Tulip Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 I see we are about to see Jennifer Ellison launch her TV version of dance moms, set in Liverpool. Living just outside Liverpool I am already cringing. They announce their kids as being the crem de me crem of dancers in Liverpool, which is a very ambitious statement to make, so therefore they are already setting themselves up for a fall. I will watch to see what type of training Jennifer Ellison is offering. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 Yikes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
double trouble Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 I will watch it but agree it could be cringe tv especially if like the American version the mums are going to be on it . Will be interesting to see the school though . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Picturesinthefirelight Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 Hmm, I reckon Elliot Clarke School might have something to say about them being the creme. My guess is they have poached everyone else's dancers. Dd has a friend who wants to go there just to try & be on TV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tulip Posted October 18, 2014 Author Share Posted October 18, 2014 They have indeed approached children from other dance schools, that is how I got to know about dance moms. Out of curiosity has Jennifer Ellison got any teaching qualifications. I know she went to a very good dance school in St Helens and she was a mid associate of the Royal Ballet and then she was in Brookside as a child. She might be brilliant, we will just have to see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarahw Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 I hope it's on a pay channel we don't get!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarahw Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 But dd will watch it on YouTube anyway. .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loulabelle Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 My dd watched it, she met a couple of the girls at The Dance World Cup this year and hopes to see herself loitering in the background in a later episode. The girls she met are very nice and very talented dancers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Its her Life Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 There was a trailer type episode last Mon eve when Abbey Lee actually went to Liverpool to meet up with & watch Jennifer Ellison's dancers. She wiped the floor with them! And yes, it looks like the mums are certainly going to feature heavily. This episode might already be available on You Tube. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tulip Posted October 18, 2014 Author Share Posted October 18, 2014 Just managed to watch the first episode and yes the girls are talented, from the bits you get to see. It is all about the mums. It doesn't show any real training. If Jennifer Ellison claims one more time she trained with the royal ballet, I will scream, she was an associate. My daughter was an associate of the royal a big difference to training six days a week with them. Jennifer however is very nice to one of the little ones. I don't think I will bother watching the other episodes. Good luck to the girls though and if they are ever successful, I hope no one plays back these episodes, displaying how awful their mums have behaved. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 Here's a link to the Jennifer Ellison Fame Academy website. It has a page (blogs) about the faculty. Be warned that there is a very loud voice over on the home page so you may wish to turn your volume down before you open the page. I doubt if I shall be watching the show... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pups_mum Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 I really struggle to understand why anyone gets themselves, or their children involved in this type of programme. The purpose of this genre of programme is obviously to shock. They pick "larger than life" characters and then combine careful editing with manipulation of situations to further sensationalise the storylines. I am sure that all this programme will achieve is to further reinforce stereotypes. I know tge saying is that there's no such thing as bad publicity, but I am not so sure about that myself. I doubt it will do the wider dance community any favours. If people want to know what real dance mums are like, they should read this forum and see the masses of support and sound advice given out on a daily basis here. 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tulip Posted October 18, 2014 Author Share Posted October 18, 2014 I personally believe that this is exploiting children. They are too young to understand that these film clips are for ever and can be viewed everywhere, youtube etc. these parents are going to embarrass their children again and again. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarahw Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 I totally agree pups mum. Also the sort of behaviour on Dance Moms USA is very damaging to the children. It's mental abuse in lots of ways. The poor kids look so wary all the time. The enjoyment they should get from their undoubted talents is just not there. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 Has this show started yet? Just googled it and I thought it didn't start until Monday? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tulip Posted October 18, 2014 Author Share Posted October 18, 2014 You can get it on catch up now , first episode 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swanprincess Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 What channel was it on? Is there anywhere online where I can watch it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elliepops Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 (edited) Hmmm, after a nose at the website it would appear that the Fame Academy is a Sunday only associate style set up - similar to Stagecoach. Personally I would be surprised indeed if most if not all of the best dancers are not only attending this training, but studying at other dance schools during the week (I wonder if said schools receive any credit anywhere for their input). I admit to a morbid fascination with the US Dance Moms, although there is no way on earth I would allow my child to be subjected to the apparent mental and emotional torture portrayed on the programme,no matter how famous it made them. All my dancing mum friends and aquaintances are lovely sane people, you know who you are...... Edited October 18, 2014 by Elliepops 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harwel Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 Not something I want to watch. Just don't enjoy this type of exploitation and unashamed self promotion - especially when it stretches the truth. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aileen Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 My daughter hasn't watched Dance Moms (the US version) but she says that the girls in her ballet class watch it and talk about it. I feel very ambivalent about this sort of programme as it involves children being exposed in a potentially damaging way but, as Elliepops has said, programmes like this have a morbid fascination. I wouldn't stop my daughter from watching it but it's hard to drag her away from Keeping up with the Kardashians, another morbidly fascinating (and trashy) programme. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dance*is*life Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 I think it's an appalling show and quite honestly if I or the other teachers in our school dared talk to the mothers or the students like Abby does, I am sure they would all leave in a huff! