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'Dance Moms' defend their methods

Anyone who’s caught an episode of reality TV’s latest hit, “Dance Moms,” knows that the show is as much about the off-stage drama as it is about the action on the dance floor. For those who haven’t seen it, think “Toddlers & Tiaras” meets “Real Housewives” meets, well, kids dancing. As such, the moms, and tough-talking trainer Abby Lee Miller, often steal the spotlight.But is all

Anyone who’s caught an episode of reality TV’s latest hit, “Dance Moms,” knows that the show is as much about the off-stage drama as it is about the action on the dance floor. For those who haven’t seen it, think “Toddlers & Tiaras” meets “Real Housewives” meets, well, kids dancing. As such, the moms, and tough-talking trainer Abby Lee Miller, often steal the spotlight.

But is all that tough talk and momma drama really necessary? Miller, two show moms and a couple of the dancing tykes stopped by TODAY Tuesday morning to answer that question.

After rolling a clip of Miller telling one student that she’d “have (her) head on a platter,” TODAY’s Ann Curry asked the instructor if that was an example of going a bit too far.

“No, no, no. What you didn’t see was the 14 other times I told her the same correction,” Miller explained. “Children don’t always apply corrections. So, you know, when you tell a kid ‘pick up your socks’ or whatever off their bedroom floor, and you tell them over and over and over, pretty soon you want to take their socks and like …” Miller then made a gesture toward her mouth.

According to Miller, her method isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. After all, she gives some kids that sort of “encouragement,” but not all of them.

“All children learn differently,” she said. “Some children you can speak calmly and nicely to. ‘You need to open up your hip and press your knee back. Turn out on your passe.’ I can speak to them that way. Other children you have to yell at ‘til you’re blue in the face”

It’s a method the moms seem to support. Besides, they often make Miller sound mild by comparison.

“I think any time you’ve got a group of women together, and then you throw in our children into the mix, I mean, obviously, we’re all passionate and we all believe the same things, and we want what’s best for our kids,” mom Melissa Ziegler said. “You see somebody doing something that you think is not fair, you know, you want to kind of speak up about it and level the playing field. And I think that’s what we’re doing.”

As for the kids, who stopped by the studio in their best stage garb, they spoke up in defense of the intense dance atmosphere, too, citing their love of the art.

“It’s always fun for me, especially because I’m around all my best friends and doing what I love to do,” Chloe Lukasiak told Curry. “And it’s just a really great thing to do. I don’t know. I just love it.”

In fact, Chloe’s mother believes the benefits far outweigh any drawbacks.

“I think that not only are they learning a beautiful skill that they’re all very talented at, but I think that they’re learning how to persevere,” Christie Lukasiak explained. “They’re learning that being disciplined and being committed to something — those are skills that they’re going to take with them for the rest of their lives and apply.”

But is there any chance the children will look back one day and regret the fact that their dancing involved revealing part of their lives on reality TV?

“Oh absolutely not,” Ziegler insisted. “I think they look beautiful on TV, and they’re showing their talent. And Abby has given them a lot more than just that. They have interview skills and a lot of things.”

What do you think? Share your comments on our Facebook page.

The season finale of “Dance Moms” airs Wednesday night at 10 p.m. on Lifetime.

 

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