On another note, how fun do these classes look? Sure beats getting yelled at by Abby doing the same thing over and over!

Edited June 10, 2015 by sofiah

[NextIteration]

Most young fans of Maddie should probably not even be looking at Brian's choreography, it's often dirty (it gets way dirtier if you look around).  But carry on.

 

It's not about hating on Maddie to speak of her age and shortcomings, there are much older dancers that can't get the nuance of Brian's stuff - just go look at his channel and all his taped classes.

 

eta:  nevermind that Kayla Rodomski is listed as a dancer in that video - more dancers above the age of 10 know and care about that name more than Maddie.

Edited June 10, 2015 by NextIteration

[Lemons]

Most young fans of Maddie should probably not even be looking at Brian's choreography, it's often dirty (it gets way dirtier if you look around).  But carry on.

 

It's not about hating on Maddie to speak of her age and shortcomings, there are much older dancers that can't get the nuance of Brian's stuff - just go look at his channel and all his taped classes.

 

eta:  nevermind that Kayla Rodomski is listed as a dancer in that video - more dancers above the age of 10 know and care about that name more than Maddie.

 

Getting the nuance of Brian's stuff will come with age.  If adult dancers aren't getting it, I can't imagine them getting very far.  I think the competition scene makes dance moms compare students too often.  All of the young dancers in these videos are talented in what they do.  All of the dancers are unique in their own way and each brings something.  Maddie has stood out amongst the other girls on the show and has been noticed by professionals.  But of course she's not the only talented 12 year old.  There's room for many more.

Speaking of that, has Kalani been doing anything?  Her mother is a total stage mom and I imagine she has an agent, etc.

[NextIteration]

This is how weirdly small the dance world is.

 

I went looking on the YouTube channel of the guy that filmed most of these videos and came up with this.

 

What caught my attention before I watched was the choreographer, Janelle Ginestra, she used train and do videos with Shane Sparks when she was very young and almost made it to the end of Bravo's dance competition show, she recently danced in Nicki Minaj's Anaconda video.  Then, right there in the comments - I had to laugh because people were asking if one of the dancers was Maddie.  heh.

 

And here is Asia with 9 million hits:

 

 

Edited June 10, 2015 by NextIteration

[sofiah]

Jordan Jones is pretty good at hip-hop as well

I love seeing these videos! We should have a general dance thread where we can share favorite routines and young dancers. We have the small talk thread. Would people mind posting more choreographers/dance videos there? I'd love to see more!

 

Yeah I love seeing them too!  Maybe we can start a general thread - or as you said, move it to the small talk thread if it starts to get too off topic!

 

 

I think the 11 year olds in the Rohanna video were better than Asia. I also lol at the fashion choices of these dancers. They're all sweating and wearing tons of layers. It's annoying because I can't see all the isolations with all the clothing they're wearing. Dumb.

 

 

I agree... way better.  I looked them up and Kaycee Rice and Charlize Glass (from the Rihanna video) are some of the best out there for their age.  Asia is "fierce" but I don't think she's actually that good at this type of dance.  

[Clemgo3165]

One thing Asia does have is the ability to make a dance her own and to "perform" it. 

[Rhondinella]

Jordan Jones is pretty good at hip-hop as well

I love seeing these videos! We should have a general dance thread where we can share favorite routines and young dancers. We have the small talk thread. Would people mind posting more choreographers/dance videos there? I'd love to see more!

 

Everyone, I took the suggestion (which was a good one) to have a separate thread for videos of DM dancers, and those DM adjacent, outside of the show.  Please put those links and discussion here.  However, if you want to discuss dance videos in general that have nothing to do with DM, please do that in the Small Talk thread.

 

TL; DR: Videos related to DM peeps--here; non-DM related videos: Small Talk.

 

Taking suggestions for a better thread title.  Submit your entires below.

[NextIteration]

I wasn't sure where to post this but, I'm just now watching SYTYCD S12.  Imagine my surprise when I saw this!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2IG-4Gykw0

 

See, way too sexy for Maddie.

Edited December 7, 2015 by NextIteration

[RazzleberryPie]

So....has no one explained what at Trap Queen is to Asia's parents? Can you be more inappropriate for a child?

