Dance Moms (2011–2019) User Reviews (76)

Whose Really Dancing?

[eahutchison · 5/10 · 7 September 2012]

Set in Pittsburg, PA, Dance Moms is a television show that airs on Lifetime Network Tuesday nights at 8:00 central time. Local mothers apply their daughters for a spot in the Abby Lee Dance Company as young as five and six years old. Because of the extensive work and exclusivity of the dance company, mothers dream of the chance to make their daughters dance stars. After one season of avoiding what appeared to be a disgrace of a television show, I finally gave in and watched an episode with my roommates.

Abbey Lee Miller is the owner and director of the Abby Lee Dance Company. Running a very strict and exclusive dance company, Miller, and the company, has become one of the most sought after dance institutions in the United States, and especially in Pennsylvania. As understood from the title, this show is not about the dancing or the company, but instead it revolves around the mothers. What sells television more than drama and competition? Nothing, and this is why Dance Moms has become one of Lifetime's highest rated television series.

Growing up a dancer myself, I enjoyed watching the routines and competitions of these young girls. The dance aspect is what initially caught my attention. This show not only broadcasts Miller's company but also contains segments of the competition's routines. What also surprised me is how this show seems to not affect the bias of the judges involved in the weekly competitions.

Although I enjoy the dance aspect, the drama involved with a little girl's dancing blows my mind. Who knew that mothers could stoop as low as caring if their daughter is the point of a formation? I had always heard of parents living vicariously through their children's lives, but this show takes that theory to a whole new level.

If the drama between the mothers, or between mother and instructor, could be taken out of the production, I think this show could emit a more positive light. Maybe I am biased because of the way I was raised, but I hope I never act the way these mothers act about my child's hobby. Little girls dancing as young as age five, in little to no clothing, and discussing their future "stardom" rubs me the wrong way. Dancing is a great hobby for little girls. Making dance a career before they hit double digits, no thank you.

For those viewers out there who enjoy the ins and out of drama, this show is waiting for you to sink your teeth into it. For those who are baffled by selfish parenting, this show is nowhere close to entertainment. I watched Dance Moms for two consecutive episodes, and do not think I will waste time watching it again. It is a mindless show. One thing I did seem to learn from my experience of watching Dance Moms is how I feel like I know what I will and will not do as a parent.

How was Abby Lee Miller never officially CANCELLED??

[lindseydunn-49863 · 4/10 · 7 September 2021]

I know I'm wayyy late but I was looking for something to binge watch and I guess I just can't leave my opinion on this monstrosity unsaid. The only reason I would even think to give this a 4/10 is solely for the girls and their dancing. They all deserve so much better. Better than this monster who labeled herself a dance teacher. Better than the mothers who allow this overgrown bully to attack their little girls and abuse them relentlessly. I can only imagine the trauma that was inflicted on these children during this experience. If any of them are now emotionally and mentally healthy adults then they deserve a crown simply for that. I understand that cancel culture wasn't a thing when this show started but I really can't fathom why Abby was allowed to continue terrorizing these girls for so many years without being held accountable. She is clearly someone who never realized her own dreams and goals in life so she makes herself feel validated by picking apart these little girls who don't know any better. Classic bully. It's disgusting. That being said, those girls are beautiful dancers and I enjoy seeing them go out there and perform beautifully. Abby and the moms do not deserve these sweet kids 😞.

I feel so bad...

[maugrim81 · 5/10 · 20 April 2015]

Abby has pushed some of these girls emotions to the brink of breaking. Like with Chloe. How could someone even call a child WASHED UP and constantly berate the girl for things? She's always compared to Maddie and when Chloe beat Kendall i believe? instead of being happy for Chloe, Abby throws a hissy fit and called the girl washed up and even told Christi that her daughter SUCKED!! how DARE she? how could a human being do that!? instead of praising Chloe and being happy for her, she has to go and do that. i don't blame that girl one bit for having enough.I congratulate Christi for pulling Chloe out. enoughs enough with the verbal and emotional abuse because frankly thats what it appears to be from my perspective.

I would never subject my child to someone that teaches like that. each girl is amazing and talented. Abby just fails to point that out instead points out the more negative things and compares them to someone else entirely. but what Maddie doesn't realize is there is always someone better than she is out there. its just how the universe works. maybe Abby should try using some positive praise and not make these girls feel like crap.

the dance teacher from hell

[jill-millerbailey · 2/10 · 17 December 2013]

I am from Canada and started at 4 years old doing tap, jazz, and ballet until I 20.

