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Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Dance Moms: A New Era’ On Hulu, Where Coach Glo Hampton Carries On Abby Lee Miller’s Legacy With New Moms, New Dancers — And New Drama
Hampton is determined to make her girls stars, and claims she’s learned from fellow dance instructor and former friend Abby Lee Miller . Will Hampton hatch her own legacy — and fulfill her goals of stardom for her dancers?
Opening Shot: The outside of Studio Bleu in Ashburn, Virginia in the early morning. A truck pulls into the parking lot, its headlights illuminating the slew of trophies in the windows.
The Gist: Glo Hampton is not only a dance coach, she is also a dance mom herself. However, she cites the “massive opportunity” of launching her new elite team as “the biggest challenge of [her] dance career.”
While the show boasts an entirely new cast and studio, Hampton has ties to the flagship series. In the intro of the debut episode, she even reveals that she and Abby Lee Miller “used to be dear friends.”
“But Abby’s mad at me,” she adds. “She’s jealous because I’m the coach of the next big team.”
The infamous pyramid returns in the pilot episode, with her seven select dancers — Ashlan, Audrey, Bellatrix, Smiley, Leilah, Lily, and Mina — each occupying a spot along the three rows. They have each endured a rigorous audition process, which lasted three days. Like the original series, each of the girls’ mothers — Lisa, Tammi, Roxce, Domenica, Leslie, Corinne, and Min — observe the pyramid placement.
After Lisa claims that her daughter Ashlan “likes to dance for fun,” Hampton claps back, arguing that being a part of the team “isn’t about fun.”
After revealing Audrey as the dancer on the top of the pyramid, Hampton praises her, but the mama drama emerges after Studio Bleu newcomer Corinne, whose daughter is Lily, questions Audrey being cast as the lead of the routine. Domenica, Smiley’s mother, labels Corinne as “sort of a stalker” of Studio Bleu. This only escalates to involve other mothers after Min learns that her daughter Mina, the youngest on the team, is in need of help from Audrey, the eldest, whom Mina claims is “just watching TikTok the whole time.”
The mothers then come at Tammi, Audrey’s mother, for her daughter’s alleged lack of leadership, prompting Tammi to note in a confessional that “it’s a parent’s responsibility to rehearse their kids, not a 12 year old’s responsibility.”
Lisa chides, “Heavy is the head that wears the crown, Tammi,” followed by Corinne adding, “But remember, she didn’t win any crowns.”
Hampton, whose “one and only goal is to win another national title,” demonstrates her tough instruction when assigning Ashlan a left side aerial in the group number, “Shatter,” after she was unable to during the audition. However, the tough love transcends Hampton’s instruction and comes through the mothers’ guidance of their girls.
Once at Starbound Dance Competition in Newark, New Jersey, Min expresses her frustration that Mina didn’t receive assistance from Audrey, leading Tammi to urge her to “stop making things up.” After Min and the other mothers continue airing their grievances, Tammi gets fired up, ultimately claiming that Min is “being a bitch.”
While Mina came out victorious with her “Swamp Witch” solo, the team’s group dance was not so fortunate, placing in sixth. Not even the “second is the first to lose” line can apply here… However, Hampton reconsiders one of Miller’s maniacal mantras to wrap the episode.
“Maybe Abby was right,” she says. “Maybe everyone is replaceable.”
What Shows Will It Remind You Of?
It goes without saying that this show will remind you of Dance Moms , as well as its subsequent spin-offs. However, the reality reboot may also be reminiscent of shows like Baby Ballroom and Toddlers & Tiaras .
Our Take: This series — quite literally and figuratively — has Dance Moms written all over it. The confessionals, the pyramid, the drama, even the font used to spell out the cast’s names and scene location take fans back to the original show. However, as Hampton told DECIDER, it’s “a new era,” meaning that they are implementing their own unique take.
While Dance Moms alums have since claimed to have had no voice on the original series — or allegedly being given one by producers — these dancers are vocal. They speak their minds — whether that be admitting that they are Hampton’s “favorite” (Audrey), or agreeing with the consensus that they could be a “model” (Smiley) during their intros — in a way that is refreshing for fans of the original series. Their tiffs with their mothers are on full display, but there’s a genuine love there that viewers can easily grasp.
The mothers bring the drama, the majority of which revolves around their children. As for Hampton, she establishes her intentions of scoring a national title for her new team, while demonstrating her dedication to her dancers.
“My expectations for my junior elite team is that they give me 100%, because I’m going to give them 100%,” she explains. “And I’m going to give them hard choreography, but at the same time, I don’t know if in three days they’re going to learn a routine and be the best that they can be. If I have to cut people, I’ll cut them.”
Parting Shot: Hampton exiting the dressing room in tears after assuming the responsibility for the group routine placing sixth.
“I wanted to go out there, and I really did want them to blow people’s minds,” she tearfully concedes in a confessional. “There’s nobody to blame but me. Honestly, at the end of the day, I’ll take the fall.”
She adds, “All I can do next week is [I] just have to do a better job. I just have to rethink things. Did I make this dance too challenging for these girls? Or did I choose the wrong dancers for this team? Maybe Abby was right. Maybe everyone is replaceable.”
Sleeper Star: These dancers all showcase their unique personalities, but Ashlan truly establishes herself as a sassy force, one who gives both her mother Lisa and Hampton a run for their money. Hampton also deserves a shoutout for her instruction, which while demanding, exemplifies genuine care for each of her students and their success.
Most Pilot-y Line: While this snippet is technically from a teaser for a future episode, it must be highlighted.
Ashlan, in tears, holding a coffee cup: “I’m at the point where I need some coffee.”
Producer’s voice from off-camera: “Is that coffee, Ashlan?”
Ashlan: “No, it’s Cherry Coke.”
Our Call: STREAM IT. While critics may think Dance Moms: A New Era is resting on the flagship series’ laurels, it’s apparent that the new iteration, helmed by Hampton’s authentic tough love and direction, launches a solid ensemble cast exuding their own signature star power and sass.
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