I don't like Asia's style. She's a kid, so I don't really have an opinion on her personality, but I hate how they've always had her dressed up like Baby Ghetto Trans Hooker. My husband was sure she was a Little Person when I first forced him to watch AUDC with her. Her styling, her dance moves, her costumes, etc., were mostly tricks interspersed with snaps and twists. Just weird for a little kid.

I agree that part of the reason she was so impressive is because her face and build make her look so much younger than she is. She is indeed amazing at tricks and has attitude, but that's about it.

[RazzleberryPie]

I'm not a Asia fan (just hate her style, not her), but she's playing Sydney Simpson in the FX American Crime Story miniseries. That's a far bigger deal than some Sia video. This is the first series/season of the show produced by Ryan Murphy, the creator of Glee and American Horror Story. American Ceime Story: People be Oj has some huge names - John Travolta, Cuba Gooding Jr as OJ, David Schwimmer, Connie Britton, Selma Blair, Courtney Jones, Sarah Paulson, Nathan Lane, etc.

If this season is a success, he'll do more seasons like he does American Horror Stoey. Who knows yet if he'll recycle cast members for each different year like he does for AHS. (There's a new storyline and caries cast of teach year of AHS, so technically it is a miniseries and not a series).

This is a real show on a real network with real actors - and Abby has nothing to do with it. Glee on Fox and American Horror Story on fx have been two of the most successful franchises this decade. Good for Asia, even if it is a small part. If she impressed Ryan Murphy, he'll probably use her again and again like he does his other faves. She's be great for a Glee reboot in a few years.

[DoctorWhovian]

Asia is playing OJ's kid in some kind of tv mini series: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm5631604/

I liked BluRay more on the spin-off Asia had. I hope that BluRay grows up to be a super successful academic and the star of the family.

 

From this comment, am I to assume that Asia has a sibling named BluRay? What, was Playstation taken?

[RealityCowgirl]

Aw, Asia. I know she wasn't everyone's cup of tea, but I did appreciate her work ethic and the way she handled Abby's looney crap.

I watched just enough of her spinoff to confirm that her real challenge is psychotic parents who need to look out for more than her best business interests. The girl didn't seem to have an "off" button - just go until she collapses. Dad talked a good game, but he ended up being his own special brand of famewhore.

Her work ethic is good and she seems to take direction well. She may make it in spite of her parents.

Edited January 3, 2016 by RealityCowgirl

[leighroda]

From this comment, am I to assume that Asia has a sibling named BluRay? What, was Playstation taken?

Lol, it's an unfortunate case of not considering the last name when picking out the name. Bella is older than Beyonce's blue ivy, but I think that same line of thinking resulted in "Bella Blue"... the fact that their last name is "Ray" is just a happy accident I think, I guess they never said the whole name out loud before it was officially her name... I call dibs on "Xbox 360".

[Darknight]

Asia's parents been in the business for years. They know how it works. I bet they know people

[RazzleberryPie]

Has Asia's part on American Crime Story been aired yet? She plays Sidney Brown

[Daisy head]

It must KILL Melissa that Asia has a part in a Ryan Murphy show.  I realize Maddie just did a part in a movie (although I don't know how big that part was) & her whole Sia excursion - but you know that regardless of the success Maddie has, it will not sit well with Melissa to see any other one of those kids get a break.  I think she likes being THE mom of the star.  Plus, as someone upthread mentioned, Murphy tends to recycle cast, so this could be just the beginning of something for Asia.  All of this is IMO, of course.

I won't even go in to what this must be doing to Jill... 

Edited February 20, 2016 by Daisy head

[RazzleberryPie]

In my personal opinion, Asia being cast on a Ryan Murphy show is a bigger/better deal than any of the other kids' castings so far. Bigger than all the little Disney spits, bigger than videos, bigger than Kalani's prior castings, etc. I'd even say bigger than the Sia appearances on SNL, etc., primarily bc Asia on American Crime Story is an acting job, not just dance, and not in an unrecognizable wig or without her name being mentioned in credits.

