My kids love this show for some reason but I can't stomach it. Maybe because it's filmed in my hometown of Pittsburgh and it makes my homies look like sadistic idiots.

I do know of one successful dancer spawned by Abby Lee; her name is Miranda Maleski and she made the top 20 in last year's "So You Think You Can Dance".

http://www.fox.com/dance/bios/contes...iranda-maleski

I've read several interviews with Abby. From what I can recall, she formed her own dance company at 14, because she knew that while she was a good dancer, she was a stronger choreographer. This may have been true in the past, but it appears like Gianna (or whatever her assistant's name is) does most of it, at least for the girls that we see. My issue with studios like this (especially now that they have a new dance each week), there are about 15 "staple" movements that are in every single dance and it's kind of a mix-n-match, with little else in it. You shouldn't recognise a studio because each dance is the same.

Anyone else get a headache from visiting this?

http://www.abbyleedancecompany.com/

Guilty pleasure.... kind of like gawking at an ongoing car crash, where another car piles on every week. I cannot believe that Abby gets away with her behavior, no matter how many dancers might go on to dance on Broadway or in videos. WHY do these mothers allow her to berate their children like this? :eek:

Only one as bad as Abby is that Candy Apple Cathy bitch. At least she seems to focus her conniving more on hurting the adults.

I do too!

But, while I do think kids need to stop being so babied these days, she's a bit much. Some of the stuff she says to them make me cringe.

I hear her screechy voice in the commercials and can barely stomach even that.

Actually, she had gastric bypass...but she bypassed it.

Who's Candy Apple Cathy? I got sort of a vague idea that she was a former Abby mother.

She was a former Abby mom who runs her own dance studio in Ohio. She brought her daughter Vivi (did that girl ever SPEAK?) to Abby Lee's studio because of its reputation as being one of the best.

I'm pretty sure she was manufactured drama brought in by the producers. She never rode in the competition bus with the other moms.

She was briefly in the episode last night, making her own pyramid with her own dancers.

I grew up dancing, and I thought I'd like it since I love trashy reality TV, but I couldn't make it past one episode. I've had many dance teachers, and the one who taught me the most was really tough, but she did it in a motivating way, to the point where I am in my twenties and still look to her for guidance. While I think dancers should be taught hard work and the ability to handle criticism at a young age, there is a line between the teacher who is tough on their students, and the teacher like that who uses intimidation and fear. Abby is a psycho bitch, and I would never send a child into that environment. I'd rather be screamed at by my scariest law professor than take a class from her.

I have had one of those borderline abusive teachers; if anyone has seen the MTV True Life episode where the cover theatre camp, he was the tough dance teacher. They gave him a good edit...while MTV shows him as tough but fair, they didn't show him cursing and throwing chairs at his students. Some dancers are of the school that, "it's tough out there, but that kind of motivation is good". I disagree. If I'm terrified of my instructor, I'm not going to learn better...I'm going to be miserable through class in fear of messing up. Since you have to make mistakes and mess up in order to perform better, what good is that?

Cathy is the one with the very short, two toned awful looking hair. She was only technically a former "Abby mom". She owns a dance studio for kids and competes them against Abby at a lot of the dance competitions.

As Always Alpha Gam said, it is pretty clear that Cathy & her daughter Vivi were brought into the ALDC only for drama & TV ratings. She was there to do nothing but stir the pot and be nasty. Poor little Vivi couldn't dance for squat.

Cathy and her Candy Apples were one of the studios that was under consideration as the focal point for the series. She didn't have the "it" factor to carry a show. But she plunked herself down to cause (more) drama and angst between the moms/Abby and the moms/Cathy and the moms.

Too bad she never saw What Not To Wear.......

Yeah honestly, if you look at each solo and group routine, the common dance moves/tricks are aerials and second turns. All. the. time.

In regards to Dance Moms, I watch it because Abby Lee used some killer Drag Queen tracks from Shangela Laquifa Wadley and Erickatoure Aviance, and then had Shangela teach Nia the Death Drop for the end of "My Pumps" by Erickatoure. She nailed a Legendary Ball Room move and she had a good time doing it. Nia is my favorite and her mom Holly is my favorite mom. Oh Nia, "Let the fierce be with you!" gurl!

LOL! I was about to post this same thing.