“Dance Moms: Miami” Episode Two: Camaraderie

The second episode of the new series, “Dance Moms: Miami” brought, as you guess it, more drama.  Yes, I watched week two…But am I hooked?  No, I just feel the need to update you, dear reader, on my thoughts about one of America’s most popular shows.  I can stop watching anytime I want… I swear.

This week, the mothers were shown placing even more pressure on their young dancers.  We saw a tearful exchange between Jessi and mom, Susan. Susan told her daughter how disappointed she was that she landed at the bottom of the studio directors’ weekly evaluation, or “the list,” telling her daughter to work harder, saying, “You owe me this.” Jessi was in hot water after her behavior at last week’s competition when she was caught pulling the team’s trophy out of a teammate’s hands.  After being reprimanded by the studio’s directors, Angel and Victor, the dancers were given an exercise to evaluate each other’s attitudes.  Jessi said of the experience, “It made me realize that I have to work on myself.”  I was so impressed by this mature reaction to the situation.

This week, a new element of the show was brought to light for me: compassion.  Not compassion of the mothers, but rather the compassion and team spirit of the dancers.  These kids have to overcome so much in their relationships with their mothers, that in the end, they band together in support of each other.  These dancers ability to support each other, despite the competitive spirit that is constantly being instilled in them, is quite remarkable. I found myself able to immediately identify with this sense of camaraderie.

This sense of support and team work, is an element of the show that is actually realistic. Often as dancers, we don’t have to ability to control the world around us, but one thing we can be certain of, is the support of our peers. By coming together in challenging times, we can support each other and be there for one another. Everyday I feel fortunate to find myself working in an environment where I feel supported by the dancers around me and I feel it is my duty and my goal to always support them in return. This is a lesson these young dancers are learning early and something that will stay with them forever.