Dance Moms Recap: PRESSURE

47 Comments

1. 1
   MrsMiaWallace
   Posted June 11, 2012 at 12:00 pm

   Thanks for the great recap Snoop!

   I love me some Christi but it gets old her trying to tell Melissa what to do. As long as I’ve watched this show I have yet to see Melissa be conniving or underhanded, she just does anything she can to get her girls extra time and lessons. Which seems like what you do if you want them to do well…? The whole “go tell Abby you’re mad at her” was so much bullying and manipulation, Melissa clearly didn’t want to and I’m glad she didn’t. Why do they pretend they are a “team” and not just ladies with their daughters’ hobby in common?

   I too wondered about several of the comments, Kelly threatening that she AND Christi would leave, the calling of the cops threat… as staged as this show is I wonder what the backstories are.

   Love love love MacKenzie! Her little dance seemed so cute, I was sorry she couldn’t finish it. I hope Abbey doesn’t start to focus on her and turn her into a self-centered egomaniac when Maddie loses her nerve and hits adolescent apathy and/or a talent plateau phase. Mackenzie’s total lack of concern at her position on the pyramid and drama going on is so adorable. Shes a great foil to Chloe’s fragile pleasing nature and Maddie’s raging child star syndrome.

   Also, this is catty, but it has been mentioned before that the slicked back ponytail is not Maddie’s most adorable look, I lol’d because I tried to clean my monitor when I saw Maddie’s hairline in the pic of her talking to Abbey outside the LA competition. Turns out it was all hairline.

2. 2
   maryedith
   Posted June 11, 2012 at 1:16 pm

   Did anyone see the Melissa mouth move Maddie made when she was outside with Jabby during the Last Attempt to make her do her solo? She did that weird pursed lips thing and looked down and to the side just like her mom.

3. 3
   sagittariuskim
   Posted June 11, 2012 at 1:18 pm

   If Jabby wasn’t lying about putting the same amount of pressure on Chloe as she does Maddie, how has Maddie not full nervous breakdown yet. I agree with whoever in the minicap said that NJ was a mini breakdown for Maddie. As usual Chloe handled the pressure and Jabby with grace. If I was her I probable would have been in tears.

   As much as I don’t like Jabby she had a point when she said Nia had Holly and didn’t need her. I think it’s been pointed plenty that Melissa doesn’t have the best maternal instincts.

   Mackenzie was fall was actually kind of foreshadowed. Before she goes on you see Jabby trying to pull up her sleeves. I love that she got up and tried to keep going. The number 1 reason Miami wasn’t as good is because none of the kids were as adorable as Mackenzie.

4. 4
   AshleyS
   Posted June 11, 2012 at 1:23 pm

   Happy birthday to me, the recaps up!

5. 5
   Jazzy
   Posted June 11, 2012 at 2:01 pm

   Ok, so I STILL don’t understand what the big deal about leaving NJ was. Everyone had danced and they did all awards, right? So wasn’t it over? Was it that Abby just didn’t travel home w/ them? Wth cares? Wouldn’t their bus ride be more fun w/out her anyway?

   Loved Chloe’s solo. And if that comp was that difficult, then 5th place seems pretty good. Abby needs some serious meds.

6. 6
   merry
   Posted June 11, 2012 at 2:17 pm

   Jabby is hideously biased and unfair; however, a lot of the rest of life rolls just like Jabby, so I guess at least this could be a learning experience for the girls. (Digging ever harder to find that silver lining!)

   Mackenzie has probably the healthiest attitude about the whole thing, but I think most of the girls will ultimately be all right, except for poor Maddie. Yes, she’s been favored, but Jabby pressures her like no other. It’s flat-out inappropriate and Maddie takes it all to heart: if Jabby doesn’t ease up, she’ll have to face being responsible for the cutting/drinking habit that will inevitably pop up in Maddie’s teen years.

7. 7
   IM
   Posted June 11, 2012 at 3:52 pm

   I honestly like better those moms fighting with Jabby rather than Miami moms fighting with eachother.

   In other news, I saw on Victor’s twitter that now him and several others cast members have a manager, and this manager is no one else than Andrew, Eden’s manager!! The thing that bugs me the most about this is the fact that the Pittsburgh cast did the show without knowing it would have been such a success. The Miami ones are famewhores, and the manager thing totally shows it. Plus, you have to be kinda stupid to hire Andrew, jeez.

