Boys vs. Girls

Ever since the caveman era, there has been competition between genders - I remember running around on the playground when I was younger yelling "girls rule, boys drool!" This week's episode of Dance Moms definitely plays into the gender competitiveness that exists today.

As you all know, the Abby Lee Dance Company is comprised entirely of girls. These girls are unstoppable and have been completely unbeatable this season. There is another team that the ALDC competes against every so often - the Candy Apples Dance Center. Candy Apples and Abby Lee have had a budding rivalry over the years because even though the Abby Lee girls are phenomenal dancers, the CADC has something that the ALDC doesn't - BOYS. The male gender is a minority when it comes to the dance world, so a team with boys definitely has a leg up on the competition!

The CADC performed a routine that they had been practicing for a few weeks at the competition while the ALDC performed a routine that they had just learned that week! Crisis ensues when the music for the Abby Lee routine "Frost" is too quiet for the girls to hear. They get off to a rocky start but manage to pull it together and execute a great performance. Below are videos of the two routines. Did you enjoy watching boys perform over the girls? Also - any guesses on who won the competition?!

Sister, Sister

Hello DM lovers. This past week on Dance Moms, the two sisters on the team - Maddie and Mackenzie - were put head to head at the competition. The two sisters are extremely strong dancers and have proven to be two of Abby's favorites. The funny part about their duel is that Abby made Mackenzie perform a solo that Maddie had performed when she was Mackenzie's age. The solo is called "Cry" and when Maddie performed it years ago, she won first place in her division. This put a lot of pressure on Mackenzie because everyone on the team is always being compared to Maddie. When Mackenzie is challenged to perform not just against Maddie, but with a solo that Maddie perfected, she is scrutinized the entire episode for not being enough like Maddie.

Below are two videos, the first is Maddie's performance of "Cry" from 2011, and the second video is Mackenzie's performance of "Cry" from 2014. Any opinions on who executed the solo better? 

Another New Girl?!

Good afternoon fellow Dance Mom fans! This week on the Dedicated to Dance Moms blog I would like to talk about ANOTHER new girl that Abby has invited onto the team - Fallon. 

 
Fallon is a dancer that impressed Abby at one of her open call auditions, and everyone who is dedicated to Dance Moms knows that is not an easy task. Abby gave Fallon the privilege of performing a solo at this weeks competition, and let's just say that it was not ALDC worthy. In fact, halfway through Fallon's performance, Abby waltzed up to the judges booth and asked them to disqualify the routine, how humiliating! But after Fallon's poor solo performance, she was able to rise to the occasion and keep up with Maddie, Chloe, Kendall, and Nia in the group routine, which placed First Place! This is the ALDC's 10th First Place win in a row, which shows that Abby does not necessarily need recruit new team members -  her original team is tough to beat.

Here is the group dance that the girls performed this week entitled Red With Envy. I thought the costumes were extremely fierce and gave these sweet little girls a devilish appearance. 

Next week we will discover if Fallon stays or goes... OR if another new girl is added to the team! Stay tuned!

Riches to Rags

On this weeks episode of Dance Moms, the members of the ALDC performed a routine called "Riches to Rags" Abby chose this theme because the competition took place in Detroit, Michigan and she wanted to express the hardships that some people are going through due to the decline of the motor industry. Oh Abby, always has to push the envelope!

The routine actually turned out to be pretty cute! The girls executed the theme very well. I like when they perform cute dances like this because I think it plays better into their youth than to perform super serious pieces with a lot of deep meanings.

Below are videos and in each routine the ALDC performs very different . What type of dance do you prefer to watch? Do you like fun and cute routines or serious and meaning-filled routines?

How Much Is Too Much?

Instead of talking about a specific episode of Dance Moms on this week's blog, I would just like to talk about the topic of "tough love." Abby Lee Miller is quite the advocate for tough love, as she is often yelling and screaming at her dancers. Though I agree that sometimes you can't always be the nice guy, I think that Miss Abby takes it too far and has over time broken down the spirits of her dancers, and has instilled fear into them. 

I am the President of Bradley's Orchesis Dance Company, and I have had to give tough love to my teammates before. It's not always the best feeling being looked at as the one who "doesn't want to have any fun" and is making everyone do extra work, but in order to look our best for performances I know that it is necessary. While tough love is needed sometimes, I still do not think taking it to the level that Abby does is appropriate. I have attached a brief video of a time when Abby yelled at her group when I don't think it was appropriate, and this video actually makes Abby look like an angel in comparison to other situations!

I recently saw this photo online and I thought it did a great job giving a distinction between Bosses and Leaders. According to this I definitely think Abby Lee acts as a boss instead of a leader.

I know we have a lot of athletes in class, and I was just wondering if I am being too sensitive to the girls on the ALDC when I say that Abby is too harsh on them? Are the remarks and the feedback she gives the girls appropriate or is it too much? Would love to hear some thoughts on the topic from anyone!