Dance Moms in the Media

[NextIteration]

They are done at the break.  Lifetime ordered 10 more episodes that start taping at the beginning of April and from what Abby said, neither of the Ziegler girls will be in them.

[RCharter]

So Maddie and Kenzie are gone, with maybe more kids gone, and 10 episodes left. So sad :( Wonder what Kenzie will do now.

I hope she just gets to be a kid.  I'm guessing she will never get much of Melissa's attention because she isn't Maddie...with all the bells and whistles and what not, but maybe she just gets to be closer to her dad and just spends time being a kid.  Joining a basic dance team if she wants, in a few years maybe cheer, focusing on her studies.  She seems like a very bright little girl.  I suppose she could go into acting if she wanted to.  I think Nia, Jojo, and Kenzie are the three I would peg as potentially being in some Disney or Nickelodeon show.  In fact, I think it was a mistake for Holly to counsel Nia to do music first, I'm ALWAYS rooting for Nia, but I think there have been more cases of a successful kid actor going into music than the other way around.

[Odelia]

Nia is too old to be a kid actor though?

Unfortunately I doubt Kenzie will get to be normal, more likely dragged around wherever Maddie goes.

[RCharter]

Nia is too old to be a kid actor though?

Unfortunately I doubt Kenzie will get to be normal, more likely dragged around wherever Maddie goes.

She is 14, that seems like a kid/teen to me.  She seems like she would fit right in on one of those Disney/Nick shows.

 

I sincerely hope that Kenzie is able to find her own path.  Melissa is a birdbrain.

[Chalby]

 I'm still no fan of Sia or this type of contemporary dance.

I like Sia, but I am over the cover-your-face gimmick. Only because it becomes a 'gimmick' if the social awareness behind the action becomes lost. Lost, it is.

[RCharter]

I like Sia, but I am over the cover-your-face gimmick. Only because it becomes a 'gimmick' if the social awareness behind the action becomes lost. Lost, it is.

I was kinda over it the second time she did it.  It is very gimmicky, which is unfortunate because I don't think her music requires any gimmicks.  I'm surprised she is still doing it.  Maybe she feels like she can't drop it now, but she really should consider dropping it now.  

[Nana41]

"The Zeigler sisters recently revealed they will be leaving the show after season six"

 

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3489786/Ray-sunshine-Maddie-Ziegler-wears-bright-yellow-dress-joins-sister-Mackenzie-Dance-Moms-cast-Kids-Choice-Awards.html

[RazzleberryPie]

I personally think Sia covers her face because she's old for a pop singer. Hide your face, no one knows you're in your 40s and look like you could easily be in your 50s. 

[Chalby]

I personally think Sia covers her face because she's old for a pop singer. Hide your face, no one knows you're in your 40s and look like you could easily be in your 50s. 

Fair enough, and the public eye is glaringly ruthless when it comes to critiquing a person's looks, especially with high-def cameras.

[RazzleberryPie]

I danced through college, and admit I am pretty quick to pick up on (and judge) 'artistic temperaments' vs flat out divas vs 'fake it til you make it/gimmicks'. I personally think Sia's bag on her head is a gimmick, but whatever. Everyone can decide for themselves to take what any performer says at face value, or at what gives them $$ and attention. Pun intended.

[Darknight]

So Abby is jealous that the girls are getting attention without her.

[tessa]

Maddie may be doing well - but Chloe continues to also get  noticed and she's meeting people who may boost her career too.

[RazzleberryPie]

Know what I find hilarious - youtube's Dance Mom's channel from LIfetime - official clips - has a commercial with Chloe being interviewed between Every Single Dance mom clip.

[Tasya]

Chloe is not my favorite and never has been; but good for her. 

[CousinAmy]

What is YSB now?

