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Wednesday, August 31, 2011
5:42 pm
45 Comments
Gasmi! Did you all make it through Hurricane Irene okay? Luckily my house survived; no water in the basement, no damage. I did learn that I will never be able to live off the grid because losing power made me lose my mind.
It’s all fun and games until you turn into Gary Busey.
Anyway, my deepest apologies for the lateness of this recap; apparently Mother Nature didn’t give a rat’s ass that I had recaps to write. BITCH.
Let’s get to it, shall we? We join Jabby & Co. in the studio. Jabby recaps for the girls that they were just in Providence, R.I. just an hour outside of Boston.
Zzzzzzz…….geography
She also says some of the most prestigious dance schools in the country are there; tough schools, tough competitors. She’s proud of them because they really held their own and won that victory cup. LIE. There is no victory cup at Starpower regionals; they only do the victory cup at Starpower Nationals. Even the whole “If this was Nationals you would be winning the victory cup” thing was a giant fat lie which I mentioned last time. Grrrrrrr….we’re not getting off to a good start this episode.
She’s proud of all the girls and points out that she doesn’t say that too often.
No shit Sherlock.
Jabby’s also proud that all the moms kept their mouths shut. Proof once more that she was nowhere near the dressing room for Cathy and Kelly’s fight. Although, I’m sure she doesn’t give a crap if they fight with each other, she just wants them to shut their mouths about anything she does.
For this episode’s competition they will be going to Starpower at the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut. What Jabby fails to mention here is that THIS is Starpower Nationals (well, one of them at least). This is actually the nationals that we were at and where I first saw these guys and heard about the show. Odd that they wouldn’t mention it being a nationals, huh?
You’re so silly.
She wants to make sure no one forgets anything, so they are going to have a wardrobe for each day they are there, and everyone will be packing at the studio so that Jabby herself can approve the clothes for everyone, including the moms. Maybe she should worry about her own wardrobe before she worries about anyone else’s.
This week they’ll be working on teamwork and technique since those things will be so crucial when they go to nationals. She tells them that they’re doing another new number which is yet another LIE. You don’t bring new numbers to nationals. UGH. I’m about to go off YET AGAIN.
This week’s group number is called “Make You Mine” which Jabby tells us is a theatrical jazz routine, upbeat and fun. She tells them this week she’s going to ask them to work harder than they’ve ever worked before.
Now get off yer lazy asses and let’s get going!
Moms head up to the skybox while Jabby starts rehearsals. Cathy and Melissa are complaining that Vivi and Mackenzie are still on the bottom row of the pyramid, even though they were part of the group that won. Maybe if they’d been given more than sitting on/pushing a swing. Who cares?
Melissa says that’s why Mackenzie doesn’t want to dance anymore, it’s always all about…….the other girls. Oh, nice catch there Melissa. I think you meant to say it’s always all about Maddie, didn’t you?
Then Cathy talks about the costumes, saying she hopes that in the future they’re more prepared with the costumes and that they stop sharing costumes.
If I punch her in the face would it ruin my manicure?
She keeps on going, saying yeah, there’s such a thing as teamwork but it’s ridiculous that a thirteen year old would try to cram into a six year old’s costume. I don’t disagree with that, but I think we all know Cathy went about it all wrong and was an uber bitch to top it off.
Kelly thinks that Cathy is a bitch. I agree. Cathy thinks they all need to stand up to Jabby, and Christi thinks it’s all well and good for her to say that, she’s in the honeymoon phase and Jabby isn’t taking shit out on her kid, but just wait til she does, then you’ll be singing a different tune.
Yeah, I’ll start singing “Money, Money, Money” and HER tune will change.
This is another common complaint that I’ve heard moms say; that they’re afraid of speaking up about stuff that bothers them because they’re afraid it will negatively impact their kid. I haven’t experienced that, but given the fact that my sister is my child’s teacher, I doubt I would. I honestly don’t know if that’s something that actually happens or just something that parents’ are worried about. Does anyone have any experiences with that personally?
We transition to the next day and join Jabby and Maddie rehearsing her solo. This time around she’s an angel; so she needs to be pretty and beautiful with pretty feet, NOT Fred Flintstone feet.
Maddie tells us she is doing this solo for her Grandma Bobcha and she knows she is watching her from heaven. Geez, maybe Grandma wants to play bunco or something up there, maybe she sick of watching the same solos over and over and over again. Melissa watches and looks sad. And then tells everyone how sad she is.
So sad. Dab, dab
Nia’s also doing a solo, so we take a peek in on her rehearsal time with Jabby. Jabby tells us it’s a character piece entitled LaQuifa. It’s sassy and snap and hip and head pop. Why I am suddenly having a queasy feeling in my tummy? Something tells me Holly is not going to be thrilled about this (I wouldn’t either).
Nia seems to be having some trouble with a particular jump and Jabby tells her she doesn’t want to see that. Jabby then tells us that Nia is African-American so she is trying to teach her different ethnic dances and trying to train her so when she is in NY or LA and the casting call says ethnic, she can do all of the dances correctly.
All hail the Queen of Ethnic Dancing!
I don’t know if she’s being serious or making shit up for the show, but seriously? Because just having a really good dance foundation enabling you to be able to adapt to whatever style a choreographer wants wouldn’t be enough? Seems like a deliberate ploy to garner attention to me. Either that or she is majorly fucked in the head.
