Dance Moms: Season 1 [DVD]

I haven't finished watching the entire thing yet and am only halfway through season two. It's kind of like watching a train wreck. You want to turn away but you keep looking! At this point I am wishing Abby, gruff as she may be, had stuck to her guns. The only thing that disgusted me was her yelling in the faces of little girls about their mothers! THAT'S the part I considered disgusting. The strictness doesn't bother me because the parents have a choice to go where the methods are different. It's bad enough for a child to be a bully but for a full grown woman to bully young children it really terrible. These children are not even teens. Only one is. The rest are really very young and this overbearing woman yells in their faces about their Mom's rediculous behavior. I considered it to be for the camera...to give "drama" to the entire gig. At least I hope that's what it is. . Abby even choreographed a number about being a bully..and then does it herself. Being gruff and stern is understandable...but NOT out and out bullying. And that's what I considered her yelling in the children's faces about their mothers. These children cannot control their mothers! What is she thinking!The other woman..the Candy Apples coach... GOOD LORD! I HOPE much of that is all an act as well.. The things ALL of these people do in front of young children is...just pathetic. If those little girls are not really crying...they need an academy award!She is supposed to be a professional and producing professionals but...after the tearful breakdown, sticking her booty out to be spanked...I don't think so. In Abby's words "WHO DOES THAT?!" Maybe I'll save my money from now on. Thinking about it. It's an interesting study of how bad people can act. I gave it four stars because it kept my interest..but now I am worried about MYSELF!! I think I will keep it a secret that I watched this! *smile*

We gave up cable last year when I got laid off, and embraced the brave new world of streaming content. Since this show is not available on Hulu or Netflix, hello Amazon streaming. I don't buy tons of content, but I was mesmerized by an excerpt from this show that I found online, and had to see more.Have to say that Abby Lee Miller must believe that all publicity is good publicity. She has a core of sensible, tough-love coaching somewhere below all the wildly inappropriate behavior, but appears to be completely insane on this show. Mom and dance studio rival Cathy also acts out for the camera, with disregard for other humans and the laws of nature. Other moms are not nearly so nutty (Abby and Cathy set the benchmark very high). All of the ladies show some concern and affection for their daughters and pupils, although that's sometimes obscured by their crazy sniping.The little girls are sweet and dedicated, and it's endearing to see them dance their hearts out in front of their moms and the Lifetime production crew. Here and on shows like Toddlers and Tiaras, the audiences are slim and unabashedly partisan at regional showcases, and people are apparently screaming in the hallways of hotels all over this land. I hope these little ladies find fuller and more serene audiences someday, if they become performers.Exploitation is the nature of shows like Dance Moms, but the cameras do linger over the girls routines, which is either kind or cynical (can't decide). The appeal of being part of this group must be complicated. I can't imagine paying $16,000 a year for dance, or willingly exposing my daughters to so much explosive drama, but can see that being part of a group, no matter how dysfunctional, has its perks.One of my favorite moments was a phone call between Cathy, who had been tasked with choreographing a dance for the moms, and a mom who was graduating from her Ph.D. program and dropped out of the number to attend her graduation ceremony. Cathy chastised the drop-out mom for her lack of dedication to dance; later, during the number, she abandoned all choreography and turned the group number into a solo by sheer force of will."Dance Moms" is an unbalanced look at a fascinating subculture, or a fascinating look at an unbalanced subculture.

I love this show. I realize it's controversial, however, there are many accurate aspects regarding the life and training of a performer. Abby Lee Miller is tough and in my experience, the tougher coaches and teachers usually have a better turnout for producing professionals. Think of coaches training athletes in competitive sports. They can be very harsh when trying to produce a professional player. Well, the entertainment business isn't much different and in some ways, more difficult. You are judged on every facet, and it's cold and unapologetic. If these talented girls want to succeed, I think Abby's coaching style will have them far more prepared than most. While it isn't for everyone, her techniques will weed out those who dance purely for personal enjoyment and those who want to take it further. The moms can be entertaining and sometimes funny but they shouldn't interfere as much as they do. They should also keep things on topic and not become personal with Abby. Abby is right when she says she's the teacher and the studio is her domain. If they truly feel it isn't for their child, then they should pull them from competitive dance. This is an area of life that will be even more punishing and insensitive than any other. Not everyone is emotionally cut out for it. I do think all the girls are talented. Chloe and Maddie to this point, are very advanced and the dances are beautiful. Clearly, this team is well trained and each girl has her own unique talent.

My daughter really enjoys this show. It's a nice way of showing young people what can be achieved. Personally, I find the regular conflict between mothers and instructor both tedious and unrealistic. I would really like to think that people do not go around making every issue into a showcase conflict. It's a bad example to young people of how to constructively resolve points of difference. I think the producers could have been braver and centered around a more constructive message of what it takes to be a great dancer, instead of the cheap thrill of pitching parent against teacher in constant shouting matches

As the first season is not aired in the UK on lifetime, I really wanted to see where it all began. Be warned, it is not of the same calibre as the other seasons, but after all, you have to start somewhere! It is really interesting to see them when they were this young, and I would still recommend it to all Dance Moms fans! And Abby is HUGE!!

Love the series

Dance mom's is about kids competing in compations a company by there mom's it was bought for my cousin who loves it and will watch nothing but it she is aged nine

Did,nt need a region 4 cd player, it played in our CD player, this was great, because it states in the email when I ordered it, that it needs to be played in a region 4 player, so it was a bit confusing, but overall was happy in the end.