[tessa]

http://www.ysbnow.com/en/

 Ot's a new twitter platform kind of like a Star Magazine for teens and tweens

[taragel]

Maddie's got a new video with Sia:

http://www.people.com/article/sia-releases-cheap-thrills-performance-video-starring-maddie-ziegler

 

And Nia has a small cameo at the end of this awesome tap routine of Beyonce's Formation by Syncopated Ladies:

[Clemgo3165]

The Sia vid is just totally bizarre, but then they all are, LOL. Maddie does a great job in it though I'm still squicked by her dancing with two grown men in nude leotards. 

 

Thanks for bringing the Formation video over, it was awesome and great to see Nia too.

[takalotti]

I didn't like the Sia video due to the editing/cinematography.

The weird choreography doesn't bug me, nor does having men in nude leotards dancing with Maddie. (But I didn't mind the video with Shia either, so take my opinion with a grain of salt.)

But I didn't like how often the shots were washed out to the point that you could barely see the dancers. Generally when I watch a video I expect to, you know, SEE it. And then there were so many shots that were just from the waist up while their legs and feet were clearly doing something. Why choreograph a dance if you're not going to film the bottom half of it for half the video?

[Absolom]

I haven't liked a single Sia video so to me it was just another in a string of meaningless mess.  It's redundant at this point.

[takalotti]

This is actually the first one I didn't like. And I'm not even a Maddie fan or a Sia fan.

I enjoyed the first one the most due the dancing.

I liked the second one a little less. It had less dancing, but was thought provoking, to me.

I liked the third one a little less. It had no dancing, but I still liked the message it was trying to convey and I was okay with how they did it, spastic psycho-ness and all. I didn't mind how most of it was a head/torso shot because there wasn't any leg/feet dancing going on to miss in the shots.

But the third one just annoyed me for the reasons mentioned previously.

Edited March 22, 2016 by takalotti

[RazzleberryPie]

I haven't liked a single Sia video so to me it was just another in a string of meaningless mess.  It's redundant at this point.

I didn't really like the first one - Chandelier - but I understood it. The one with Shia was just too disconnected and angsty, the third one was about to trigger a migraine. None of them are nearly as thought provoking or profound as Sia or the ALDC portray it.

[Tasya]

I actually thought this one was the best dance wise since Chandelier. The tune is catchy and the dance is really fun. I think that if Sia had let go of the nude leos and the blank stage and actually had them dancing on a set it would have been a lot better. But the dancing itself I thought was great. 

[RCharter]

Enough with Maddie and Nia! It's supposed to be Kendall's century!

KENDALL K FOREVER!!!!

[tessa]

Wow - Maddie is a great dancer but the faces in the video really distract me and do to that ever since the 1st Sia video - I haven't liked them

 

Now how did I miss the Todrick video 2 years ago? 

 

This I actually thought was cute!

[takalotti]

Filmed in my school's library! (And cafeteria, but that one's new since I left so it doesn't feel like mine.)

Holly used to work there before she went to our (faux) rival school.

Edited March 23, 2016 by takalotti

[KaveDweller]

Who's that other girl featured in the video? I see Maddie, Mackenzie, Kendall, Nia, and someone else.

[RCharter]

Who's that other girl featured in the video? I see Maddie, Mackenzie, Kendall, Nia, and someone else.

I think Kilani is in the video, but she looks a little different to me.

[RealityCowgirl]

Isn't that Peyton?

[MaddyMaeboxerbabe]

Peyton, maybe?

[tessa]

The taller girl is Peyton.

[Bananna]

Who's that other girl featured in the video? I see Maddie, Mackenzie, Kendall, Nia, and someone else.

I think the other girl is Payton

[NextIteration]

Kendall and Jill are making themselves look impossible  to work with. Who wants to have to deal with this on set?

 

Melissa looks and sounds just as bad in this tease.  Good thing that Maddie and Kenzie have other representation.  It will be interesting to see what she's responding to - I'm not an Ashlee fan at all, but these women are wound tight about her, and honestly - her observations aren't that far off reality.  Brynn is very good dancer.

 

Dance moms in the wild (the competitive shitty stage mom sort) are awful in the wild.  And when Christi pitched this idea, she hit on something.