She has a heart to heart with Nia saying that this is the difference between winning an overall, between winning a title. Um, between that and what, Jabby? No answer. But the difference is technique. Does Nia know what technique is? Yup. What is it?
Jabby is shocked that she doesn’t know. How many times has she heard it in dance. A thousand times, Nia tells her.
I thought you were talking to Maddie.
Jabby says if you were reading a book and they used a word that you didn’t know the meaning of, what would you do? You’d look it up, wouldn’t you? Yeah. Hey Jabby, I didn’t see no stinking dictionaries in that studio of yours! See what happens when you tell kids dance comes before school?
Time for our weekly class interruption. Melissa comes in to tell Jabby that Minister Dawn is there to see her. You remember Minister Dawn, right? The lady Jabby called the cops on? Jabby says she better be there to pay her bill and she can’t believe she has the nerve to show up here. I can’t believe we’re circling back to this storyline when it wasn’t all that entertaining the first time around.
You owe me money
Not paying it
Minister Dawn thinks Jabby broke their contract, Jabby says she has to pay because her kid got a costume and that’s theft by deception. They agree to see each other in court. Jabby thinks Minister Dawn needs a bible refresher course: Thou shall not lie, thou shall not steal, and thou shall not disrespect Jabby.
Aw shit. I thought I erased that one.
It’s now three days to competition and Jabby arrives with the packing list for everyone. It includes an animal print outfit. Yes, you heard me right. The reason for this? Everyone is representing her name so she wants them all to look good. Yep, nothing says looking good like some giraffe pants, right?
Jabby tells Cathy the reason she does this is so that it’s easier to find the kids when she wants to grab them for a picture or something. Um….shouldn’t they all be staying together anyway? What if she grabs someone else’s giraffe clad kid instead?
Mommy!
Cathy is all about the themes, but she wants to confirm that these themes are just for the kids, right? WRONG! They’re for everyone. Cathy no likey because they’ve already gone shopping and she’s wearing what she already brought. So is Vivi. So I guess she’s not about the themes after all, is she?
Oh, and by the way, they will be packing at home and what they bring is what they bring. Too bad, so sad. Jabby doesn’t want her to make her kid an outcast. Oh, she is here to stand out and that’s exactly what she plans on doing!!
It’s now two days to the competition and Cathy is driving with Vivi in the car with classical music playing because I’m SURE that’s what they listen to all the time. Actually, it probably is. FREE VIVI!!!! Cathy tells Vivi she just found out that at Starpower they have a costume award, and you have to put your photo in. WRONG. They have a costume award, yes (two of our dances won!!), but you don’t submit a photo for that; you submit a photo for the photogenic award. GAH. Why lie AGAIN?????
Cathy tells Vivi they’re going to enter her pink costume. Grrrrrrr. In her interview section she says photogenic award, so now I’m even more confused about the lie as ever, but Cathy would really love for Vivi to be able to model in a costume book since she herself did that as a kid.
Can’t I just play softball? Please?
FREE VIVI!!!!!
We rejoin Jabby at the studio where group rehearsals are underway. They’re dancing on chairs, and Jabby says they love it because they get to dress like teenagers. Nia keeps messing up and Jabby is getting pissed.
She calls her out for not giving enough and then tells Chloe to show her how it’s done. Oh, was Maddie not around? Nia says she tries to do everything right but sometimes it’s just too hard. Poor Nia.
Costume time!
Wow. That is one ugly ass costume.
Although, truth be told, I have seen much, MUCH worse. Jabby now tells us that Nia’s solo is really like a satire on the drag queen image. I’m wondering how that will help her get work in NY or LA since she isn’t, you know, A DRAG QUEEN.
It’s an ethnic drag queen, duuuuuh
Was Jabby just trying to demonstrate drag makeup to Nia? Her face is a hot mess.
Nia loves the costume, but when Holly arrives and sees what Nia is wearing she is not happy. She asks us why her daughter is the only one dressed in animal print. Oh Holly, it’s to help her when she goes to NY or LA!!!
Holly is pissed because all the other girls get feminine, beautiful whimsical costumes that aren’t typecasting them. This is followed by Jabby telling Holly she wants Nia to wear an afro. Does she have one?
Yep, I think that face says it all. Holly says that is not their experience; she is not saying that there is anything wrong with the LaQuifa’s of the world, but that’s not Nia’s experience or her experience; it not how they are or how they live.
Jabby tells us that Nia has an advantage over everyone else; she is able to play several different ethnicities and it’s her job to make her capitalize Those Opportunities.
I tried putting Maddie in blackface but Christi said that wasn’t fair to Chloe
We take a quick break and then join the ladies out to eat. Well, just Kelly, Christi, and Holly aka The Whiners. Or Winers in Christi’s case. Holly says she never drinks but after the whole afro thing she needs a drink. She tells the ladies she doesn’t want to deny her black heritage, she is very proud of it; she just doesn’t want it to be a stereotypical characterization. Kelly doesn’t see what the big deal is.
Holly says she might as well be picking cotton in the dance or wearing a scarf on her head like Aunt Jemima.
Yes, it’s sooooooooooooooo hilarious, isn’t it?
I’m guessing (or hoping) that their laughter is more of the nervous kind of laughter than the oh that’s so funny laughter. Holly is frustrated because someone else has the power to decide how her daughter is portrayed and she tells the ladies she doesn’t know how much longer she can hang in there.