I started with a small company where there was no body image issues or focused on. You could choose competitive, non competitive and with ballet I always had chances to move up grades with demonstrative exams.

I was in the Nutcracker ( I had to compete against a lot of girls throughout my province) and danced it for 6 years straight.

At 14, I was invited on full scholarships to the Royal Winnipeg in Canada too, a major ballet dance company. This school was intense but I was never demeaned or told I wasn't good enough

I left because of injury doing pointe ballet to my knee and retired at 20.

In my experience I have NEVER encountered all the negativity that gets spewed out this show. The adults are appalling and the teacher as well.

There will always be competition in the world of dance, but all my instructors would wear dance apparel and would actually do hands on teaching without pitting students against each other and constantly being yelled at.

Cool your heels lady, you're going break these young girls spirits and eventually they will lose their love of dance!

A new low from Abby Lee

[twirlyduck · 1/10 · 13 April 2013]

I've watched this show from the start and Abby Lee Miller has always been something of a tutelage monster, but a line got crossed in the April 9th (2013) episode where she pitted Maddie and Chloe against each other in solo dances. She's done that before, but she will never realize that a clear winner really can never be found between Maddie and Chloe as long as Abby does the choreography for both girls because she always favors Maddie. If Abby really wanted a fair contest between the two girls, she'd get a neutral choreographer. However, what made Abby nastier than usual is that she had the moms and the other kids vote for which girl they felt did the best.

Abby, her copious hand leaning on the voting box, stood there as each child and mom placed their votes in the box. If you were a little girl and knew Maddie was Abby's favorite and Chloe was the girl she treated like a red-headed stepchild, who would you vote for if you feared Abby standing their lurking over the voting box would know who you were voting for? We weren't shown how 'private' the voting process was. Two of the voters were 7 years old. Did they write down their votes? Were they given both names already printed out and then placed one of them in the 'heavily' guarded voting box? The moms are worse. They vote the way Abby wants because they don't want their child treated with disfavor and Abby will take her loathing for a mom out on the child. It's a lose/lose for all involved.

So, if Maddie wins and Chloe loses (she had been 'benched' by Abby, so she wasn't exactly getting practice), i.e. Abby gets what she wants, why does she keep attacking Chloe? Simple, Chloe won a national championship that Abby wanted Maddie to win and it is stuck deep in Abby's craw. To be honest, Chloe is the child most likely to grow up to be a recognized dancer. Her dancing doesn't rely on the Maddie-style of melodrama. She's tall and will get taller. She has a dancer's body, but she has a spiteful teacher who wants to hold her back. If Chloe's mom really wants her daughter to be a dancer, take her to a real teacher who believes in her.

Abby Full Blown Bully.

[bubbi1-899-588497 · 17 January 2014]

I tried several times to place my opinion on this page about Miller. Each time it was rejected for submission. Guess they really do not want your honest opinion of how you really feel about a person that bullies. At any age when you belittle someone it's disgusting. When you are an adult, a teacher, and you bully you are less than disgusting. Every day we battle bullies and yet we allow Miller to belittle these beautiful children and often times break them down to tears. Each year it seems to get worse. I understand the mothers and daughters want to dance but there has to be a better way to give them this opportunity rather than humiliate them on television.

Remote

[bevo-13678 · 10/10 · 7 December 2020]

Loved it. Well at least the millisecond I watched before I changed the channel

Stop Watching it For Their Sake

[cjj20 · 1/10 · 10 August 2012]

It's been called a guilty pleasure, as we seem to take pleasure in watching people worse than ourselves. It's also been called child abuse for the way it exploits girls already getting everything from tween sexualization to vicious insults (against which their own mothers may or may not come to their defense) pushed on them. Now, I'm nowhere near what people would call conservative. I'm not bothered by gore or nudity in movies, and crude humor can entertain me. But the issues here go straight to questions of basic morality. This show is despicable, and to recommend it on any level is to promote some of the worst competitive values still held today, as well as add just a little more damage to its helpless cast of girls.

The most common defense of the show's dance instructor, Abby, is that she cannot be faulted for being "strict" and "short-tempered", and since she "works hard" and is "an expert instructor", she is at least respectable. She's not. An instructor who places high expectations on someone relative to their abilities and doesn't tolerate mistakes is strict. Abby bases her approval around the place her team takes in a competition and blows up when they lose to someone she wanted to beat. The only time she seems to care about how much of an achievement their performances are by themselves is when they are poor enough to make her angry. For example, when she entered her team in the same competition as a rival studio, she preached nothing but the need to beat said studio to her team every moment she was on camera. When her team placed 5th, the lowest place recognized, she celebrated joyously because the other studio had not placed.