Edited March 27, 2016 by NextIteration

[Venee]

My girl Chloe - still rocking it! She's been busy this month - youtube video of photo shoot and 90 degree website with finished photos.

 

 

https://www.90degreebyreflex.com/

Wow she looks exactly like Christi! I feel like Christi dropped the ball with Chole. She could have been an apprentice at a major ballet company right now, if Christi hadn't been in love with "fame" over developing Chloe's true dance potential. She should have gone the YAGP route, and found a reputable studio  for her daughter to  pursue some serious ballet. I feel like that line in mean girls  "quit trying to make Fetch happen"  is so applicable but instead insert Chloe for "fetch". Her Mom has been doing the most since that smack down at the ALDC studio to try and prove something. Trying to compete with Maddie's current situation has prove futile. She could have been a stunning ballerina IMHO.

[tessa]

But was that what Chloe really wanted? We sit and quarterback - myself included - but we never think about what the kids want. I danced for 12 years and am happy for all my experiences but that wasn't what I wanted to do with my life. Just the latest episode = Maddie admits given the choice of a movie or dance - she'd rather act - even though for the past 5 years - dance was her life.

 

I think Christi like Holly. Kira and Kelly has let their children decide what's important to them and has not pushed them - unlike Jill who continues with the Kendall K BS.

[Venee]

But was that what Chloe really wanted? We sit and quarterback - myself included - but we never think about what the kids want. I danced for 12 years and am happy for all my experiences but that wasn't what I wanted to do with my life. Just the latest episode = Maddie admits given the choice of a movie or dance - she'd rather act - even though for the past 5 years - dance was her life.

 

I think Christi like Holly. Kira and Kelly has let their children decide what's important to them and has not pushed them - unlike Jill who continues with the Kendall K BS.

I doubt if Chole even knew that option was available, because the number one thing her Mother would have had to do is move her to a real dance studio years prior to that show even being filmed, and not keep her at that house of mental abuse called ALDC. 

[RazzleberryPie]

I think all of these girls have veered way off from just wanting to dance or be dancers to wanting to be celebrities.

[tessa]

I agree - growing up - I wanted to be an astronaut, a teacher, a nun LOL and a vet. I ended up going to school to be a radiologic technologist - but in truth - I was happy just being married and being a mom. Our parents can guide us and in so doing make decisions that they think are in our best interests - but in the long run - once we hit puberty - we have our own ideas.

[Darknight]

But was that what Chloe really wanted? We sit and quarterback - myself included - but we never think about what the kids want. I danced for 12 years and am happy for all my experiences but that wasn't what I wanted to do with my life. Just the latest episode = Maddie admits given the choice of a movie or dance - she'd rather act - even though for the past 5 years - dance was her life.

I think Christi like Holly. Kira and Kelly has let their children decide what's important to them and has not pushed them - unlike Jill who continues with the Kendall K BS.

It's not about the kids but the parents. Parents wanted fame. Kids now want fame because of the attention and freebies.

[RealityCowgirl]

Scripted or not, how can this kind of public display - on film for the world to see - work out well for them? For their professional aspirations? Seriously.

Haven't watched since Chloe left; but I follow this forum, where I've read endless descriptions or similar kinds of heinous behavior from others. Honestly, why would a responsible parent willingly accept such a role while also expecting the gates of grand opportunities to just fling open for her child? How in the world does this behavior advance Kendall's options, whether it's real or scripted?

[RazzleberryPie]

Sad. Kendall and Jill were my faves for a while, mostly bc Jill was as nutty and kooky as Cathy, and obviously hamming it up for the cameras. Now she's just mean, and Kendall is also mean. Sadly, this is far more realistic with real life competitive dance/cheer/sports moms than everyone being friendly.

[littlemermaid11]

It's not about the kids but the parents. Parents wanted fame. Kids now want fame because of the attention and freebies.