Competition Day! Jabby is on the bus yelling at the bus driver (as usual).
God, I wish I could tip this fucking bus!
Jabby tells us that the judges at Starpower will be looking for technique, showmanship, costume and passion. I wonder if she’s planning on trying to make out with one of them. Yikes!
Cathy is driving because she is too good for riding the bus; Jabby doesn’t know who she thinks she’s fooling, her car is only a C class. Oy!
Jabby takes a nap and the girls take this opportunity to fuck with her.
LOL!
They arrive at Mohegan Sun and Christi tells us that this competition is really important (BECAUSE IT’S NATIONALS BUT THEY’RE PRETENDING IT’S NOT) and the girls need to do really well. As opposed to other competitions where they can slack off? Shut up Christi.
Let me tell you guys, people were PISSED about this show being at nationals. SUPER PISSED. First of all, they posted signs that basically said if you were there you were agreeing for your kid to be shown on TV. But Starpower hadn’t told anyone they were gonna be there, so it’s not like people had a choice to cancel and go to a different location.
There was a lot of bullshit that went on during the awards ceremonies too. Like they held awards one night waiting for these girls. They never hold awards for anyone; if you’re not there, you miss them. Period. End of story. They also held all the kids offstage so that these girls could be front and center. What else? Starpower does this Killer Frisbee thing that the kids all love at the regional competitions, but they don’t do it at Nationals. Except for these girls. And they all got handed a Frisbee which usually just get thrown out for the kids and audience to catch.
Stupid shit? Yes, absolutely. But if you think that other kids didn’t notice that these ones were getting treated differently, you are insane. The sad thing is that many people felt like they won because of the TV Show, when in reality they were good dancers. But all the other special treatment minimized what those girls actually did which is a shame.
Must be nice
Yep, must be real nice having a dressing room all to yourself when other groups are cramming in wherever they can. Generally if you come from a really big studio, the competition may set aside a room for that studio, but you’re talking about teams that bring over a hundred dancers, not five or six. Another example of treatment that had other people in a tizzy.
So the girls are getting ready for their group number and Jabby tells them the competition is running thirty minutes ahead so they need to get the make-u on as quickly as possible so they can run through the dance.
Melissa is freaking out and telling Maddie she has to go to the bathroom, then tells us how much they had to do (nothing out of the ordinary) and then proceeds to berate and nag Maddie and then tell us that Maddie acts like she’s sixteen. She keeps telling Maddie to calm down as she gets more and more worked up. I have seen this before; it can get ugly quickly.
Then Melissa uses the “Do you wanna go home?” threat. Yeah, I think we all know that is an empty threat Melissa, so why bother? I have that one because everyone there including your kid knows you aren’t going to waste the time or money that’s put in already, not to mention you would be the one screwing over your team. Try this one Melissa……
Do you want me to go home?
YES!!!
Jabby tells us that basically Melissa is a control freak and doesn’t like it at all if everything doesn’t go exactly according to plan. Fun times!
She tells the girls that this is the first number they are going to see from Jabby (who even knows if that’s true) and then tells them to be respectful backstage. Maybe she should tell that to the camera crews who were so worried about getting their footage they were telling other dancers that were preparing backstage to get out of their way.
Melissa tells us every competition is really important to them because every competition is that much closer to Nationals. YOU ARE AT NATIONALS YA DUMB BITCH!!! The girls perform and it is really really sloppy. Nia’s spacing is really off and Jabby is pissed.
Afterward Maddie is crying and saying they were terrible. She’s really embarrassed. Wah,wah, wah. Shit happens. Back in the dressing room she tells Jabby she was crying because she got hurt a little. Maybe she’s worried Jabby would be pissed if she said she was crying because they didn’t do well. I think Jabby would tell them they should be crying.
Whoever cries the most tears gets top o’the pyramid!
Time for our Cathy moment of the night. Normally when people enter their kids in the photogenic competition they already have pictures before they get there. Not Cathy. She’s having pictures done there.
We should have gotten you some botox before this.
She keeps trying to micromanage the photoshoot but Vivi decides to do her own thing. Go Vivi!!
Group awards time. Jabby tells us it’s much harder to be in a group. Eh. There’s different challenges to a group versus a solo, but there’s always something that can go wrong. Guess what? The group number doesn’t win first place, they win second place – GASP! UNACCEPTABLE. Oh, shut it.
They also neglect to mention here that they brought the Children of the Corn number to Nationals, placed first in the 8 and under overall category and were invited to Battle which is where the top groups battle it out for the Victory Cup that Jabby’s already pretending they won. Just so’s the story’s straight. Also? They never bothered to show up for Battle because they were hopping a flight to the Orlando Starpower Nationals that started a few days after this one ended.
Maddie is getting ready for her solo, and Melissa has an angel pin that used to be her grandmother’s that she’s giving to Maddie to pin on her costume.
Can I stab you with this?
Maddie does her solo, Melissa cries. Nia’s getting ready in the dressing room for her solo now and the afro wig is looking like it’s seen some better days. The costume is still hideous.
Yikes. What is there really to say about this? I’d kill someone if they tried to make my kid wear something that awful. And that’s WITHOUT the stereotyping even coming into play.
