S04.E16: Presenting My New Team

[halgia]

Abby presents her new junior elite competition team during pyramid, which shocks the original squad and their moms. With the new troupe in place, original dancers are pitted against their new counterparts.

[BusyOctober]

It's been said many times on various forums, but Child Protective Services needs to be made aware of these horrible "moms".  The level of immaturity and stunted emotional growth is astonishing in most of the adults on this show.  If one of them has an issue with another mom, why do they need to belittle the kids?  To call a child untalented, a loser, continuously point out their flaws, etc in a public manner is just reprehensible.  I don't agree with Abby's teaching methods, but she's the only one in a position to criticize the way one of her students is performing.  As a spectator mom...SHUT IT!

And enough of all of these stupid women boo-hooing how mean Abby is, how she ignores their kid, gives them crap costumes/choreography.  "Out kids don't deserve this treatment!" is their weekly battle cry. YOU are the jackass fame whores willing to emotionally scar your own children for 15 minutes on TV. If any of them felt any real empathy for those girls, they'd pack up their kids and leave the studio.  There are hundreds of studios to choose from in every state.

[KittyMomma]

Of course we don't have a conterpart for Maddie.  There is no one for her to compete against because she is so great.  I wish they would stop doing this.  I am tired of hearing how great Maddie is.

[mykidsbiggestfan]

This show drives me crazy, but I can't stop watching.  I do not know any of these kids in real life (so I will not talk about any of them as if I did) and I am not sure if there is anything Real left on this show. 

I know that there are a lot of people who comment on another site that really has a thing against Maddie and I am not sure how you blame an 11 year old who is only performing a role?  A lot of people do not like Melissa, but all of the other moms do the exact same thing as she does.  She wants the best for her children, but for some reason hers is always twisted.  Each week we have to see Christy talk about the dances that Chloe has been given or lack of time or any excuse for her child.  What is so different?  Same motive, just different words or tactics. 

I don't know how much I will like the new show if there will actually be 2 teams.  Two much of the Show's title in there for me "Dance Moms".  lol. 

When it comes to dancing ability only I really see Chloe having the "dancers body", maddie having great stage prescence, and Kalani just being a solid dancer.  All of the others are pretty even keel.  The one thing that has really started irking me is that none of Abby's girls can do turns and come out clean from them.  They always have to step back or add another move to try and make it look clean. 

I know people are just posting their opinions like I am, but these are young girls and since I don't know them and only see what the producers want me to see I can't say if one is sweeter than the next.  I am sure they all need a butt kick every once in a while.  They are human after all.

 

 

[wanderwoman]

Does anyone else wish that they had purchased the rights to the actual song they danced to (royalist)?  

[Absolom]

The plot lines they use are tired and worn out.  As for why they continue, they are under contract.  It isn't as easy to get out of the contract as is frequently thought.  We have a relative who does entertainment law and one of the things she does is negotiate TV actors out when they want to leave early.  It can take months and a lot of wrangling.  Frequently the actor ends up performing longer on the show than they wanted to do originally.  I don't believe the mothers had any idea what they were getting into when they signed on.  A lot of people are unbelievably naïve about entertainment contracts and get stars in their eyes instead of reading and getting advice. 

Viewership this week:  1.198 M viewers and a .7 rating.

I haven't watched this episode yet and I'm leery of Abby and a second team.

[Rhondinella]

Does anyone else wish that they had purchased the rights to the actual song they danced to (royalist)?

Ok, thank you.  I was confused (just watched tonight).  I'm not by any means really current with popular music, but even I know Royals when I hear it (it's been rather hard to miss in recent weeks and months), and I knew that wasn't it.  Now I know why.  What I don't get is why they didn't just edit it so we didn't realize they were supposed to be dancing to that in the first place?

Oh, Abbey.  Dressing the new team as princesses and the old team as servants?  You gotta admire the depths of her evilness sometimes, guys.

[BusyOctober]

The other thing that bothered me was the new mom Christy.  Man, was she trying hard to bring the dram and get air time!  I also didn't like her busting out the religion.  I am not religious and I know a lot of people are and seek comfort from prayer.  That's great.  But it's the hyper competitive moms (and dads) like the ones on this train wreck that tend to pray for "wins" or even for something detrimental to happen to the opposition. That is disturbing to me. We didn't see their prayer circle, but I hope it was more "please protect our girls from harm" vs. "please let us win another plastic trophy".

[Absolom]

The difference in the dances was diabolical.  Abby really handicapped her original team.  That was too obvious even for her.  Boots?  Really boots? 

[FozzieBeth]

I don't think the shoes should have caused a problem. They look like regular old-fashioned jazz boots to me.

[Bossca]

 

Does anyone else wish that they had purchased the rights to the actual song they danced to (royalist)?

Yes, they are probably making a fortune! Sounds very similar, probably will be used a lot.

 

The other thing that bothered me was the new mom Christy.  Man, was she trying hard to bring the dram and get air time!

