If you haven't seen the Lifetime television series, Dance Moms, I highly recommend keeping it that way. Set at the Abby Lee Dance Company in Pittsburgh, Dance Moms follows a team of pre-teen dancers as they perform in highly-esteemed competitions across America. And while the show advertises itself as a performing arts based program, about three quarters of each episode focuses on the dancers' overemotional mothers as they bicker with the dance instructors, choreographers, each other, and just about anyone that poses a threat to their daughters' success.For a while, watching what fans dubbed "the mommy meltdowns" seemed like innocuous entertainment. But after delving a bit deeper into the show's history, I discovered some dark controversies that led me to officially declare my Dance Moms days behind me.
Racism
It won't come as much of a shock to Dance Moms' seasoned viewers that Abby Lee Miller, the show's dance instructor and main choreographer, is constantly being accused of stereotyping, categorizing, and typecasting the African American members of her Junior Elite Competition Team. Since leaving the cast, some of the dancers have published their accounts of what really went on during rehearsals, and their claims have been truly revealing. Here are a few of the most disturbing comments Abby and other producers have supposedly made to the girls and their mothers:
- "Kamryn was only cast because we needed a sprinkle of colour."
- "We don't want any Little Tooties on the team." (referring to Tootie Ramsey, the only person of colour on the Facts of Life).
- "Do you want me to tell you why you are really here? Look in the mirror. That's the only reason you are here."
Some of these controversies have resurfaced recently, largely as a result of the protesting in the States, and less than a week ago, Lifetime cut all ties with Abby Lee Miller. A Dance Moms spinoff series scheduled to premier in the summer was officially called off.
Emotional Trauma
It's no secret that the cast of Dance Moms was overworked, overwhelmed, and put under excessive pressure, especially considering some of the members were no older than 6-years-old. There is suspicion for instance, (although no confirmed evidence) that the frequency of work breaks required by Pennsylvania child labour laws was consistently undermined.There were also clauses in the actors' contract stating that team members' weight couldn't fluctuate by more than five pounds over the course of a week, which taking into account the rate at which children grow, caused severe mental illnesses and eating disorders in the cast. At the beginning of the show, to enforce the clause, Abby posted the dancers' weights on a board in her studio for the other girls to see; not to mention some of the degrading opinions she blatantly expressed:
- "Your kids' arms are horrendous. She looks like a praying mantis."
- "Get those ears fixed."
- "I can see [that she didn't work] by the size of her thighs."
One of the original cast members, Paige Hyland, filed a lawsuit against Abby Miller after a physical encounter between Abby and her mother. The lawsuit made claims against Abby for physical abuse and extreme emotional distress, and although it was dismissed due to lack of evidence, it speaks to the effects the show's environment had on the cast members.
Predators
Dance Mom's controversies go beyond Abby Miller's abuse, however. Perhaps the most disturbing reality is the number of predators that have been reported targeting the girls. A 36-year-old man (with a portrait of Jojo Siwa, one of the dancers, tattooed onto his body) delivered five packages addressed to Jojo to the ALDC studio. Due to apprehension, a bomb squad was alerted, and when the boxes were opened, highly explicit material was uncovered. The man was charged and arrested for 3 years.One man claimed to be married to Brook Hyland, another cast member. He operated fake social media accounts under her name, with which he referred to himself as her husband. He even got a legitimate engagement announcement, and announcement of marriage printed in his local newspaper.
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On the surface, Dance Moms comes across as harmless entertainment. But needless to say, some of the show's sinister truths that have recently been uncovered are instantly repulsing, and the YouTube clips I used to watch mindlessly suddenly have a different, exploitative connotation.
And that's why I layed off Dance Moms.
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