Cathy is stirring up trouble with Holly asking why the wig and telling us that it’s so stereotypical. She tells Holly there’s so many cute things Nia could do and it’s bordering on not being politically correct. Kelly thinks everyone gets stereotyped, for example Brooke always gets acro. I think Holly would say there’s a little bit of a difference in the stereotypes.
We see snippets of Mackenzie and Vivi’s duet, Brooke’s solo, Paige’s solo, and Chloe’s solo. And then the judges look at the photo for photogenic. It’s just THAT riveting. Guess who wins the title?
Suck it Bitches!!
Are you shocked? I totally was.
Cathy is looking at the pictures Vivi took and she doesn’t like them at all. She thinks no wonder the photographer is working at competitions because the pictures are awful. Well, then you should have had them taken ahead of time, shouldn’t you? FYI – Vivi didn’t win. I love Vivi, but I’m not surprised. I also don’t understand why you’d enter a photogenic competition at a dance competition. Maybe she should consider pagents. DearCrabby! I’m sending them over to you!
As Nia gets ready to do her solo, Jabby tries to sell us a barrel of bullshit by saying she needs Nia to know the ethnic dances; those dances come from a heritage and they have to be done correctly. Funny, when she does the dance I don’t see any steps that are different from other dances they’ve been doing.
Ethnic Heel Stretch
That song is wack. It also sounds like it says “They call me twat”. (I know they it doesn’t say that but it sure sounds like it at one point). That was not good and Holly says she is really disappointed; she came to watch her daughter dance and she basically walked around the stage with attitude.
She asks to speak to Jabby outside and tells her that she’s really unhappy about the afro wig and that she thinks it’s very stereotypical. Jabby agrees, it IS stereotypical. Holly says she feels like she’s the token black kid. Oh, Jabby wouldn’t say THAT, she would say excellent and special and
You are so full of crap
Jabby says when there’s a call for an ethnic kid she’s gonna send Nia. Then makes a comment about a kid not getting a MLK scholarship because they’re white. Oh my. Holly points out that her daughter’s dances all seem to have some sort of jungle theme to them and she thinks that’s not a positive thing. She would like something more celebratory.
Well, Jabby tells her, then she can pick the music and hire a choreographer to do the number. Holly doesn’t think they need to go there. Jabby thinks Holly’s going there and says she’s giving her stuff for what she is good at. Nia doesn’t have good feet. She doesn’t have great turnout. She doesn’t straighten her knees. She’s sway back.
A white kid with those some qualities would totally get the jungle theme too!
Then Jabby says if you’re going to pay her thirty grand a year then we can talk about it but for what she pays Jabby is not going there. Holly takes offense to that pointing out that she spends a hundred grand on schooling, she can afford Jabby. Well, Jabby tells her there are plenty of teachers in the yellow pages; if you’re not happy go.
I don’t agree with Jabby on the whole ethnic dances thing, but she is right on that one; if you’re not happy somewhere, go to another studio. Why put up with nonsense like this? I don’t get it. It’s actually a complaint I have about a lot of dance (team) moms; so many of them love to hear themselves bitch and moan about everything but no one changes their circumstances. At what point do you need to start shouldering some of the blame?
So that’s this episode, Gasmi! Apologies again for the delay; I’m busting this out to try and get it up before the next show airs! What did you all think of this one? I know you’ll have PLENTY to say!!! Can’t wait!
SWAK, PottyMouth
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So how many nationals are they going to go to? Geez!!!!
Let’s try this one more time (posted twice & it didn’t take for some reason)
Ok, ummmm, PottyMouth? I love reading your recaps to Della Reeses pieces so I’m going to need you to put your life on hold & get them up faster! I don’t like waiting a week for my snark lol.
I love your personal experiences & insight into this world. As a competitive cheer gym owner (& cheer mom) I was happy to get an insight into this world, but now I just tune in for the bat shit craziness! I thought my parents were cray-cray, but these heifers take the cake! The moms’ reactions to Abby’s ‘pyramid’ is VERY similar to my parent’s reactions to our pyramid because every one wants their little Susie (or these days Organza, Essence, or Leightington <–actual name*smh*) on top of the literal cheer pyramid.
Now, as an African American woman I have to say that I didn't think that Nia's costume was offensive or racist because I embrace my heritage, & let's face it…a good afro? Can be Fierce! & Like Holly, I am so far removed from the 'Laquifas' of the world that I didn't even understand what name they were saying. Having said that, the song? COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE! I cannot believe she let her daughter dance to that! It wasn't a song! It was a stereotypical, ghetto piece of crap that should never be considered real music. I, of course googled it & it only gets worse!! It's a drag queen (who btw is apparently making an appearance on the show in a future episode to teach her how to get her 'Laquifa' on correctly & is strangely offended with Nia's costume because she would never 'rock' a fro like that) screeching & screaming & calling herself a 'pimp hoe'! She had to have heard the music before the comp, right? She shouldn't have allowed her daughter to even listen to it let alone dance to it! If anyone ever had the AUDACITY to suggest my kids dance to something like that, they wouldn't dare do it again! I'm sure it was production manipulation because I don't think Abby would ever have the GALL to suggest something that ridiculous on her own & I don't think Holly would allow her to dance to it otherwise, but she shouldn't have let her do it under ANY circumstance! I was very disappointed in Holly. Okay..rant over! Time to watch the new epi.
