By Maya Bourne
As an avid viewer of the hit reality television series, Dance Moms, I have become used to the overwhelming and disrespectful language thrown around the Abby Lee Dance Studio where the show takes place. Led by studio owner Abby Lee Miller, the ALDC attends weekly dance competitions with their Junior Elite Competition Team, a group of young, talented dancers and of course, their mothers. A collection of cameras and producers tag along during these competitions as the dancers perform and are scored by a panel of judges. Miller sets the expectation of first place on all of her dancers, some of whom perform up to her standards, while others sometimes fall short. The outcomes of these competitions creates tension between the dancers’ mothers as only one girl can get first place, and typically at least two girls participate in each category. The real entertainment of this so-called “dance-oriented” TV show is the fights between mothers concerning their kids, sometimes with the girls in the same room. Because of this, many, if not all the kids end up with major trauma after the show. All of this begs the question, though: Is the fame really worth it?
The effects of Dance Moms still bleed into the lives of the dancers to this day. From the very start of the show, Paige and Brooke Hyland were treated with disrespect from Abby and the producers of the show itself. Their mother, Kelly, attended the ALDC as a kid, and put her two daughters in dance at very young ages as well. Growing up in such a stressful environment took a toll on both daughters in different ways. Brooke struggled with ongoing back issues throughout her time on the show, consistently seen icing and rubbing her back, obviously in pain. Staying in this stressful and tense environment left no time for rest, as their rigorous competition schedule required the dancers to practice every day for multiple hours and perform every weekend. Brooke’s back issues reached a peak on Episode 7 of Season 4, titled “Big Trouble in the Big Apple”, an infamous episode for fans of the show, as this episode includes the big fight between Kelly and Abby. The fight, which included hair pulling and slapping from both parties, occurred while the dancers were in the changing rooms with their mothers. The dancers’ faces of pure shock and grief at the sight of their dance teacher and a mother fighting in the changing room was obvious, as one of the mothers, Dr. Holly Frazier ushered the children out of the room. A few of the dancers were crying, including Paige and Brooke, shocked at their mothers’ and Abby’s violence toward each other. This fight was just one of many physical and verbal altercations present in the reality show. Women regularly snapped and yelled at each other, creating an even more uncomfortable and strained atmosphere for the dancers to grow up in. Another example of a physical altercation came on Episode 19 of season 7, “All Choked Up.” In this episode, as one might guess, one of the mothers, Yolanda, chokes another, Stacey, over a dispute between the placement of their daughters. The police are called and eventually things settle down, but the implications of incidents like that occurring with at least some degree of regularity causes concern for the daily lives of the dancers on the show.
In addition, many of the dancers experienced panic attacks while on the show, which were shown by the production crew as they shoved boom mics and cameras into corners and bathrooms the dancers retreated to for privacy in vulnerable moments. Multiple times, dancers were shown crying before or directly after a dance, either worried about forgetting the steps, or apprehensive of Abby’s reaction to their performance. These panic attacks, obviously not normal for girls of that age, show the amount of physical and mental strain placed on the dancers, who were all between the ages of eight and twelve at the time. Many of the dancers refuse to even mention their time on Dance Moms, referring to Abby as merely their “old dance teacher,” and dodging questions about the show during interviews.
Dance Moms was, and still is, an incredibly influential show to the vast majority of people in this generation with its cheap entertainment, hilarious one-liners, and occasional physical fights between women. However, all of these aspects have a dark side, coming with a toxic environment and ongoing trauma for the dancers who were part of the show that they continue to deal with in their everyday lives.