 

I don't believe even the parents really wanted fame in the beginning.  I think they honestly just thought it would be a fun little project, their kids would be on TV and they would tape it and watch it back in years to come and laugh.  I don't believe they thought the fame and the show would go as far as it did in the beginning, but once they did start gaining fans and freebies and attention, they became addicted.  The kids even more so.  Kids have always grown up craving popularity in school and such, even more nowadays with feeling like they need likes and attention on social media or they won't be 'cool'.  That's the case even for ordinary kids who want 50 likes from all the kids at school on their photos - these girls have hundreds of thousands of followers and fans.  Imagine going from that to being irrelevant at such a young age!  I just hope they can take it for what it is, stay humble and enjoy it while it lasts, and it doesn't mess them up too badly for the rest of their lives.

 

As for Chloe, I feel like she has a more manageable and healthy level of 'fame' at this stage.  Whereas the dance moms girls like Maddie and Kendall and Mackenzie are still very much wrapped up in fame, where they're living in LA and most of their waking lives center around their fame and the show, Chloe is getting more of the best of both worlds.  She gets to go to school and dance class in private and live a relatively ordinary private life, but still gets to enjoy dance and modelling opportunities and go to awards shows and such.  She seems to enjoy making her Youtube videos and seems very humble and down to earth in them, every bit the ordinary 13/14 year old girl.  I think she'll have fared best out of the show, because she left before it really went downhill for her.  I believe she's young enough and has a good enough head on her shoulders to still have time to work out any inferiority complex or low self esteem that Christi or Abby left her with and I really wish her all the best in life and her career.

 

Similarly I think the Hyland girls will get to enjoy a normal high school and college life, so long as the show didn't leave them permanently mentally scarred.

[Tasya]

Sorry but Chloe is seeking fame as much as any of the others. Her family has an apartment in L.A. because they were out there so frequently. She doesn't compete on her studio's team any longer because of how many other things she was doing. In contrast even Maddie still does some competitions here and there. I think that Chloe's fans like to pretend as if Christy isn't as much of a stage mom as Melissa is but that is simply not true. If fame wasn't what Chloe was after she would be in Pittsburgh doing occasional meet and greets and appearances like the Hyland girls do. Instead she is actively seeking to be more famous with each gig that she books. 

 

There's nothing wrong with being in it for the fame and opportunities but it frustrates me when everyone tries to hold that one family up as this example of the "right" way to do this whole Dance Moms thing. The truth is there is no right way to do this, unless you are in it for the fame. Otherwise you would never have your kid on this show after the 1st season when it became clear what this show was all aboue. 

[Odelia]

 

Similarly I think the Hyland girls will get to enjoy a normal high school and college life, so long as the show didn't leave them permanently mentally scarred.

Well Brooke at least shouldn't be scarred, I always had the impression Abby was rather fond of her. She complained Brooke lost her drive and such, but that was true. I did watch some of Paige's Youtube clips and she seems pretty happy, 100% normal teenage girl (as is Chloe). I do agree with Tasya that Chloe is seeking fame quite a lot though (maybe Christie's influence). Chloe is friends with teenagers who have been in movies/on TV, she has an "in" to the industry just like Maddie does.

[MyFavShows]

Sorry but Chloe is seeking fame as much as any of the others. Her family has an apartment in L.A. because they were out there so frequently. She doesn't compete on her studio's team any longer because of how many other things she was doing. In contrast even Maddie still does some competitions here and there. I think that Chloe's fans like to pretend as if Christy isn't as much of a stage mom as Melissa is but that is simply not true. If fame wasn't what Chloe was after she would be in Pittsburgh doing occasional meet and greets and appearances like the Hyland girls do. Instead she is actively seeking to be more famous with each gig that she books.

There's nothing wrong with being in it for the fame and opportunities but it frustrates me when everyone tries to hold that one family up as this example of the "right" way to do this whole Dance Moms thing. The truth is there is no right way to do this, unless you are in it for the fame. Otherwise you would never have your kid on this show after the 1st season when it became clear what this show was all aboue.

