Although I do not enjoy (and avoid as much as possible) drama in my own life, I will be the first to admit that I love knowing about it and watching it in other people’s lives!  What better way to get a good dose of drama than on a reality TV show?!?  Enter Dance Moms.  If you haven’t seen this show you really should give it a watch.
The basic breakdown of the show is this: it’s about a group of girls ranging in age from 7-14 who compete regularly at dance competitions.  Their goal is to be professional dancers, and for some of the moms they also want their daughters to be models, actresses, and anything else that will lay their claim to fame.  The girls attend a dance studio called the Abby Lee Dance Company run by no other than Abby Lee Miller herself.  Abby has a strict and no doubt about it mean way of molding these girls into her track record of successful dancers.

Here’s my breakdown of the people in the show-

Abby- never been married, which after watching an episode or two of her yelling at the girls isn’t surprising.  But I have seen her be nice and I do think she really cares deeply for the girls and their success.  She tends to let her own insecurities rule her and to compensate for those she enjoys the power and control she has over the girls and their mothers.  But at the end of the day it’s all just a reflection on her own low self esteem.  If only she could see that we all have weaknesses, but you don’t have to be mean to other people in order to feel good about yourself and a little bit of kindness will go a long way.  So many times I am surprised that the moms continue to subject their daughters to Abby’s meanness.  I would never keep my daughter around someone that treated her like that!  That all being said, she knows her stuff!  She has a great reputation for success and from what I’ve seen is very professional and nice in public.

Kelly-  she used to be a dancer as a girl and now has her two daughters Brooke & Paige on Abby’s performance team.  Kelly is a party animal and always up for a drink and a good time.  She’s not afraid to stand up to Abby and defend her kids.  Personality wise she seems like the ditsy cheerleader that’s fun to be around but you can’t count on a very deep conversation with.  She’s a pretty happy-go-lucky personality and would totally be fun to hang out with.

• Brooke- Kelly’s oldest daughter, she is the most flexible and acrobatic one of all the girls.  She can bend and twist in crazy ways and always combines her talents in her routines.  She struggles with wanting a typical teenager lifestyle and dancing for Abby.
• Paige- Kelly’s youngest daughter, who although she tries it seems she rarely is good enough for Abby.  She does a good job of making it look like the meanness is water off a ducks back though and like it doesn’t affect her, of course that could be just because she’s used to not being the favorite and best in Abby’s eyes.

Christie- now this is a woman you want on your side and don’t want to cross!  She has no problem verbalizing the way she thinks and feels.  She could be your best advocate or your worse enemy.  She’s usually the first one to notice when the girls are not being treated equally and is the most openly competitive or should I say protective about her daughter.  Chloe is her daughter and one heck of a dancer who has won the national championships,  so she really doesn’t have anything to prove or defend because the actions speak for themselves.  But more than any of the moms she gets super defensive of Chloe whenever anyone suggests she may be sub-par.   Like Kelly, Christie is always up for a good time (especially if it includes gossiping about one of the other moms).

• Chloe- an amazing dancer that is the embodiment of the perfect blonde, long legs body.  She is pretty quiet and seems to be more shy and soft spoken than the other girls.  She works hard and is usually in the top alternating with Maddie.

Melissa- a chameleon if I ever saw one.  Depending on who she’s with at the time she is their best friend and happy to talk about whatever drama she thinks will give her the edge and make someone else dish out information she can later use to her advantage.  All the moms and Abby are aware (and it’s been shown on the show) how she lies often.  She is a manipulator that seems nice on the outside but she is always scheming to make her or her girls look better than anyone else.  Yet she’s the least fashion conscious of the moms.  She has the potential to be a really likable person if you could just trust that the niceness wasn’t fake and she didn’t lie/manipulate the situations all the time.    I can only imagine a sad lonely life she’s created for herself.  BUT both her daughters are amazing dancers!

• Maddie- Abby’s pride and joy and clearly the favorite of the group.  It’s easy to see why when Maddie is great but humble, favored but nice to all the other girls, and has the determination and drive to be the best. (which is probably why she wins so much more often- it’s just more important to her)
• MaKenzie- the youngest in the group.  She does some great acrobatics in her routines and her bright happy personality makes it fun to watch her.  She doesn’t have the same drive as her sister, but the talent is still there!  She is a cutie ba-tootie that you can’t help but love.