Dance Moms: Girls Dance Burlesque In Tan Tops For Abby Lee Miller
In what one can only hope was a contrived ratings ploy and not a real devolution into dancers as young as seven-years-old simulating being unclothed, this week’s Dance Moms had its girls in tan bras for a feather fan dance that stunned judges.
At the beginning of the show, Abby Lee Miller of the Abby Lee Dance Company informed the mothers of the underage girls that their daughters would be performing ostensibly unclothed to a burlesque dance. Which, it became apparent watching rehearsals, involved revealing privates with giant fans and thrusting things girls that young shouldn’t be thrusting in between reveals.
The girls looked uncomfortable and expressed that they didn’t want to look unclothed, bemoaning the need for looking unclothed, even simulated, when they’re so young: “I don’t want to be [without clothes] on stage,” said the youngest dancer, 7. Another said, “I’m only 11.” To which Miller replied: “That’s why you can get away with it.” The mothers looked horrified, but said little. The show went on.
Later in the show, the girls were fitted for their burlesque costumes during which, again, even youngest dancer exclaimed that the bra would cover nothing and she was uncomfortable: “How’s this going to fit me? I can fit this on my American [Girl] doll!” The girls were ordered to change in another room as their mothers sat aghast, but mostly silent. When the children materialised in costume, they were ordered to parade near topless for the mothers to check whether the costumes fit.
Near the end, in the competition portion of the show, the girls performed the dance to stunned, upset-looking judges who didn’t know where to look as the girls danced provocatively and pretended to flash their barely-covered chests. It was pretty stomach-turning and the dance mothers commented about the disapproving looks and comments from others in the crowd. Worse still, exclaims one mother, “I’m listening to the audience hoot and holler at my 10-year-old, and I’ve never been so mortified.”
It was pretty gross, but you can watch the (possibly NSFW) dance in this video.
Do you think Dance Moms went too far? Is this wrong? One gathers it’s somewhat par for the course in the world of dance, but the lack of verbal resistance from the mothers is pretty stunning.