Eventually, her actions all blend together into one long line of self-promotion. When she "corrects" mistakes, the message is not that the girls are capable of doing better; it's that Abby has a need to throw tantrums when they fail. When the mothers wish something else for their daughters than what Abbey has chosen, Abbey does not hesitate to insult them in front of the girls. And when one of her dancers does well, she gives speeches about how she is the one who "made" that girl. (Not so when the same girl loses of course. According to Abby, she can "just blame that" all on said girl.) We always hear at least something from her about the reputation her studio has, and her need for her dancers to win seems more and more like a need to use their talent for advertising her business.

The moms are perhaps not as appalling as Abbey, but they come across as even more petty. Often, it seems the reason they place such value on their daughters' dancing is a need to swipe the spotlight and bask in their girls' reflected glory. They attempt to act as important coaches in matters they are clearly less knowledgeable about, and constantly refer to their daughters' achievements in ways that group themselves in. They argue with Abbey over the right approach when they want more glory, but when they think they might lose that particular argument, they'll bow their heads and wait for the lecture to end, even if she insults their daughter. The girls, by far the most physically capable and impressive people on the show, are given the most discouraging treatment.

Note: One "defence" I've been hearing for the show is that it corrects the formula of Toddlers in Tiaras by featuring older girls and a more tasteful competitive activity, which is sort of like saying that slave labor is okay if they use strong slaves and have them build roads instead of statues celebrating the people in charge. The toddlers might at least be too young to understand or care about all the sexualization they receive.

The Abby lee Miller school of abuse

[joannataylor-90797 · 10/10 · 26 January 2019]

Abby Lee Miller teaches your kid how to dance not yell at then and that stupid pyramid Maddie"s always on top

Neurotic moms & gifted kids

[drteeib · 7/10 · 10 September 2012]

The children on this show are exceptionally talented due, in part to their teacher, Abby Lee. Unfortunately, the endless focus on the kids' neurotic and unstable moms take the focus away from what we really want to see: how the many hours, days, months, and years of practice ultimately culminate in beautiful, amazing, and occasionally weird dance performances. Ms Lee has often been compared to a remorseless dictator, whose only concern is the prestige of her company. She does, in fact, adore her kids. Hopefully, there will be less focus on the crazy moms and MORE focus on the kids, their progress, and most important of all - their performances! I recommend that children under age 12 not watch this show, given the constant 'bleeps' when the moms bicker, fight, and drink with each other.

Glorification of child abuse!

[Buckscoblogger · 1/10 · 24 October 2015]

How can we as a society condone the behavior of one Abby Lee Miller? I get that dance is a tough profession and the directors are unforgiving, however, we must realize these young ladies are still STUDENTS! It is obvious that the producers want to exploit the fact that Abby Lee Miller is a dance instructor who does not know what she is doing and that the only talent she has is screaming at everyone and punishing her students if she hates their mothers. That's all this show is: PURE EXPLOITATION. It's obvious because let's face it, Collins Avenue, the producers of the show, are famous for creating exploitation television. Don't believe me Google "American Colony."

Come back in 10 years

[theknownames · 9/10 · 14 January 2021]

There are very few , I can think of only 3 , original reality shows and this one involves children ! This will never happen again , it's historical in that there wasn't the formula there is now and there wasn't the casting prerequisites . If you look at the reviews there is no doubt people rated based on what they didn't like to watch unfolding in the actual show with no appreciation of what was the beginning of scripted shows - this isn't scripted , the cast wasn't screened for pathology just drama . The reality here is gravely under-appreciated in ways that may take years to appreciate . Do we like seeing little girls cry and fail - no . Do we like to see parents arguing- no . Do we want real in out reality shows , not so much anymore . We wouldn't even know these things is if weren't for dance moms . If you currently watch reality shows check this out and you will immediate get that so much of what is out there now was first forced through this cast while unbeknownst to the producers even , what would come of it. It's a television classic .