The music is a remix of a line from a drag queen…Shangela. She has an alter-ego, Laquifa, the modern day pimp-ho. And her tagline is, “They call me, they sayz Laquifa! And I sayz, WHAT?!” I started laughing so hard when it came on, but the whole situation wasn’t funny.
Abby knows she’s dead wrong. It would be one thing if she was really teaching Nia African or Afro-Caribbean dance, but she’s not doing that. Nothing in that dance was ethnic, especially not that tacky costume and hideous plastic wig, so she needs to cut it out. I really hope that Holly will take Nia to someone else, because Abby clearly is not interested in helping her develop her talent.
Dude! Why am I having such a hard time posting?? Let’s try again..
Ok, ummmm, PottyMouth? I love reading your recaps to Della Reeses pieces so I’m going to need you to put your life on hold & get them up faster! I don’t like waiting a week for my snark lol.
I love your personal experiences & insight into this world. As a competitive cheer gym owner (& cheer mom) I was happy to get an insight into this world, but now I just tune in for the bat shit craziness! I thought my parents were cray-cray, but these heifers take the cake! The moms’ reactions to Abby’s ‘pyramid’ is VERY similar to my parent’s reactions to our pyramid because every one wants their little Susie (or these days Organza, Essence, or Leightington <–actual name*smh*) on top of the literal cheer pyramid.
Now, as an African American woman I have to say that I didn't think that Nia's costume was offensive or racist because I embrace my heritage, & let's face it…a good afro? Can be Fierce! & Like Holly, I am so far removed from the 'Laquifas' of the world that I didn't even understand what name they were saying. Having said that, the song? COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE! I cannot believe she let her daughter dance to that! It wasn't a song! It was a stereotypical, ghetto piece of crap that should never be considered real music. I, of course googled it & it only gets worse!! It's a drag queen (who btw is apparently making an appearance on the show in a future episode to teach her how to get her 'Laquifa' on correctly & is strangely offended with Nia's costume because she would never 'rock' a fro like that) screeching & screaming & calling herself a 'pimp hoe'! She had to have heard the music before the comp, right? She shouldn't have allowed her daughter to even listen to it let alone dance to it! If anyone ever had the AUDACITY to suggest my kids dance to something like that, they wouldn't dare do it again! I'm sure it was production manipulation because I don't think Abby would ever have the GALL to suggest something that ridiculous on her own & I don't think Holly would allow her to dance to it otherwise, but she shouldn't have let her do it under ANY circumstance! I was very disappointed in Holly. Okay..rant over! Time to watch the new epi.
WAIT…Did Cathy say why is she depicting ‘this african american thing’ Seriously? What’s the hell does that mean?
Ok, ummmm, PottyMouth? I love reading your recaps to Della Reeses pieces so I’m going to need you to put your life on hold & get them up faster! I don’t like waiting a week for my snark lol.
I love your personal experiences & insight into this world. As a competitive cheer gym owner (& cheer mom) I was happy to get an insight into this world, but now I just tune in for the bat shit craziness! I thought my parents were cray-cray, but these heifers take the cake! The moms’ reactions to Abby’s ‘pyramid’ is VERY similar to my parent’s reactions to our pyramid because every one wants their little Susie (or these days Organza, Essence, or Leightington <–actual name*smh*) on top of the literal cheer pyramid.
Now, as an African American woman I have to say that I didn’t think that Nia’s costume was offensive or racist because I embrace my heritage, & let’s face it…a good afro? Can be Fierce! & Like Holly, I am so far removed from the ‘Laquifas’ of the world that I didn’t even understand what name they were saying. Having said that, the song? COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE! I cannot believe she let her daughter dance to that! It wasn’t a song! It was a stereotypical, ghetto piece of crap that should never be considered real music. I, of course googled it & it only gets worse!! It’s a drag queen (who btw is apparently making an appearance on the show in a future episode to teach her how to get her ‘Laquifa’ on correctly & is strangely offended with Nia’s costume because she would never ‘rock’ a fro like that) screeching & screaming & calling herself a ‘pimp hoe’! She had to have heard the music before the comp, right? She shouldn’t have allowed her daughter to even listen to it let alone dance to it! If anyone ever had the AUDACITY to suggest my kids dance to something like that, they wouldn’t dare do it again! I’m sure it was production manipulation because I don’t think Abby would ever have the GALL to suggest something that ridiculous on her own & I don’t think Holly would allow her to dance to it otherwise, but she shouldn’t have let her do it under ANY circumstance! I was very disappointed in Holly. Okay..rant over! Time to watch the new epi.
Sorry 4 the multiple post but it wouldn’t take my rant in one full post for some reason
For some reason, I really dislike Melissa and Maddie. I feel horibble for saying that about a kid, but their, “we’re better than everyone else personality, makes me sick. I hated how Abby is so awful to Nia and pretty much any child who isn’t Maddie….FYI, Maddie also won the title @ the Orlando National I went to….Now why would you go to a Starpower National twice?!?!
Awesome recap! It’s great to know the inside story of how this show screws over other dance kids from other studios.
