<p>Yeah, I think there are enough fanatical band parents to make a pretty good reality show. And I say that in the best way. I always wanted to be a Band Mom but none of my kids wanted to be in band. </p>
<p>How about a flattering reality show, that is respectful of what the kids do (march around in 100+ degree weather weeks before school starts!) and what the parents do for the group (push around precussion, sew huge color guard flags, work that darned concession stand, etc.)</p>
<p>Oh there wasn’t usually a bar AT the competition, except for the ones at Nationals that were held in big hotel/convention center complexes. But at regionals, they’d head for lunch at a place that served wine… and linger. ;)</p>
<p>ABSOLUTELY, missypie!! My older two boys WERE in band and I was actually on staff as a marching band instructor. Those kids’ dedication in enduring heat (and later cold) in learning and perfecting their performance is second maybe only to the football players. And they get way less respect. :)</p>
<p>A few random comments here…</p>
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Same at our studio.</p>
<p>I would have loved a bar at the dance competitions (and I don’t men a ballet barre). Thermos never occurred to me.</p>
<p>As for the marching band, I am the person at the football games who doesn’t watch the actual game, but I love the band/dance team/cheerleaders/flags, etc.</p>
<p>I was actually pondering ths thread and a dance moms show on my way into work. (Hey, it’s a long commute.) </p>
<p>We watch the little girl pageant shows on occasion. As presented on the shows, the pageants appear to be utterly devoid of any redeeming value. Bratty tots, moms obsessed with their Ds looks and clothes, all superficial. (I admit that I already had a negative opinion of little girl pageants even before I watched a reality show about them.)</p>
<p>But is it possible that, in moderation, the pageants can be a positive in a little girl’s life? Might they up a girl’s self confidence, make her less likely to be nervous when she has to give a speech later in life? (This is an actual question, because I’m not convinced that the positive outweighs the negative in the pageants.) </p>
<p>My point is that the reality shows started with the kid activity that most of the viewers would see as ridiculous, and in my opinion, showing 100% negative and 0% positive (assuming any positive exists.)</p>
<p>Do they think dance company is the second most ridiculous kid activity? I totally disagree. Even the girl who is the weakest dancer, the back row girl, learns so much. First, she has to go through an audition, showing her skills (such as they are) to judges. Once she makes company, she has to commit to lots of rehearsals, going to practice even when she doesn’t feel great or has lots of homework. She has to manage scores of costume pieces mostly on her own, trying not to misplace them in crowded dressing rooms. She has to learn to get along with the other girls on her team. And, she performs. Often in skimpy costumes. It is hard to be deadly shy giving a speech at school when you’ve danced around in booty shorts in front of hundreds of people. </p>
<p>I think the dance company girls are less awkward in the tween years than many other girls. And I think all that is a plus, even for the least talented girl in the company.</p>
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<p>I dont think it’s that the featured activities themselves are ridiculous (barring kiddie beauty pageants), but rather the opportunity in any given activity to bring the crazy, which is what reality producers live for. Pageants, obviously. Any kind of stage mom or dad will do, though and havent there already been short-lived reality shows about showbiz moms and dads and even sports moms and dads?</p>
<p>I have known my share of whack-job dance moms and this was in a ballet studio, not a competition school but the all-time winner in the pushy lunatic competition was an orchestra mom. Lots of epic conflicts with people, threatened lawsuits with the school for various reasons, actual lawsuits with neighbors, etc. But an orchestra mom berating the music teacher in the hallway probably isnt as telegenic as kids in cute costumes in big venues.</p>
<p>I saw the promo for a second time last night and belated realized that it seems to depict a conflict between the studio director and a faculty member? Or was the defensive blonde lady a mom with costume responsibilities? The formidable, ticked-off larger lady is the studio head,it seems. If we’re gonna talk crazy dance teachers, I’ve got some stories … but why call the show “Dancemoms”?</p>
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<p>The D of that cheer mom graduated this year. I’m surprised the whole school board wasn’t doing a happy dance as she walked across the stage.</p>
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<p>Yeah, I suppose that is possible. </p>
<p>The only first-hand experience I ever had with little-girl beauty pageants was, actually, when my d’s dance company was asked to perform for one. My D’s group was doing a musical theatre piece to “Hard Knock Life”, from Annie, and they were dressed as orphans while all these little girls through teenagers (who were pageant contestants) were all very overly made-up. The contrast was stark, to say the least. </p>
<p>We witnessed one mom yanking a dress off of her little girl (maybe 4-5 years old) who was crying because she wanted to wear that dress while her mom wanted her in the other one. She (the mom) was doing this in front of all of us in the dressing room. It was pretty awful. I was so glad then that my daughter was a dancer and not a pageant kid.</p>
