Review: Dance Moms New Era Feels Familiar, Because It Is

In 2011, Lifetime viewers were gifted a rare piece of reality TV history thanks to the premiere of Dance Moms . The show’s premise was set around Abby Lee Miller and her little champion dancers. But as fans would soon come to know, the world of competitive dance wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. Between the screaming, towering pyramids, and toxic feedback, viewers in the early 2000s had never witnessed such abuse on TV. But for some weird reason, none of us could look away, instantly making the show a cult classic.

Dance Moms New Era is resting on the flagship series’ laurels, and I can’t say I blame them. The show was captivating, as week after week, viewers watched little girls dance for their literal lives. Abby Lee always made it seem like it was do or die when in reality, it was just dancing at an auditorium in a high school each weekend. The reboot gave me Toddler and Tiaras vibes, complete with JonBenet Ramsey-themed dance solo. As toxic as ever, I still find myself wanting a season 2, which makes me think I’m the problem here.

Dance Moms New Era feels eerily the same

When I heard that Hulu had come up with a reboot of Dance Moms, I asked myself, “Who asked for this?” I barely made it through the first series with my morality intact. But I knew I would be plopping myself down in front of the TV as soon as the episodes dropped because I’m a sucker for kind of stuff. And as P.T. Barnum once sang, there is a sucker born every minute. I just didn’t expect Dance Moms New Era to be a carbon copy of its predecessor.

After carefully screening the first three episodes, I wanted more. I also needed more popcorn because the drama was riveting within the first ten minutes. Gloria Hampton, the new dance teacher on the block, shaded Abby Lee in .5 seconds, and I fell off my couch. Glo’s quote now lives rent-free in my head as it is on repeat. I can hear her voice saying, “I know that I can make these kids stars — and I can do it without them resenting me in ten years.” The move was savage. But for as funny as Glo was, she reminded me of Abby Lee. And I just don’t think the world needs another Abby Lee on their screens.

Abby Lee vs. Glo Hampton

Now, I can’t say with one hundred percent certainty that Glo and Abby Lee are twins, but I swear they could be. Between their avant-garde mannerisms and ability to manipulate, I didn’t know which show I was watching at times. Glo could have been the second coming of Abby Lee, minus the high-pitch screeching. But there are definite similarities. Both had clear favorites when it came to the small group. And both women made it obvious when the favorite was constantly cast and not critiqued. I was also surprised to see Glo take a page out of Abby Lee’s book when she didn’t correct Gina for her mistakes and instead told her she was perfect.

The Dance Moms are a little… quirky

One thing that is comforting but also terrifying is that the dance moms haven’t changed. Since the original series went off the air, I thought that maybe the mothers of these children would calm down. But I am afraid the opposite has happened. These new moms were completely off their rocker. Each mom had a moment where they yelled, cursed, or bad-mouthed another child. Perhaps the worst part of Dance Moms New Era, which gave me PTSD, was watching the little girls cry. There were so many tears honestly, if my kid was crying like that, they wouldn’t be dancing.

Along with the fighting, there were a massive number of injuries. Just like the original series, where Abby Lee once told a child, “So tape the toe together,” Dance Moms New Era also had questionable moments. I don’t think it is just dancing where our society tells our performers to push through the pain. I remember watching the 1996 Olympics, where Kerri Strug performed a vault on a broken foot. But as I watched the Hulu remake, I once again saw little girls being told to perform while hurt, all in the name of a national trophy. Do these trophies even mean anything?

TELL US — WILL YOU BE WATCHING DANCE MOMS NEW ERA?

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