One more thing: if Abby claims to prepare nia for these ethnic dances, she (Abby) should have a good foundation in them herself, which clearly she doesn’t have. Evidence: nia’s Bollywood number in the next ep. I have done Indian folk dance and I can assure you neither the Aladdin costume nor abby’s choreography had ANYTHING Indian about it. If abby wants nia to learn ethnc dances Abby should recommend another studio to her. Ugh. Ok rant over!
http://www.tvgasm.com/recaps/drag-race-funny-ladyboys/
Read Valleygirls comment. I said in another post that no 10 year old should be dancing to that song which is based on “borrowed” material and is about a drag queen pimp. Has Holly listened to that song? If Nia was a few years older, then fine. My 10 year old would not have worn that outfit, danced to that song, and I would not have spent a dime on that wig.
@PottyMouth
Please track Jabby down and ask her about the lies.
I rarely comment on these recaps… this one and toddlers and tiaras, but I was not happy with the Holly/Nia situation. First of all I have no problem with an afro. I happily rock my own natural afro at times. However, I was highly offended by Jabby and her “ethnic” dance. But I was more upset with Holly. There is a time to put your foot down. That afro was terrible and there is no way in heck I would let my daughter dance to that song. Holly strikes me as an intelligent woman. It is time to take her daughter somewhere else. Jabby is a closet racist (maybe not so much in the closet). If she wants Nia to learn ethnic dances then I recommend she brings someone in cause she is not the one to teach them…that is all. PS Pottymouth love your inside track for these recaps.
@fancyface5
“who btw is apparently making an appearance on the show in a future episode to teach her how to get her ‘Laquifa’ on correctly”
Please say you were joking. I could not stand Shangela on RuPaul
and now she is going to teach that song to a 10 year old child.
“who btw is apparently making an appearance on the show in a future episode to teach her how to get her ‘Laquifa’ on correctly”
Please Please Please say it isn’t so… that is unacceptable
WOW!! I was so intent on getting my comment posted that I had to keep rewriting it because I didn’t see it post immediately *smh*..Calm down Fancy! lol..feel free to delete my duplicate posts. But I was LIVID @ Holly last week, who only minimally made up for it this week, & I had to be heard!!
@June…SADLY it is true! According to Shangela, who was oh so proud that her song was on, she will be making an appearance in an upcoming episode! UGHHHH! Why? What does that mess that she does have to do with LITTLE GIRLS that are beautiful dancers & want a future in dance? RIDIC! So, yes June, SAD but TRUE (well according to Shangela ‘Laquifa’ McDragQueen)
Maybe Shangela can offer more ethnic dance technique to the girls than Jabby can. I will be very interested if she is actually a ShanFella.
ShanFella……..giff really bwhahahahahahaha
Oh, Lawd… watched the latter half of this show with my mouth hung open. Really, Jabby – that is your idea of “ethnic” dancing? To a song that you might as well get the Too Live Crew back together to do? Wow, thanks, because LA and NY are not already full with rump shakers for the next Lil Wayne video. Well what do you expect from a woman who would have to fart in order to leap off the ground? I haven’t seen her make a descernible move in this season, other than to cash these fools’ checks.
Great recap, PottyMouth! Having a recapper who was actually there adds a lot of awesome behind the scenes detail.
The way Jabby compartmentalized Nia was flat-out wrong: I couldn’t believe Holly didn’t pull her out of the competition AND Jabby’s studio right there and then. Every dancer has a strength, but that has nothing to do with “ethnicity.” If Jabby had taught Nia traditional African dancing, that might have been a different story, but I doubt Jabby’s dubious skills and knowledge stretch that far. If this is a sample of her ideas, I can’t wait to see how awful Jabby gets by the end of this show.
Glad you know so much about the comps (victory cup, new routines for nationals, etc) it puts the episodes in a better perspective for me. I cheered but never danced and we went to one nationals a year (UCA) and basically kept the same routine from regionals.
I agree about Cathy and Melissa bitching about Vivi and Mackenzie…they sat in a swing, that’s all. They should be happy that their daughters are even included in this pyramid. They are younger and pretty awful at dancing.
The whole Nia situation is troubling and I can see why Holly would be upset. Like most commenters have already said, if Flabby wanted to teach Nia “ethnic dances,” whatever, but sticking the girl in jungle attire and an afro does not make it ethnic…it is just Flabby’s idea of what ethnic looks like (to her, obvs). Instead of spending all of this time arguing about this, Flabby should be teaching her what the word “technique” means, then maybe Nia would be that bad of a dancer…let’s face it, she is the worst one out of the other girls her age.
Shangela is an attention whore who will do anything to get on television. (S)he only started drag when her “straight” comedy routine was not getting any attention and she knew another contestant on RuPaul’s Drag Race and managed to glom on (twice!). I am sorry that someone else is giving her 15 more minutes – especially in such circumstances (even though I love me some AUTHENTIC drag queens!)
Jabby’s idea of ethnicity was about as authentic as when a Caucasian actor was put in make-up and had his eyes taped into a slant to play Charlie Chan in old movies. This ignorance has no place in today’s world, and the thought of Shangela on the show is horrible. Shangela plays Laquifa as a loud mouthed ho, and it is insulting to have her model her aesthetic for a child. Surely Jabby could actually reach out to dancers who can teach true ethnic dance, if that is her sincere purpose. SYTYCD has done some fabulous Bollywood numbers, etc, and many universities have ethnic dance troupes…so there is knowledge and talent out there…but Jabby is a complete fake. She is neither knowledgable or sincere and I hope this Laquifa fiasco hurts her reputation as a serious teacher.. I’m sure that Holly didn’t want to disappoint Nia by pulling her from the competition and therefore from the show. Maybe she felt that the exposure Nia would gain by being on the show outweighed Jabby……….sorry I couldn’t resist.