<p>I think pageants are one step above child abuse ! All that spray tan and make-up ! Awful !!</p>
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<p>No one would watch a show called “Dance Teachers.” </p>
<p>The producers are obviously trying to cash in on the success of Toddlers and Tiaras. They look at the similarities: Pretty young girls, check. Over-the-top outfits, check. Heavy makeup, check. Over-involved moms, check. Cut-throat competition, check. And with dance, they have the bonus of a psycho teacher. Pure gold!</p>
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Just watched the first episode, and sure enough, two of the moms went off to the hotel bar! All I could think was, “Lafalum84 nailed that one.” :)</p>
<p>I watched with d3 and one of her dance friends. We found a lot to giggle over, though several of the big dramatic scenes seemed staged (because they were, of course!). I can’t quite believe that a minister mother would run screeching through a dance studio, berating the owner - not that the owner didn’t deserve a cosmic slapdown. </p>
<p>Some of those girls are going to give their moms a merry ride someday.</p>
<p>I lasted 10 minutes and was bored out of my skull. It all seemed so staged and fake. Learn a new dance in just a week! A pyramid of jealousy! The moms confined to a small space to stew and snipe! (But it did make me wonder if the lovely dancers I see on So You Think You can Dance are the product of this kind of cutthroat competition.) I snapped off the TV and started reminiscing about my D’s very short dance class experience as a 4 year old, which culminated with a scintillating recital performance of “Animal Crackers”, where she wore an adorable and ridiculously expensive zebra costume. Every now and then we drag out the video, not so much to watch D, but to break up again over the one little girl whose stage fright rooted her to one spot for the entire song while she wailed her head off, the others all dancing around her and occasionally colliding with her. We like to think it’s her family’s favorite too.</p>
<p>^ Oh those old recital videos are a hoot! In D’s first one (she was 4), one of the girls put her hands on another girl’s shoulders and turned her around, then they were both going the wrong way. A slightly older group was ending a dance and one girl PUSHED another one off stage. Too funny.</p>
<p>I have time on my hands and am watching this show…not sure how long I will last. </p>
<p>This show makes my daughter’s studio owner (who I used to think was pretty tough) look like the sweetest most understanding person in the world. This teacher is just AWFUL. </p>
<p>The kids are talented and obviously this woman teaches good technique, but I can only imagine how these little girls grow up…</p>
<p>And the moms are pretty awful too. Seriously, why would these women go on this show???</p>
<p>That was my question when I first heard about the show’s premise. But the producers obviously found several moms who don’t mind showing their worst selves on camera.</p>
<p>Though I agree that several of the dancers are quite good, I don’t understand when and how they’ve actually learned to dance. They must take technique classes in addition to their daily hectoring from Abby. I wonder whether she teaches any technique classes herself, and how she manages it. My daughters’ dance teachers (even the almost-60 y/o) led every class and demonstrated every step themselves. Abby doesn’t seem able to do that because of her size, which keeps her from being able to stand up easily, let alone demonstrate proper technique. </p>
<p>I think the wacko mom/teacher from another studio (Candy Apples?) tried out for the show and was too hard for producers to pass up, so they created her ridiculous story line.</p>
<p>Just watched the show. I can’t understand why the parents stay at the studio of a dance teacher they despise. The kids all look miserable.
I’m glad to be a cross-country mom…zero drama and lots of fresh air!</p>
<p>The bit that I watched (could not stand it any more), included Abby telling one of the girls that she needed to go to “tap class”, so I am assuming they had technique classes (taught by others) in addition to the “competition team” coaching by Abby. </p>
<p>How old are the girls that are “featured” in this show? What Abby calls her competition team? And are there not any older girls? Maybe they wise up after a while…</p>
<p>I caught about an episode and a half during today’s marathon. Yes, it should be called Jerky Dance Teacher. Where do they live that the moms don’t just yank their kids from her studio? I guess that in each region there is a studio or two that is ultra desirable, where the parents would be afraid of making waves. But heck, this isn’t the Amerian Ballet Theatre school and those kids aren’t that talented. Around here (and maybe it’s partly a function of the economy) the comp teachers and studio owners know that their income depends on happy parents.</p>
<p>I think they are in Pittsburgh…there must be other choices in big city like that.</p>
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<p>I saw a brief glimpse of a class that looked like senior level dancers. But the show is focusing on these particular dancers, and I think they were chosen for a couple of reasons. First, it’s all about the moms, and maybe these were the “juiciest” moms who were willing to be on this trainwreck of a show. And second, the premise of the show is moms and teachers abusing young children. Girls this age fill the “helpless victim” role better than, say, high-schoolers would.</p>