Thank you! Totally agree w/ this. Christy and Chloe are just as bad as the others w/ the fame chasing. I just think that they haven't been as successful in their chase (at least not yet) so everyone assumes they are living a normal life, when they are really doing (or trying to do) all the same stuff as the girls still on the show.

[Darknight]

Sorry but Chloe is seeking fame as much as any of the others. Her family has an apartment in L.A. because they were out there so frequently. She doesn't compete on her studio's team any longer because of how many other things she was doing. In contrast even Maddie still does some competitions here and there. I think that Chloe's fans like to pretend as if Christy isn't as much of a stage mom as Melissa is but that is simply not true. If fame wasn't what Chloe was after she would be in Pittsburgh doing occasional meet and greets and appearances like the Hyland girls do. Instead she is actively seeking to be more famous with each gig that she books.

There's nothing wrong with being in it for the fame and opportunities but it frustrates me when everyone tries to hold that one family up as this example of the "right" way to do this whole Dance Moms thing. The truth is there is no right way to do this, unless you are in it for the fame. Otherwise you would never have your kid on this show after the 1st season when it became clear what this show was all aboue.

Yep. Christy is right up there with melissa. The Hyland girls look so normal. Brooke going to school dances. Paige talking about school and hanging with friends. I don't think they take dance anymore. But Christi is still holding on to the dance mom fame.

[spanana]

Christi and Chloe may be after fame, but Christi did one thing right.  She got Chloe off Dance Moms instead of keeping her there for the "exposure", which is more than I can say for just about any of these other moms.  Also Chloe leaving Dance Moms means that Christi is pretty much out of the spotlight.  I know they do meet and greets and Christi still has a social media presence and all that, but to me at least it means Christi put Chloe above her own need for television airtime.  I have seen pics of Christi at various events and etc. but I certainly don't see/hear from her anymore on the level of Melissa, Jill, Holly and etc.  I don't think she's sitting there live tweeting Dance Moms for instance.

 

I also don't think there is anything wrong with going after a career if that is what you want.  Leaving Dance Moms doesn't equate to having to necessarily go home and live a pre-Dance Moms normal life.  Chloe seems to be seeing where she ride the Dance Moms momentum and I don't think there is anything really wrong with that.  She's not having Maddie success, but she's also not been wholly unsuccessful.  Also at least from what I've seen, the group of Hollywood kids she's hanging around with are all age appropriate and seemingly good well adjusted kids, so I don't see anything worrisome in her Hollywood behavior so far.

[RealityCowgirl]

Interesting contrasts that pretty much confirm what I projected onto the girls while u was watching (stopped when Chloe left). :)

Neither Hyland girl seemed to want anything but what so many other children want: a chance to dance while having fun with friends who shared the same goal. Abby/the show may have pounded that out of them. But I always thought that Kelly wanted the show waaaaaay more than Brooke and Paige did. That they're having fun being normal teens and enjoying private life is a *wonderful* thing.

I had a harder time reading Chloe, beyond seeing that particular environment was poison to her. I'm still now sure how much of her current path is what CHLOE wants vs. Christi, but I agree that this seems to be a healthier one that is serving her well. She's not having Maddie-level success, but I'm not so sure how much of that was a legitimate goal of hers - or Christi's - at the time.

Either way, their mothers/parents did the right thing in the end for their children. It's too bad others didn't do the same. Shame on them. What you all describe here is painful to read most weeks.

Edited April 10, 2016 by RealityCowgirl

[leighroda]

I'm going to probably have what's considered an "unpopular opinion" but I don't believe that every person who pursues any fame/spotlight is a fame whore. If that is your ambition and what you want, you have to have some hustle, you aren't going to make it by sitting back politely and waiting for opportunities to come to you. That being said I do think there are some ways better than others to go about that, I'm not going to specify who I think is or is not doing it right, but I kinda think over time that kinda sorts itself out, the ones who are driven because they want to do it tend to be more successful than those who don't want/don't care over time. Not to say the drama isn't damaging because it is extremely so... But I don't think inherently seeking fame is evil.

[Darknight]

Nah these moms are famewhores