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thecatsmother Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 Having seen the intro and loving dance moms USA, I doubt I shall be watching. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aileen Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 Balleteacher, I don't follow. If you love Dance Moms US why won't you be watching Dance Mums UK? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cara in NZ Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 Dance Moms (US) isn't shown in NZ so what I've seen has only been on YouTube. But it has so little ballet in it that I find it very jazz/lyrical focused (quite apart from the dreadful moms). I've seen one episode feature ballet, but it shows very little of their actual technique training. It's always about learning new routines for comps, which is such a 'tip of the iceberg' approach, knowing how much work goes on to get good foundations in all the forms of dance they do, as well as the tumbling/acro. I will look for the UK version on YouTube, mostly to see if it is more ballet-oriented. I do have hopes that the UK mums will be less loud and obviously opinionated, but as I originally hail from very near Liverpool, I suspect they may be even louder!And yes, the mums at our studio are lovely and supportive, with no overt competitiveness. My DD has been resting a strained knee before exam and comp this week, and several of the mums have felt concerned enough to ask me how she is doing and whether she will be ok by exam time. I was quite touched at their thoughtfulness, as we don't know each other very well. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancergirl24 Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 All the girls attend another dance school in liverpool which is there main dance school as jennifer ellison is more a stagecoach type thing rather than a full on dance school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orchidblue Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 I have only ever seen one episode of Dance Moms US and that was enough. How anyone could allow themselves to be spoken to in the way Abby does is beyond me. I find it even more horrifying that they then allow her to speak to their children in the same way. I was at a "competition" where Dance Mums UK was being filmed. They filmed one of the girls being shouted at by her mother before going on stage, then the same girl "forgot" her routine part way through and ran off. The cameras chased after her and she returned to dance again at the end of the section and was placed. It was all very fake and the "competition" was arranged to allow them to have somewhere to film. Awful programmes, awful concept but that's just my opinion. Good luck to anyone who has time to waste watching it. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pups_mum Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 I have only ever seen one episode of Dance Moms US and that was enough. How anyone could allow themselves to be spoken to in the way Abby does is beyond me. I find it even more horrifying that they then allow her to speak to their children in the same way. I was at a "competition" where Dance Mums UK was being filmed. They filmed one of the girls being shouted at by her mother before going on stage, then the same girl "forgot" her routine part way through and ran off. The cameras chased after her and she returned to dance again at the end of the section and was placed. It was all very fake and the "competition" was arranged to allow them to have somewhere to film. Awful programmes, awful concept but that's just my opinion. Good luck to anyone who has time to waste watching it. That doesn't surprise me in the slightest. A couple of friends of mine took part in quite a well known "reality" show/competition a few years ago and they told me that it was totally manipulated by the production team. They didn't go quite as far as saying it was scripted but said that the team arranged it so that certain things could or couldn't happen, thus ensuring that one of the couples became the bad guys which in turn determined the result. I also know someone who volunteered to take part in a documentary on a subject close to her heart but she was rejected for being too normal and having balanced views! When the programme eventually came out she was very relieved not to be involved as it was a really dreadful "shockumentary". It makes me wonder whether you can really believe anything on tv these days - the fiction is at least as realistic as the alleged reality. But then if people watch it, they will keep making rubbish like this. I will be voting with my remote and suggest everyone else does the same - come and chat about real dancing on here instead! 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DancerMiax Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 My friend said she was at a competition with them and that they were very annoying and mean to her. I was quite sad to hear this as they seem lovely on the show.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vonrothbart Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 The problem with reality shows, are that so many people watch them. It seems some people will do almost anything for a little fame, personally I find it pathetic to see some celebrities ( so called ) who's careers are maybe waining a little, become desperate to find anything at all that will keep them in the limelight. I suppose in a way it's rather sad for them, and some of these children are being raised in the same way, but most of these programmes are inexpensive to produce, and they pull in the viewers, so maybe the best thing to do is don't watch them. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dance*is*life Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 I had a former student who was in the local TV version of So You Think You Can Dance.. She was excellent and always passed through to the next round without any problems - I think she got to the last three. Anyway, the judges suddenly criticised what had been to my eyes just as good a performance as her previous ones and she had to do a solo to stay in the competition. When I asked her about it, she said that they did it on purpose, so that it wouldn't look fixed, as everyone else had had to do a solo to save themselves! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 Hmmm, after a nose at the website it would appear that the Fame Academy is a Sunday only associate style set up - I noticed too, the website is quite enlightening. Doesn't seem to be a mention anywhere of the staff's teaching qualifications, but perhaps I just couldn't find that bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balletdancer5299 Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 I think you have to take these shows as light hearted entertainment. Having said that, with reports of both Maddie and Chloe earning over a million dollers and world wide fame. ...... I hope all the young dancers from Liverpool enjoy equal success. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dance*is*life Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 (edited) Well yes it's great to earn millions of dollars and become famous, but the show just reeks of exploitation and if they had had this type of programme when I was a kid, I can't imagine my Mum agreeing to appear on it with me and I wouldn't want to. Personally I don't think anything is worth being exposed like that, in such a personal way. Having a chance to expose ones talent is one thing - like on Britains Got Talent or So You Think You Can Dance etc - but I find this show uncomfortable to watch. Edited October 21, 2014 by Dance*is*life 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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