8. 8
   Nannie
   Posted June 11, 2012 at 3:55 pm

   Jazzy,
   It’s so hard to tell! The dressing rooms scenes never show the costumes in the right sequence, so maybe some of the girls had to yet to compete. Perhaps the filming portion was finished, so she left. Who knows? This show is so whackadoodle.

9. 9
   pbtx
   Posted June 11, 2012 at 4:32 pm

   Oh my gosh, SnoopK8! You had me rolling with this recap. Hilarious!

10. 10
    April
    Posted June 11, 2012 at 4:58 pm

    I am pretty sure if someone called 911 because a client was talking to them calmly but snarkily that the police would laugh and/or yell at her and maybe even file charges against her for misusing 911.

11. 11
    April
    Posted June 11, 2012 at 5:01 pm

    LOL about DMM and Andrew as their manager.

12. 12
    gun kata
    Posted June 11, 2012 at 5:14 pm

    IM, Andrew… lol. Hold up, ANDREW! VictAng + Eden = maybe they can teach her a skill? (Imagines Eden in sumo pose.)

    Jabby+Schparkle=end of dance.

13. 13
    gun kata
    Posted June 11, 2012 at 5:41 pm

    April, the whole 911 thing was very strange. Either Abby keeps them busy or something totally different than what we saw happened. There were several things about this episode that just didn’t make sense… like maybe a last minute reedit or something.

14. 14
    gun kata
    Posted June 11, 2012 at 5:54 pm

    Holy crap, the Kings just scored three times during one power play. Er, I am sure that benefits Jabby somehow? They’re playing New Jersey, so…

15. 15
    Chicken Lips
    Posted June 11, 2012 at 6:54 pm

    Maybe “Call 911″ is code for “Call your lawyer because they are being mean to me again by making valid points that I just don’t want to hear”.

16. 16
    tlondon
    Posted June 11, 2012 at 9:16 pm

    @Jazzy-

    Im certain that “Bus Driver Jim!!!” had a much more pleasant drive home without Abby. Hell, he probably paid her airfare outta there.

17. 17
    Pageant-grandma
    Posted June 11, 2012 at 10:43 pm

    Thanks for the full recap! My DVr let me down and didn’t record it! I have a love/hate relationship with this show. I grew up in the world of competitive dance, and while I get that it’s all scripted, honestly, it’s not far off.

18. 18
    Lurker
    Posted June 11, 2012 at 11:04 pm

    Free Chole!
    And I have a feeling that by the end of next episode I will be saying Free Paige!

19. 19
    MrsMiaWallace
    Posted June 12, 2012 at 5:41 am

    @Jazzy- I think like all the drama on this show it only matters in the weirdly codependent world these people (pretend to?) live in.

    The thing that stuck out about the previous episode was how upset Jabby got and her breakdown because of and kindness to Maddie over her freeze was a sharp contrast to how she had specifically treated a number of other girls on the team after the exact same issue. I don’t think it mattered technically that she left except that she has never done so under the same other circumstances.

20. 20
    lindsayyyy
    Posted June 12, 2012 at 6:23 am

    I’m proud of Maddie. Abby REALLY reminds me of my ballet teacher growing up, and no way in hell would I have been able to say no to her if I got that same speech outside. I always felt like my world would cave in if I didn’t please my teacher. Very stressful for a little kid!! Free Maddie (hell, free all those kids!!)

21. 21
    gun kata
    Posted June 12, 2012 at 8:07 am

    I wonder if all of the girls had danced at the NJ competition. The show is pretending they did, but… who knows. That is the only reason I can think of that just her leaving would make them so mad.

    I noticed this time that when Melissa is telling Jabby that Maddie “thinks you hate her”, Melissa’s voice was shaking. Although other girls have forgotten their dance, no other girl and mother have gotten that upset. So, Jabby hugged Maddie partly because Melissa asked her to do so. This exact situation, if it has occurred, has never been shown. It would have been better FOR MADDIE if Jabby had been able to stay calm and not cry. This may be another thing that upset Jabby about her own behavior. Kids don’t like adults to cry. It is scary. It means shit has gotten real. Or that is how I felt (and the crying wasn’t over petty bullshit like a dance competition). But, I don’t really think Melissa or Jabby were almost crying/crying just because Maddie forgot her dance, Maddie’s emotional state was upsetting to see. Maddie has cried before (gym floor), but not like this. Also, do the other moms not get that Maddie is younger than their daughters? Seriously, let it go. You are probably secrectly embarrassing your own kids.

