Growing up, I was never much of a television watcher. I would sit down to watch Disney Channel with my little sister from time to time, but I never truly got obsessed with the various different shows or series’ (a fact that has changed significantly as I’ve gotten older.) Nevertheless, there was one TV series that I was simply desperate to watch when I was in middle school.
Dance Moms.
Everyone was talking about it, and – being a competitive dancer myself – I thought it was my duty and responsibility to watch the show from a dancer’s perspective.
For context, I have been a dancer since I was three years old. At the age of ten, I started dancing at a highly competitive studio, where I spent an average of twenty-five hours a week training. I would go to school all day, then drive straight to my studio – oftentimes eating hurriedly in the car – and rehearse for the next four to five hours. Then, at around 9:00 P.M. (give or take an hour), I would drive home, eat dinner, and do my homework for the next few hours. This was my life for at least four days of the week, in addition to the extra weekend rehearsals we had during the height of competition season.
In short, it was exhausting. I absolutely loved to dance, but – full transparency – this type of rigorous schedule made my teammates and me incredibly prone to burnout. It was difficult to stay motivated when we were somehow always tired and in pain. This is not to say that my time as a competitive dancer was not one of the best experiences of my life – it allowed me to make lifelong friends and memories, those of which I would not trade for the world. Even still, it is difficult to look back on my time as a dancer without remembering the toil that the environment took on my mental and physical health.
In this sense, Dance Moms has always been a deeply interesting show for me. Marketed as a reality television show, I believe that many people were able to view the drama and conflict that took place throughout each episode as entertaining, likely hoping that much of it was staged or contrived.
I think that much of it probably was.
However, when looking back on it now, I cannot help but think that – despite the probability that the constant arguing was often scripted – it appears very believable. Dramatic, maybe. But believable.
The dance world is one of the most competitive and intense environments I’ve ever experienced, and the kind of rivalry, favoritism, and competitiveness shown in Dance Moms is not absent in the real dance world. In fact, it is a huge part of it.
This brings me to the Dance Moms Reunion, which is set to appear on Lifetime in 2024. Though little details have come out about the show, I anticipate that the participating members will be talking about their experience on the show and everything that has happened since. Should this be the premise, it will be interesting to hear what it was actually like to film the once-beloved television series, as well as what it was like to move on from that experience.
Not only will some of the Dance Moms cast be reuniting for the actual reunion special, but a number of them also got together recently to celebrate Paige Hyland’s birthday.
All this discussion of reunions is what really interests me when thinking about Dance Moms. Given the environment that they were in for the show – the stress of a competitive dance world, the pressure of an intense drama television series, and the scrutiny of fame – it is amazing to see that the girls are, hopefully, still friends. There is no doubt in my mind that their friendships were likely put to the test time and time again, both when filming the show and afterward, making it heartwarming to know that love and friendship can endure, even in the most troubling of environments.
Like my dance past, I have a complicated relationship with and perspective on Dance Moms, and I will be interested to see what the reunion special does to shed new light on any of my musings about it.
Until then, thank you – as always – for reading! And, if you’re interested, be sure to watch for updates about the Dance Moms Reunion, coming sometime in the next year.