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Lauren Turbeville English 1103 Ms. Caruso 12 November 2012 Dance Moms Gone Crazy Dance is a worldwide phenomenon that over time has contextualized into its own art form, to put its touch in society. Over time dance has emerged from culture to culture and made its mark as a valuable virtue for people. The art itself has come a long way in time, because dance was not always equal compared to other art forms. Dance was said to be too close to music to stand alone as its own art, and now it has evolved into a whole other genre. The appreciation of dance has been a huge debate within society, especially with emerging new generations and their lack of knowledge about the history behind dance. Young people are being affected by everything around them as to what they think is real or not. A huge part of the influence on what society sees as dance is what is portrayed on reality television. Specifically with the show Dance Moms, the public gets a view of dance that is so far from the actual truth. The misconception of what is considered dance has greatly increased, and the history behind the art form has been lost. The lifetime series Dance Moms is a show about Abbey Lee Miller, studio owner, and her star dance team along with their mothers. The studio is a competition based atmosphere with the desire to win written all over it. Abbey teaches her students in a harsh manor and teaches them from the start that the most important thing is to win. She runs a tight ship at the studio,

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requiring a huge commitment from each girl as well as their mother to be at class six to seven days out of the week. The team will learn multiple dances throughout a week period to compete with the following weekend, then the next week they move on to new routines. The mothers are supposed to sit in the lobby and observe class, while sewing costumes, fixing music, and clearing the girls schedules. The studio as a whole is designed to produce winners and its ultimate goal is for each dancer to have success within their career. On the show Dance Moms, her team she showcases is a group of hardworking young girls who just have a dream to dance. Despite the harsh aspects, there are some excellent and positive sides of their experience dancing with Abbey. These girls get to go to multiple competitions weekly, while being seen by the most important judges all over the world. This comes with traveling, practicing every day, getting out of school early, and many other factors that weigh in to the commitment. Each girl has to not only be a team player, but they also must strive to shine as a soloist as well because Abbey only lets few girls compete alone. The girls got the experience to audition for a hip hop music video, which is an opportunity that does not come around every day. Also, the team as a whole is now widely known around the world because of the publicity of the show. Despite the wonderful opportunities, and the luring chances these dancers get; the overall message this studio and show is sending to not only the dancers but the public, is twisted. Where along the road did the history get lost, or the whole reason dance exists go? To any novice viewer observing the show, they see dance as a cut throat world of competition, where being the best is what gets you places. Abbey does not stress feelings, improvement, or history; but on the other hand she only stresses being the best, winning first place, and doing whatever possible to beat everyone else. These girls call themselves dancers yet are missing out on where their art

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form came from or how it got to the point of success that it is in now. The dance is one of many human experiences that cannot be suppressed. Like music, the dance is a language which all human beings understand Dance, like every other artistic expression, presupposes a heightened, increased life response. (Wigman P.1) The Abbey Lee Dance company has one thing for sure, and that is a history of producing success stories. Her groups have dominated competitions with awards as groups and soloists giving the opportunities to get their names out in the dance world. The dancers at the studio have gotten the chance to meet so many great people and get a lot of publicity especially because of the show. Abbey has guest choreographers come to the studio such as Tokyo, and Denise Wall to give the students a different taste in dance and to show them what else is out there. The students also get the opportunity to be in line for many scholarships to professional dance conservatories or companies all around the world. Dancers from ALDC (Abbey Lee Dance Company) have gone to places such as the Jeoffrey Ballet, Tap Dogs, and the New York City Dance Alliance to further their career. Also, dancers from the Abbey Lee Dance Company have gone on to be Radio City Rockets, choreographers, dancers in professional companies, dancers on Broadway, and so much more. It is safe to say that without a doubt, dancing at the Abbey Lee Dance Company will get you places.

The art of dance has grown a great deal over the history of time and has evolved into an art form that is relatable to anyone. Dance was a fundamental part of societies in the past times and really stood a part in the survival of certain cultures. Some of the earliest traces of dance were in Egypt for prayer and ritual purposes. (Lihs) Dance has not always been used for

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entertainment purposes to say the least. Dance has not always been a competition, and dance was definitely not only about technique. For some people dance was a way to communicate and bring people together, or even as a way to meet a mate. The Wodaabe tribe used dance as a way to find your soul mate and who you would spend your life with. (Welsh-Asante) Historical sites such as Jacobs Pillow and Congo Square were created for dancers to go and show what they can do. This was the first time we saw the option for dance artists to be able to display their talents. Shortly after this we saw a rise in Vaudeville, which was a type of dramatic expression and movement used for dancers; which later transformed into Broadway. Ballet started out being an art displayed for royals and persons of power. It has now evolved into an underlying technique that is somewhat of a necessity for a dancers career. Dance being such an essential part of life in history, makes it seem trivial to underplay the importance of it on television where the entire world sees it. Dance has also changed history and made its mark in the world as not only an entertainment art form, but a protest art form. Pioneers in modern dance such as Martha Graham didnt want to just be pretty ballerinas with good technique, they wanted to say something. These emerging dancers were interested in getting the message out about events that were actually happening in the world; such as wars and crime. Martha Graham was the first woman to put Black women, Jewish women, and Chinese women on a performing stage. Right during World War II Martha was asked to perform down south so she packed up her dancers and took them to perform. When she arrived she was told she couldnt put Jewish women on stage, so she packed up and immediately left. She wanted to make a statement and show how powerful dance was and what it could and can do. These choreographers used dance as a tool to connect with so many people in the world, and the art form to them was a necessity. The girls on Dance Moms

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perform dances with meaning behind them but do they truly know what they are saying? These dancers are so concerned about the score and the trophy that not only them but the audience as well loses what came first, the history. The alliance with dance and reality television has become a worldwide phenomenon and has accumulated many fans. Shows such as So You Think You Can Dance, Dance Moms, and Dancing with the Stars give evolving dancers an opportunity to get out there and be seen. The problem is that what the show Dance Moms puts out to the world is not what people should only think about dance. Dance studios can be a warm and loving environment, which really act as a second home to young kids. These studios can teach girls lifelong lessons of dedication, responsibility, and diligence in everything you do. (Amy Brookshire) The show demonstrates the stress of getting things right, doing what you are told, and being at the studio 24/7. In the episodes viewers see Abbey not only screaming at the girls but violently screaming at their mothers as well. These children are being taught that it is okay to talk to people like that, and it is normal to be spoken down to. The world has this twisted view of what a dance studio environment is like because of this. The combination of reality television and the use of it to broadcast the art of dance can really be a beautiful thing. Television is a wonderful way to get the word out there about dancers and how hard they work to achieve what they do. The world cannot let Dance Moms control their opinion of dance and what it means to be a dancer, because in the end you are missing out on so much. The history, passion, and fire behind dancing are what make it an art form that will never die. This cultural barrier is something that can be used to bring the world together. Lets take it upon ourselves to ask, is everything we see on television what is actually true?

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Work Cited
Arnett, Lisa. The Real Deal. Dance Spirit 11, no. 9 (November 2007):89. MasterFILE Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed September 18, 2012)

Brookshire, Amy. Personal Interview. 8 September 2012. Lihs, Harriet. Appreciating Dance: A Guide to the Worlds Liveliest Art. New Jersey. Print. Marc Malkin. www.eonline.com/news. Tue., Jul. 24, 2012 6:47 AM PDT. Web. 30 September 2012. Sciullo, Maria. Reality Check: Floor opens up to more Dance Moms. Pittsburgh Post Gazette (PA), October 22, 2011., Point of View Reference Center, EBSCO host (accessed September 18, 2012)

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