22. 22
    gun kata
    Posted June 12, 2012 at 9:03 am

    Btw, the girls have slacked off on the makeup.

23. 23
    Closet fan
    Posted June 12, 2012 at 10:31 am

    I am just so happy that our girls are back! Great recap!

24. 24
    gun kata
    Posted June 12, 2012 at 10:58 am

    I have watched some older shows… I don’t think anyone except Melissa and Kelly understand why Abby yells certain things while the girls are dancing (not mean things, but things like point your toes or sickle feet or watch your back leg… obviously she has to include the girl’s name if more than one is dancing). She doesn’t want them to learn it wrong due to muscle memory. So, she yells it as they’re making the mistake. When done normally, this is helpful. When the girls are exhausted so they are making many mistake or stupid mistakes and Abby is tired so she yells more elaborate things (dum dum, ding dong, so forth) that is when it gets into not helpful.

    Like the three month old trio Chloe, Paige, and Maddie (I think Maddie) were rehearsing that time. First, Paige messed her 8 counts walk up, then they tried again and they all got worse. So, the mothers stopped the rehearsal since Abby was randomly screaming about why couldn’t they count to eight. Well, they can. But, after a point people… especially kids.. start making dumb mistakes like Abby was making a dumb mistake not realizing what was wrong with them and why yelling wouldn’t help.

    And then Abby made it worse by demanding to know why the girls were crying and Christi said, “Because you’re yelling in little kids’ faces.” And it went downhill from there. And that kind of thing is why we are in freak out city now because instead of it dying down as a mistake that happened because Abby tried to rehearse too long (after thinking the girls would just remember the dance), the TV show gets it all whipped up again. Abby WAS wrong, but her original intention was simply to make sure the girls did well and she got mad and then things went very bad. It was also wrong of her to insult the moms after they left because they were right. Their kids were just too tired to learn anything. So, it had descended into just abuse.

    m

25. 25
    gun kata
    Posted June 12, 2012 at 11:03 am

    Maybe they needed a longer break?

    The extras on lifetime show various people who visit Abby and the girls (Abby’s former students). The girls are really excited by this. Melissa, a Rockette, visited and told them she started dance in that very room. Chloe and Paige still want to be Rockettes together (as of whenever it was filmed).

    It shows a more cheerful side to ALDC.

26. 26
    maryedith
    Posted June 12, 2012 at 11:34 am

    I wondered if @Moli was happy when Abby said “kick Paige” (or was it “kill Paige”?) during the trio? Moli hates Paigey — bwahahaha!

27. 27
    Closet fan
    Posted June 12, 2012 at 12:10 pm

    I like Paige but she really does have counting and spacial issues.

28. 28
    gun kata
    Posted June 12, 2012 at 1:25 pm

    I think Abby was futilely trying to remind Paige to do the kick. And Paige doesn’t seem to be able to adjust herself if she gets her spacing off … I wonder if that is something Maddie does for her. The Paige/Chloe/Maddie trio seems to have less spacing issues. Since Maddie is the only difference, this is why I am saying that. As in if Maddie moves closer to Paige, Chloe follows and it fixes the spacing. Or it could be something else.

29. 29
    gun kata
    Posted June 12, 2012 at 1:27 pm

    I like all of the girls, btw. But, they each have their own little problems. And their own good points as dancers. As they get older, if they stick with dancing, some of the problems will disappear.

30. 30
    maryedith
    Posted June 12, 2012 at 1:36 pm

    Seems like a teacher would have more control over spacing than almost anything else, to me. Unless spacing and counting are intertwined, which has just occurred to me. Like, could the spacing be off because someone counted wrong?

31. 31
    April
    Posted June 12, 2012 at 2:14 pm

    It is hard to say how spacing gets off Maryedith. The main thing is lack of rehearsal time. Like I said before kids normally have months to get a number ready for competition and they work on every little issue over and over till its perfect. When you do a number in a week plus other numbers, there are going to be issues.

32. 32
    maryedith
    Posted June 12, 2012 at 3:05 pm

    Thanks, April. I worded my question about as confusingly as possible but you answered it the way I asked it in my head which was: “Isn’t spacing kind of a rehearsal issue?”