Entertaining

[sylviaz-1 · 7/10 · 26 February 2014]

If you enjoy great choreography and great dancers, this show is very entertaining. The show is not for people who want to see nice nice nice... Abbey can be very harsh in her way of handling both the moms and the kids and does not like to be told any opinions other than those that seam to match her own point of view. The moms can get out of hand at times as well. The best part of the show is watching the kids dance. There is a lot of unnecessary yelling through out the program, but that's Abbeys style, she wants perfection all of the time and wont settle for less. Sadly, there can only be one winner so even if her kids end up in first and second, the kid who comes in second didn't do a good enough job. Abbey wants her kids to be stars, she wants them to excel and maybe that's the only way she has ever tried to achieve that goal. For the kids, they are under constant pressure and stress so many people think its over the top. I think much of the audience would enjoy seeing the kids more, the dancing more and the interactions between Abbey and the kids during training. Abbey seams to have more going on this year when the cameras aren't rolling. She seams to get upset easier and angry easier. I hope that she will read her reviews and realize her audience respects what she has done with the kids and would like to see more of the kids, the dancing and their interactions, more than the BS with the moms. I would rate this higher, but the yelling and disrespect lowered my score

The Worst

[jonecjc · 1/10 · 14 August 2019]

I had the opportunity to work with professional dancers/teachers for 2 years and they were great. Don't see how this so called teacher can give advise when she can't even perform the steps herself. Total disgrace to the teaching profession.

How is this show allowed to continue?

[cody-j · 1/10 · 4 April 2014]

I have watched a few episodes of this show, and I have to say I am appalled. In this day and age, it seems it would be irresponsible of me (and any other viewers out there) to not speak up. Abby Lee Miller is beyond a bully... I believe she is truly one of the most horrible, mean, hurtful individuals I have ever witnessed... and she is being entrusted to teach beautiful young girls???

I watched this show with my jaw hanging open. And there's plenty of blame to pass around. But mostly, what's wrong with these mothers???? Why would any mom allow her child to be treated this way?

I hope the whole thing is fake, because the thought of this all being real is unconscionable and disturbing, on so many levels.

Dance Moms Child Abuse

[sjpaddock · 1/10 · 10 September 2014]

In many states, what Abby Lee Miller does to those children would be considered Child Abuse. Those parents should be ashamed of themselves for allowing her to treat their children the way she does simply to be on a stupid show. Maddy, you are cute, but you are not the best dancer in that group. Chloe is. Melissa is a suck up, the queen suck up. Abby should be arrested and charged with the mental abuse she inflicts on those children.

Shame, shame, shame on Lifetime for renewing this show and allowing that monster to do what she does to those young children. I am not only boycotting this stupid show but the channel.

Put on a show that shows some positive reinforcement and put it up against Abby. Put on a show with a teacher who does not favor one student and degrades the others. Put on a show where the teacher does different choreography every dance, not the same old crap Abby does.

Shame on you Lifetime, Shame on you!

Cannot stand Abby Miller.

[peggy_macgillivray · 11 February 2014]

Never have I watched anyone on TV and just , dislike is not a strong enough word. This fat slug of a woman, who makes such a point of showing her love for her favorites, is just so disgusting. She abuses the children, verbally, emotionally and mentally. Should NOT be allowed on TV. WHY does she put children down so much. Any time that Maddie and Chloe did a duet it placed first. But she still has to humiliate Chloe HER own dancer, by putting her further down each week. Now she has Maddie turning against the other children as well. I am glad Kelly is gone, I wish she could have really hit that mean horrible woman. And I am very overweight, but I am a nice person. Abby has a beautiful face, but she is so ugly inside and gets more so all the time. HATE THIS WOMAN. STOP WATCHING this show!!!!

It's all for the show.

[n-90824 · 10/10 · 24 November 2016]

Have you ever noticed that when the moms leave they always come back? It's because it's for the show! No dance studio that isn't on TV show would be run like that. Think of it like this, DRAMA-PEOPLE WATCH YOUR SHOW NO DRAMA-YOUR SHOW IS NOT INTERESTING SO PEOPLE DON'T WATCH IT! If this wasn't a TV show and my daughter was going there and she's not Maddie, I'm out. Dance Moms is for your watching pleasure and I'm sure if you were to try and say something rude to her face she wouldn't even listen. 'Cause I mean you already know Abby. And yes, Abby might have actually hurt people, lied to people, and called the cops on one mom, but it's all for the show.

This show needs to stop

[Aleta_Nook · 3/10 · 9 March 2017]

Dance Moms is a T.V. series about little girls, most of them between the ages of 9 to about 16 who want to dance. This appears to be a pageant show where little kids where makeup which is not acceptable for their ages. And there is way too much drama, conflicts, injuries and crying through out. I do not like watching a bunch of kids going through all this pressure.