I have decided that I love Nia. Holly does not have to worry about Nia in any capacity. Nia is yelled at repeatedly about everything and she just keeps smiling and going and trying. She never gets upset, she never cries … She might not have the other’s technique or whatever but when Jabby comes in throws her leopard costume at her and tells her she made 389 mistakes AGAIN – she just smiles, throws on the costume, is delighted to just get out their and shake it … Future Harvard grad for sure – nothing gets to her!!!!!!!!! Holly – job well done, the viewers can tell you are an educated, fantastic parent.
@hlesczyn, I totally agree that little lady seems to take everything with a smile. I haven’t heard her complain…maybe talk about a situation but not complain. Holly appears to have a good head on her shoulders and even with editing she still isn’t nearly as bad as the other moms. I think Nia knows she is not that great of a dancer and as a true show of maturity does not expect to be coddled. BTW, FREE VIVI!!!!!!
[/quote]they’re afraid of speaking up about stuff that bothers them because they’re afraid it will negatively impact their kid.[quote]
I see this all the time in my profession. Instead of going straight to the problem parents will go to a ‘friend’ at the top and ask them to handle it.. or ‘report’ a situation hoping to get the ‘top’ to fight the battle for them. The reason they ALWAYS use is it will reflect badly on my child.. or all my children if I do go up there and fight the battle. I see it more in sports or coached programs, (dance, cheer, football, cross country) And usually it is a problem with the coach. Recommending for the parent to go back through the chain of command and to write it in a letter and copy it to many persons in the chain is the best recommendation. I find people are happy to let you fight their fights and in the end you look like an ass, repeatedly. I also find most people are not comfortable with confrontation and have an inability to communicate clearly. And can I throw honestly in there. People who ask you to fight their issues never give you the whole story. They alway use the ‘They will take it out on my kid’ argument as to why they won’t do it.
Maybe it has led me where I am in life but I have always been able to CLEARLY say my point of view and I don’t believe it has once changed how someone treted my child.. English teacher or coach… If you wnat to step into the leadership position you better be an example so don’t f with my kid
So fight your own fights people.. get your facts straight and by the time you get to the ‘top’ you may not have such a big issue any longer…. and you may find out your kids is at fault.
I totally agree with hlesczyn & moli! Nia is AWESOME! My favorite part was that huge, bright, genuine smile she had on her face when she was talking about how much she loved her costume in the midst of all that hoopla & controversy over it. “I love my costume. I thought it was amazing.”
The innocence of youth…PRICELESS!
Yes I do love Nia’s smile and her little goofy grin,which is so much cuter than Maddie’s. Team Nia!!!!! I don’t think we have to worry about her at all.
As much as Jabby’s stereotyping Nia bothered me, I think Holly’s attitude about “those people” bothered me worse. It was like there were two sorts of African Americans; her kind and “those people.” Who the hell does she think she is to stick her nose so far up in the air that if it rained she would drown? Hate to break it to you honey, but you ARE one of “those people”, just like rich New Englanders are one of us Southern hicks because PEOPLE ARE PEOPLE. We might speak differently or dress differently but in the end only self-centered jacka$$es put themselves on pedastals above “their inferiors.” You can’t turn your back your heritage. You can get mad because Jabby had your kid dance a crappy 90′s throw-back dance (ethnic my foot!) and put her in a second-rate Party City costume, but to announce that, because you pay 100 large for private schools and sport an expensive car, that you are better than someone else is enough to make me despise you! I honestly hope that you wind up broke somehow, even just temporarily, because you need a serious lesson in humility. And I figure learning how to live with shopping at the (gasp!) Aldi and driving a (double gasp!) used car should be lesson enough for you.
saffie, I have to disagree with you. I don’t consider myself one of THOSE people either. I am not in the same place as the Shomphiqua and Dy’shatea and would never ever place myself on their level. To be clear THOSE people are the welfare queens who live in the project and do nothing to better themselves or encourage their children to succeed in life. THOSE people who blame everyone but themselves for not making anything for themselves….you know that ones who are still using the old term ‘White man holding me down’. I know I may ruffle some feathers but this is how I feel about it and am raising my little ones to think similar, you are not one of THOSE people and should not associate with them. BTW, I was born in the inner city(that I still reside) and educated from 7th on in a normal public school(Catholic before).
i watched this train wreck for the first time last night. Why would anyone pay a dance teacher that weighs 500 pounds??
Pottymouth, love your recaps! The captions under the pictures were priceless! “I tried to put Maddie in blackface, but Christi complained…” LOL!
And I love your behind the scenes info. I’m sure that the other dancers there were p*ssed at having to be involved in this circus. (though I’m sure that the kids that were there watched and hoped that they made it onscreen)
I think Holly will leave Jabby’s soon. I’m sure she signed a contract for this show and then I bet she’s out of there. Since she just got her PhD, why isn’t she emphasizing academics more? Dance should be something that Nia does for fun, not something that takes over her life like it is for these other girls.