33. 33
    gun kata
    Posted June 12, 2012 at 3:39 pm

    What is so hard about spacing? I could do counting and spacing at this age. I think the rushing and getting new routines hurts it, but you should know where to be in relation to others. However, if you only have three people, the person in the middle can possibly adjust the spacing as they go.

34. 34
    gun kata
    Posted June 12, 2012 at 3:49 pm

    Look what Christi did:
    http://twibbon.com/cause/teamchloe/twibute/teamchloe-Twibute-250

35. 35
    maryedith
    Posted June 12, 2012 at 4:02 pm

    Great. Twibbon. Something ELSE I can feel intimidated about not knowing anything about. What IS it? What does it MEAN? Help me, gun kata!

36. 36
    Dani
    Posted June 12, 2012 at 4:06 pm

    About the make-up– I personally prefer the way they look without all the make-up. They are little girls! I could see Brooke wanting to wear some, but no reason they need to put putting tons of make-up on 9, 10, 11 year old little girls.. When I look at those girls at Candy Apples– Yuck!!! They look hidious! Poor little Kendall. Such a pretty little girl, but then they put goops of make-up on her. It makes them look like streetwalkers IMO. I understand for the competitions they need a lot because they are on stage and the lights do wash you out, but I don’t like seeing the little girls with a lot of make-up on when they are in rehearsal. They all are beautiful little girls- they don’t need it!

37. 37
    gun kata
    Posted June 12, 2012 at 4:26 pm

    Maryedith, honestly I don’t know either! LOL! But, it lets people show their support for Chloe? And she looks cute in the photo?

    Dani, I agree about the makeup. But, in case someone doesn’t realize… that is partly why the girls look different. They are cute and don’t need the makeup.

38. 38
    Moli
    Posted June 12, 2012 at 5:03 pm

    I don’t hate any child(except Henry from OUaT…not the actor…Henry the character), I’m just not a Paige fan…teehhee@maryedith. I am I total love with Chloe, Mack and Nia as you alllllll know:). I love watching Chloe dance! The spacing(at least in my memory) is always off with Paigey, I have seen her dance well mind you but dang girl…just look a little to the left or right. Thank goodness the makeup is toned down, I want them to look like the adorable little girls they are.

39. 39
    rebecca pressley
    Posted June 13, 2012 at 3:40 am

    so glad you put the “Chrisiti and I” thing on here, cause I thought that Abbey was saying “Chrisiti with an I”….Anway, i broke my foot easter sunday and I am still wearing my big black boot, I hope to get it off this week!!

40. 40
    gun kata
    Posted June 13, 2012 at 3:45 am

    Have Paige and Chloe ever done a duet? That’d be cute.

41. 41
    gun kata
    Posted June 13, 2012 at 3:46 am

    Rebecca, I can see Abby yelling that, too. Yelling is to Abby as talking is to most people.

42. 42
    gun kata
    Posted June 13, 2012 at 5:03 am

    This is a link I found that discusses the behavior of the mothers and Jabby as it relates to the girls. It addresses their dancing, emotional well being, and addresses specific situations.
    http://christinerichhanson.com/tag/abby-lee-miller/

43. 43
    maryedith
    Posted June 13, 2012 at 9:33 am

    Interesting, gun kata. The writer seems a little less suspicious of the editing than some of the people on this site, including me.
    @Moli — I hate Henry too! Almost as much as Carl TWD!

44. 44
    Moli
    Posted June 13, 2012 at 10:21 am

    I realized this is the second non-OUaT recap I mentioned my hatred for Henry. I found the article interesting…but question why this person doesn’t question the editing on this show.

45. 45
    gun kata
    Posted June 13, 2012 at 10:34 am

    Maryedith, I agree. I just thought it was an interesting viewpoint. I think she runs a dance studio, too.

46. 46
    gun kata
    Posted June 13, 2012 at 10:41 am

    Moli, maybe she is looking at it as if we just take it as a story what can we learn from it rather than trying to figure out what is happening IRL. I don’t know if she says that, but I have read several articles over there. They are interesting and have some things we have discussed. But, with reality tv… who can say for sure.

47. 47
    rebecca pressley
    Posted June 13, 2012 at 8:26 pm

    I do hope these children dont go to school with all that makeup on.