What is wrong with these dance instructors? Do they hate kids? If they have such a short fuse with kids, why are they working with a whole bunch of kids? They shouldn't even have jobs for having such intolerance with these dancers. They should have learned about patience before they signed up for this job.

My Guilty Pleasure

[lilys_hotmail · 10/10 · 27 January 2014]

This show takes a look inside the Abby Lee Dance Company who is owned and operated by Abby Lee Miller a demanding dance instructor. Abby has her competition team which go away and compete in competitions every week, usually winning. Her team consist of Chloe Lukasiak, Nia Fraizer, Kendall Vertes, sisters Brooke and Paige Hyland, Sisters Maddie and Mackenzie Ziegler, and sometimes replacement Payton Ackerman. The moms push their daughters in competitive dance, Abby plays favorites with Maddie Zielger which drives the other moms crazy. There is a lot of drama going on between the mom's Abby and sometimes they add Cathy Nesbitt-Stein to the mix. Cathy owns the Candy Apple Dance Studio, which is Abby's rival. Its a show that has a lot of drama between the mothers and Abby but the dancers are sweet, talented, children. I don't know why but I just can't get enough of the crazy Dance Moms.

:/

[ultrahornetchaser · 7/10 · 10 March 2015]

This is one of my favorite shows. Being a 14 year old boy, most people think I'm crazy. Oh well :P

However, Season 5 has recently started and the show has started to get really...fake. The beginning of the season reveals that Chloe and Christi have left ALDC, and they are teaming up with Kelly and Paige to sue Abby. Then Abby brought in JoJo, one of the most annoying kids from the dance competition, and Kalani, as well as other dancers for a separate team. Then they competed and some kids were sent home and now they're one big team. The show is kinda "meh" now. It isn't BAD, but it seems really scripted, y' know?

Absolutely not

[diddlekidd · 1/10 · 3 June 2019]

This show is absolutely despicable. This is not at all a way to treat your kids. Now look I know how that sounds, everyone has a extremely different opinion on how to parent there children and there is no book or any sort of guid on how to parent your children. That being said, this show illustrates the one way to never treat your children. These parents are taking any credit away from these children and making all these activities worth nothing, as a basic human being you are born with the idea to never take credit for what isn't yours. Not only do these women disobey that rule to the Nth degree, they perform this unspeakable act in there children. If you can't tell already that I disapprove of this show I will state it now. I DISAPPROVE OF THIS SHOW!

Their all bully's except for the the kids

[joannataylor-90797 · 10/10 · 24 January 2019]

Abby Lee Miller and the mom's yelling at each other I feel sorry for those poor kids

☆The girls☆, the show, and then there's the all knowing, excellent teacher (I agree) Abby

[dipark-904 · 6/10 · 29 August 2014]

Abby Miller made great routines use the girls best talents and skills I didn't like her attitude but... she knew what kind of dancing n techniques needed for competition, this new instructor is an emotional nut and her routines suck! I used to dance myself so I love watching the girls grow and develop. Abby is so unfair to Chloe and is an excellent and beautiful dancer, I enjoy watching her, as I enjoy watching Nia do hip-hop.I believe the Super praise over Matty in front of the other girls makes the other girls feel bad, the other girl's deserve the same chances. I especially like Jill she's a wonderful mother and person, a smart benefit on the show, child, (☆which is another great dancer I enjoy watching does a wonderful job!) and to the mothers. The show is great, it doesn't need Abby being ugly to make it better, if anything it makes people not want to watch it.

American Bison

[Panamint · 1/10 · 11 October 2012]

I saw an episode of this series that was mostly just a large, very loud woman standing in a room and bellowing like a buffalo as loud as she could. Standing and standing. Bellowing and bellowing. Very little of the dancers, very little of the dance moms.

The above scenario happens far too often and it is edited this way deliberately. Are the producers stupid or are they just trying to produce some episodes as cheaply as possible? Well, I have a suggestion- hire a real buffalo or a large moose, have its owner put it in a room and let it bellow. That would be even cheaper than paying this woman.

They are doing a disservice to the dance teacher and everyone else by this editing technique- by featuring her standing and yelling, doing nothing, they minimize the students and the moms. Basically they have taken the "show" out of the show.

Whether it is the teacher standing and acting belligerent to everyone or just some moms sitting around arguing and complaining to the teacher there is very little to most of the episodes except cheap production values (chairs in a room- neither show nor reality). Just chairs and a room.

And a buffalo.

Update 05/09/17 Abby Lee Miller sentenced to a year in prison plus huge fine, after being indicted on 20 counts and found guilty of fraud.