Toddlers and Tiaras Vs Dance Moms
I'm going to be upfront: I have been dancing for twenty years. I grew up in a dance studio freakishly similar to Abby Lee Dance Center (the home base in Dance Moms ) minus the hovering parents. What's more, I've never really seen the point in pageants. Sure, the talent portion can be interesting, but I feel like a little bit of feminism dies every time another 3-year-old girl struts on stage with fake eyelashes. To be fair, the dancers wear fake eyelashes too, but we didn't start on those until age 13, and we did a lot more than just walk around in a pretty dress.
I have an obvious bias towards Dance Moms, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy the guilty pleasure that is Toddlers and Tiaras. Although the pageant world is vastly different than the dance competition circuit, the two share a few similarities. Both seem to attract worn-out mothers who wish to thrust their children into the spotlight. It is hard to me to pit one show against the other and remain objective, but I'm going to give it a go.
The Kids
The little tikes on Toddlers and Tiaras are cute and all, but it is definitely the children of Dance Moms that win this round. While Abby and the moms sit around bickering, these girls are actually supporting each other. I am especially impressed with Maddie. She might win all the time, but she never lets it get to her head. I really thought it was touching how much she supported Chloe, her chief competitor.
Crazy Mothers
This is a tough one. The parents on Dance Moms push dance ahead of schoolwork, cuss at each other in the presence of children, and encourage their kids to dance through painful injuries. That being said, they have never yet sent their children on stage as prostitutes, so the moms on Toddlers and Tiaras get the crazy crown.
Plot
I can't really judge the plot line of Toddlers and Tiaras, because, well, there isn't one. For each episode, you meet another cute (but whiney) kid and another obnoxious mother. You see the moms apply the hooker makeup and freak out at everyone within shouting distance. The cool thing about Dance Moms is that you get to follow the girls and mothers over a longer period of time, and while it also gets repetitive, there is always some new twist thrown into the plot.
I tried, but I just can't shake my extreme dislike of pageants. Some of you will argue that dance competitions aren't that much different. Take it from a dancer: they are. Sure, the dancers wear too much makeup and too little clothing, but they are actually receiving training in the arts, while getting a ton of exercise. A lot of studio dancers go on to dance as professionals (several from my studio ended up at Juilliard and on Broadway), and others pursue careers in dance education. Dance Moms may be heavy on the drama, but it also allows viewers to get a glimpse of the talented children that will grow up to be the stars of tomorrow.
To learn more about the world of competitive dance, check out Dance Solo: Benefits for the Competitive Dancer , Cost of Dance Team Versus Competitive Studio Dancing and Top Conventions for the Competitive Dancer
Published by S. Gustafson
Stephanie stumbled upon the Yahoo! Contributor Network as a sophomore in college. The accidental discovery led her to an exciting career in freelance writing for the web. With twenty years of experience in... View profile
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2 Comments
Post a CommentI've never watched either of the shows but I did interview a young entrepreneur for our local newspaper last week: 23 years old, opening her own dance studio and training young wannabee dancers. Her studio even has a "homework room" where the kids can study on their breaks - I thought that was a novel idea! cheers :) p.s. She has been dancing since she was 3 yrs old and has danced with BalaSole Dance Company, Le Dance, Diversity Dance Concerts and Choreographers Showcase. Not a shabby resume.
I'm not a dancer or a pagent girl, but I watch both of these shows as a guilty pleasure. I agree with your assesments; the teacher in Dance Moms is over the top, but she is training those girls in the realities of being a professional dancer. I'm not sure what the pagent girls are learning, other than how dressing like a drag queen will win you some money. So from an "unbiased" opinion, I agree with you!