She was so unpleasant, goodness, I am so glad Abby booted her off. Melissa said she had been at the studio for a year, and you could tell how desperate she was for attention. I would bet my life savings she went to Abby's to try to get on the show... Whether that is her personality or she was trying to bring the drama, I dont know, but she certainly didn't do herself or her daughter any favours. Speaking of her daughter, it is said that she sent Mackenzie some pretty nasty text messages, which Maddie told Melissa about, so that would explain some of the hostility from Melissa. I can find the link if anyone wants it.

 

 

I don't think the shoes should have caused a problem. They look like regular old-fashioned jazz boots to me.

The boots stop the line of the leg, you can't see the pointed foot and leg as well, as well as being harder to dance in than half-soles. I'd say it caused a disadvantage. I really liked their dance (Royals), I wonder if someone else choreographed it because it certainly didn;t look like regular Abby choreography.

[mykidsbiggestfan]

Does anyone know if there will be a new season and if so when it will be back?  I really hope the "New" Christy will not be on as well as the old one.  Maybe Chloe's dad can start bringing her to class and call the show "Dance Mom & Dad". 

I think without all of the cameras Abby can't be that bad.  I can still see the girls admire her or maybe admire is not the right word, but care about her in some way.  This show concept was a good idea, but I think it just ran its course and should have ended after a couple of seasons.  That way everything would not have gotten so twisted and everyone would not think the kids were being abused day in & out.

[Absolom]

I know people who have worked with Abby (other dance teachers and choreographers).  They all despise her and say she's even worse than a lot of what is shown on Dance Moms. 

[Rhondinella]

I agree that she's probably just as bad or worse in real life.  But I also agree that the girls seem, most of the time, to have a connection with and affection for her (and she for them) that somehow is buried underneath all that.  Especially between her and MacKenzie (Maddie, too, but Maddie never gets yelled at).  Maybe it's just Stockholm Syndrome on the part of the girls, I don't know.

[spanana]

I do call bull on the Abby isn't as bad as she appears on television.  If anything,  I think it greatly depends on who you are and how much Abby likes you.   According to the guy on Afterbuzz who was working at the competition featured in the season finale (you can see him on stage handing out awards), Abby pulled all the judges into a room after Chloe's win telling them a whole sob story about why Chloe didn't deserve to win and basically trying to get to change their opinions I guess?  It sounds like the judges basically told her to shove it and that was that, but if you want to see his account of what went down, check it out here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL39B296C901D02761&v=me536s8LPWc&app=desktop

It comes in around the 50 minute mark. 

So yes, Abby sounds like a peach and I'm not sure why this guy would have reason to lie about how it went down. 

[mykidsbiggestfan]

I am just going off of what I read on line, but I am sure Abby is closer to Melissa's girls because of the help Melissa got for her.  Who wouldn't be, they helped save her dance studio.  Now at this point she should have no worries until the show goes off the air.  I am sure all involved make loads of money. 

Why I think some of this is just staged for the show is because Holly allows this to happen to Nia.  Her background with working with children just does not seem to add up with all of the anger and mental abuse that is show on tv.

[wanderwoman]

WoW!  Listening to that video....about Abby lobbying against Chloe's first place win...I am feeling really bad for Chloe.  Allegedly, Abby said, "I can act.   I can go in that room and pretend to congratulate Chloe, but that doesn't mean I'm happy for her!"  What mature adult says shit like that about a child?  I didn't have much respect for Abby, but I have even less now.  How insecure do you have to be to sabotage your pupil like that?

[Absolom]

There is an article out now.

[spanana]

Even presuming these are fake competitions, how does one person think it's professional to pull aside all the judges to protest a win by her own student citing reasons about Chloe missing class.  First of all if Chloe misses class then fine, by why would judges care about all of that?  They are only supposed to care about what actually happens on the stage.  Not what happens in the classroom.  

[Lemons]

It doesn't sound realistic that Abby did that.  She would know that the judges don't care if a dancer went to class, etc...   They just judge what they see.  That guy sounds like an idiot. 

[Absolom]

From things I've heard and seen, I put nothing past Abby.

[crabbypants]

Didn't we see Abby try to get a girl disqualified when she forgot her dance?  Why not try for docked scores for not showing up?

[Lemons]

She tried to get a girl disqualified before and she got nowhere.  I don't think she would embarrass herself again by trying and failing to change a judge's mind.  Both girls won their divisions.  If she didn't want Chloe to possibly win, she wouldn't have given her a solo. 

 

The whole new team thing is just to add new interest in the show.  It was more interesting watching new kids and their just as crazy mothers. 

[Rhondinella]

I don't know, lemons.  I don't know why this person would make up this story.  And honestly I can completely believe it of Abby.  Your analysis is perfectly rational and sane, but Abby clearly is not.

[leighroda]

It's nit picky, but it is driving me crazy that Abby called Kamryn's solo "fate" because the song is actually saying "faith" (the real song title is "bravedancing" by Rachael Sage). If I give Abby the benefit of the doubt that maybe she realized that but just wanted to call the solo "fate", but I suspect she misheard the lyrics.