I was not a fan of they little person drag queen style of dance from Asia - it was all just way too mature for her - but the kid is talented and has drive. I'll give her props where deserved.

Ryan Murphy does indeed recycle actors through series, and if he takes a liking to her, he's producing drama, horror, comedy, musicals, etc., and face it - he's the 'IT' producer right now. Any association with him is pretty impressive.

I'm just waiting for Melissa to clutch her pearls and tsk tsk tsk at how inappropriate it is for Asia to be on a crime show, but you k ow she'd knock Asia out and thrust Maddie into that role ASAP if she could.

[RCharter]

It must KILL Melissa that Asia has a part in a Ryan Murphy show.  I realize Maddie just did a part in a movie (although I don't know how big that part was) & her whole Sia excursion - but you know that regardless of the success Maddie has, it will not sit well with Melissa to see any other one of those kids get a break.  I think she likes being THE mom of the star.  Plus, as someone upthread mentioned, Murphy tends to recycle cast, so this could be just the beginning of something for Asia.  All of this is IMO, of course.

I won't even go in to what this must be doing to Jill... 

He really does.  He was an ardent supporter of Nene Leakes....until he wasn't.

[Becki]

I've been watching the OJ mini series, and I thought , that was Asia. So far her scenes are very few. IIRC, just a scene of her running in and saying "Daddy" or something like that when she saw OJ, and I'm guessing that it's Asia's voice on the answer machine that you hear in Nicole's house. It's After Nicole was Murdered, the voice on the answer machine says something like- "Mommy where are you? I'm at the Police station and want to come home".

It's been a few weeks since I watched the OJ mini series, but that's all I've seen of Asia so far.

[RealityCowgirl]

So I'm finally watching the two-hour Grey's episode from last night (4/14). Low and behold, who's the girl some have been describing as awesome? Asia. Did not see that coming. Off to watch and judge for myself.

[leighroda]

I just had seen Asia was on greys, and I walked in my sisters room and she happened to be watching greys anatomy from last night I asked if she had seen Asia and she said no, literally I turned around and Asia was in the screen, I was like that's her. I don't want to post any spoilers but she did really well in the scene I saw.

[DoctorWhovian]

I'd rather be on Grey's Anatomy than some bit Nickelodeon or Disney show

[Clemgo3165]

Watched Sia on GMA this morning - loved her new songs, lots to dance to and she doesn't seem nearly as weird as her videos make her seem - except for the hair that is. 

What was weird was watching an adult dancer take Maddie's role while the video with Maddie dancing played on the big screen. Maddie's got it in spades over the adult dancer, but maybe it's difficult to create that childlike bounce and enthusiasm when you're not 12 or 13. 

[taragel]

Saw a list of the Teen Choice Award nominees today and Maddie, Chloe, and Kalani were all nominated for Choice Dancer, while Mackenzie was nominated for Choice Muser (not sure what that is exactly: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/teen-choice-awards-2016-nominees-915639

Also Nia's off-broadway show Trip of Love is closing August 7, but it's set the record for longest running production at Stage 42: http://www.broadway.com/buzz/185546/trip-of-love-starring-dance-moms-nia-sioux-sets-closing-date-off-broadway/

[leighroda]

On July 29, 2016 at 9:01 PM, taragel said:

Saw a list of the Teen Choice Award nominees today and Maddie, Chloe, and Kalani were all nominated for Choice Dancer, while Mackenzie was nominated for Choice Muser (not sure what that is exactly: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/teen-choice-awards-2016-nominees-915639

Also Nia's off-broadway show Trip of Love is closing August 7, but it's set the record for longest running production at Stage 42: http://www.broadway.com/buzz/185546/trip-of-love-starring-dance-moms-nia-sioux-sets-closing-date-off-broadway/

"Muser" comes from an app called "musically.ly" basically an app kinda like snapchat I guess but you lip sync and make little videos.

[taragel]

It's impressive how almost all (sorry, Kendall, it's not your...year) the girls have managed to leverage their DM fame into all kind of ancillary fame. It took a while for it to happen but kudos to them all. (Maddie won, the others did not at Teen Choice Awards.)

Edited August 12, 2016 by taragel