I do agree that if someone is unhappy they should go somewhere else, but for God’s sake, Jabby should be able to take some criticism. As soon as a parent questions her, she starts yelling for them to leave. Abby, open your ears and listen sometimes and maybe you’ll hear a different viewpoint. I thought Abby looked a little intimidated when talking to Holly – I’m sure she knows that Holly is WAAAAYYYYY smarter than her. I just looooved it when Holly was saying, “choose your words carefully” like she was talking to a student! LOL
@Jazzy: I totally agree with you! And the black painted face comment was my favorite too…
Jabby is a white trash racist and Nia is by far the token black girl in this studio. How cliche of Jabby. So sad.
As far as Vivi goes, if you watch the opening to the show, where the moms dance with the kids–Vivi is the only person who doesn’t move. All the moms and kids dance with each other (even Jabby does an ugly “in your face” head and shoulder bob), but Vivi just stands still while Cathy dances around her. Again, so sad.
Free Vivi! Celebrate Nia! Admire Chloe! Let Brooke become a cheerleader! Get Maddie dental work and humility! Muzzle Jabby! Get Cathy off my TV!
Any of these slogans will work on a T-Shirt that I would wear.
@shana I love your slogans!
@Shana – You are hilarious! I’ll take a ‘Let Brooke become a Cheerleader!’ T-shirt in pink.
@Shana – I love your slogans too!! lol They’re awesome
I’d buy a “Get Cathy off my TV!”
I think you have a new business going, shana…..
LOL @ Shana I love the slogans !! Sign me up. My heart aches for Vivi. (Free VIVi) Nia, I agree, will survive this little time on the show and have something interesting to put on her Harvard, Yale, etc applications. @ Monae Linder “…Shomphiqua and Dy’shatea…” LoL at these names. I have to agree I don’t like being lumped in with anyone that doesn’t take hard work and raising children seriously white, black, hispanic or otherwise. I just want Black people to be appreciated and respected for what we have come through and become and not the glorified “ghetto” persona. A respect for the heritage. I respect Holly for what she has become and I see why she was upset.
Meanwhile just watched the new episode of Dance Moms…world of quotable quotes…I can’t wait to read the recap Pottymouth
Maddie is really good but Abby should give Chloe a chance. Vivi shouldn’t even be there because she doesn’t even like to dance. The best episode was when Abby made Brooke and Brandon go on a date.
I hate to saynit but vivi kinda sucks. Good thing her and cathy “hopped off the party train” they were never gonna make in the group anyways. Only true dancers deserve to be at the top. Maddie s an incredible dancer, don’t get me wrong, but Abby needs t learn how to give equal amounts of love to each of the girls and not individual someone out giving them extra attention. I also really feel for holly and nia. Neither of their voices are ever heard by Abby. Same with kristie and Chloe. I think kelly, Brooke, and Paige are the ones who cause the most trouble and drama, rendering them the most enjoyable to watch being interviewed.
Sorry but Vivi really sucks. I think Brooke should be at the top ofnthe pyramid because she is older then all of them and is a lot better. But Abby only cares for Maddie. And personally I hate Maddie and Melissa.
Aww, thanks you guys for your comments! You are so kind. Sorry Jazzy, I am lucky enough to get to work with newborn babies and I love my job immensely. So no Dance Moms slogan t-shirts in the making for me. But I am happy that you all feel the same way. Even though I watch the show alone physically (couldn’t even get my roomie to sit through the first three minutes), I feel like I am watching it with all of you guys too. I get to ‘hang out’ with a group of funny, insightful people, snark happily–all while yelling at my tv in my jammies. Freakin Awesome.
On another note, I really liked Brandon and his mom. Brandon was so polite, grounded and willing to make the effort. His mom seemed to have a great perspective on the whole dance mom thing–but how ridiculous that they literally ran away to avoid Jabby’s anger after the performance. It’s like one big abusive family.
@ Pottymouth: I spent the weekend with a family friend whose seven year old son learned to play chess a couple of months ago, and is now beating everyone he plays (his parents, grandparents, friends of the family, etc.) There is no doubt that he is a chess wizz (after he beat me I told him it was an honor to lose to him–he thought that was funny and told me that I just needed to pay attention and concentrate more–out of the mouths’ of babes…). What I saw that made me think of you was how intent he was on the game. His winning was like an aphrodisiac to him, and the pleasure he got in solving the puzzle of the chess board made me understand better his all-consuming desire to play ALL THE TIME. It made me think of your son and how important dance is to him. I think I have a better understanding now of how much work and dedication, and NEED it takes from the child, and the parent, to love/support something that makes a person feel successful–and dare I say–even powerful, by what they can create/perform/accomplish.
@fancyface5
Shangela is going to complain about Nia’s wig? Maybe she did pay attention when Manilla showed her how to use a comb.
I haven’t seen this program as we don’t have it here in Oz yet but I love the recaps and the comments. My daughter and I teach dance and cheerleading and we have Aboriginal kids in our classes. I am appalled at what Jabby is doing with these kids. Firstly, we would be in trouble (and other dance studios have been) if we did any routines that showed any ethnic group in a way that is not positive. If we wanted to do any type of aboriginal dance a teacher would be brought into the studio to teach the correct moves and all the kids would be in it. Does anyone know Jabby’s qualifications? I know we had to do a lot of exams and many years of training. As for all the kids at the competition being filmed – did the parents sign a release? It is illegal here to photograph or film children without the parents’ signature. I know that it is all for the cameras but do you really want this show on your child’s resume?