When Teaching Dance Goes Too Far: Should ‘Dance Moms’ Be taken Off The Air?

Do any of you watch the Lifetime reality show “Dance Moms”? I’ve never watched it, but, last night, Dancing With The Stars pro Derek Hough took to twitter with his criticisms of it. After doing a search at You Tube to watch some of the footage, I was truly horrified at what’s going on. Question: is it right to abuse little kids when teaching them how to dance even if it means that the abuse could turn them into “stars” and “dance champions” someday? And what about sexually exploiting them? Go here to get a summation of the show and how it’s created a controversy and why. Below is a video as well that will give you a little example of the instructor and the moms for how they act while the little girls sit by and watch. This is just sad im opinion. 🙁 Huge Kudos to Derek for standing up to how wrong this is!!!

Below is a take from MSNBC on it which includes Dereks’ tweets and reaction;

“I’m sorry but this Dance mom show is straight up abusive,” the three-time “Dancing” champ wrote. “Kids Run!!!!!!! It ain’t right. Child abuse isn’t right. I’m livid right now.”

Hough knows a thing or two about how talented, young hoofer hopefuls should train. Not only were his parents and grandparents dancers, too, but both he and his younger sister Julianne moved to London as children to train under fellow “Dancing” pro and ballroom vet Corky Ballas and his then-wife Shirley.

“There’s a difference between being strict and being abusive,” he went on to write. “I believe in discipline and a strong work ethic. But there is nothing productive about screaming and making little girls cry over being on the wrong foot.”

When Miller visited TODAY last year, she defended her sometimes scream-filled approach.

“All children learn differently,” she said. “Some children you can speak calmly and nicely to. ‘You need to open up your hip and press your knee back. Turn out on your passe.’ I can speak to them that way. Other children you have to yell at ‘til you’re blue in the face.”

Penny for your thoughts while we await more Dancing With The Stars news, leaks, and rumors. I say take this show off the air. No one should be abusing kids. 🙁