DANCE'S NEW STAGE

           They’re conniving. Diligent. Backstabbing. Flexible. Gossipy. Undeniably talented. They punctually arrive in your living room at the same time every week to invite you on a backstage tour of their private lives, a whirlwind of tulle, sparkles, quadruple turns and high kicks with a little (or a lot) of drama mixed in. And as ratings have shown over the past ten years, many people accept the invitation.

            The number of dance reality TV shows and their viewers has been at an all time high over the past decade, with shows like Dancing with the Stars, So You Think You Can Dance, America’s Best Dance Crew, Breaking Pointe, Dance Moms and Abby Lee’s Ultimate Dance Competition gracing small screens everywhere. They’ve caused thousands of jaws to drop in both mesmerized awe and shock, appealing to even those whose feet have never touched a dance floor. As dance and these shows climb the popularity ladder, however, many people are developing an understanding of dance from sources that may not be as authentic as they think – and, as a result, lack a true appreciation for the skill.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An Endangered Art  

            Janelle Dollar, who has watched Dancing with the Stars since its creation, watches the show because of her admiration for the art. Guest celebrities from Bill Nye the Science Guy to Mel B of The Spice Girls have made their mark on the show, competing for the disco-ball trophy as they perform a different routine with their professional dance partner each week.

            “Just seeing somebody put their heart and soul into a routine and tell their story and tell their emotions…just seeing anybody work that hard and the way they can manipulate their body to tell a story is something that is really captivating to me,” Dollar said.  “Especially with Dancing with the Stars, you get to see how they go from being kind of awkward and uncomfortable to just like upping their skill level and upping their comfort ability is just really interesting to me to see what they can do in such a short amount of time.”

            Some other shows, however, prioritize drama before actual dancing to appeal to audiences. One of the most popular and controversial dance shows, Dance Moms, follows a handful of grade-school age girls at a competitive dance studio in Pittsburgh. The series stars Abby Lee Miller, the tough-as-nails studio owner/dance teacher who will let nothing get in her way of winning those trophies – not even the dancers’ moms, who watch rehearsals and hold screaming matches with Abby as often as their daughters attend dance classes (which is pretty much five hours every day after school, not including national competitions every weekend). Kelsey Borg understandably gave very different reasons for watching Dance Moms.

            “It’s kind of a release of anger, because it frustrates me and I think it’s so stupid,” Borg said. “But I watch it anyway.”

            And so do many other people. January’s season three premiere drew its highest ratings to date with 2.8 million viewers. However, as viewers develop their impression of dance by watching these dramatic shows, some concern has been raised about dance’s reputation as a respectable art form. Naomi Warfield, a dance major at University of California – Irvine, is very critical of Dance Moms.

            “My cousins’ friend is one of the producers of the show, and he says that they really really really cheese it up a lot,” Warfield said of how exaggerated drama is added to the show. “It’s just something like they have to do to appeal to an audience, to get people to keep on watching it.”

            “I think it’s disrespectful to dance because dance is not just like a sport, but also an art form,” Warfield continued.

             “[Dance Moms] is more about winning, and it’s more about the final outcome than it is about the overall process. I’ve learned to really respect [the dance process] in my years of college; it’s not just about the performance idea,” Warfield said of the work that is involved to bring a dance to life. “I love to perform and I love being onstage, but its also about the process and working with different techniques and working with different ideas.”

 

                                                                                                                                 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

First Impressions

            Kristi Dieckmann, who runs Adams School of Dance in O’Fallon, Il., said that she thinks the sudden trend in dance TV is both a good and bad thing. The public has developed a newfound interest in dance after watching reality dance television, which Dieckmann has noticed affecting enrollment – for better or for worse.

            “I think it has helped dance studios. Some people say they want to start dance because they saw Dance Moms,” Dieckmann said, but she fears that some of the same shows may turn people off. Dieckmann said she has had to explain to prospective students that her studio is not like the high-intensity ones seen on TV. Both she and Warfield agree, however, that that the TV portrayal of these dancers’ lives does have some truth to it. 

            “At some studios, yes, because some studios are really really focused on the competition aspect of dancing …But I don’t think it’s a fair representation of how it’s like in the dance world,” Warfield said. “The dance world is very political, that’s for sure, and it is a lot about networking and stuff like that, but no one is yelling at you all the time or working to get your leg this height or whatever. I haven’t really seen a lot of the show, but it’s not a fair representation I don’t think at all.”

            Shows featuring young dancers, such as Dance Moms, may also set personal expectations too high when beginning dancers start taking classes.

            “It’s not normal,” Warfield said of the Dance Mom girls’ unusually advanced skill level. “I mean, not every six year old is going to be able to get their leg up there. And that’s not something that naturally happens. You pretty much have to force things on them. I do think that the show is like, ‘Get your leg up, do your splits, get your jumps higher.’ Here again, it takes away from the art, and it’s just about like tricks.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No Dancing Solo

            So You Think You Can Dance may not be centered on that kind of interpersonal drama, but the cameras won’t ignore dramatic twists. The show takes on a format similar to American Idol, in which contestants perform choreographed routines each week and viewers vote for their favorite dancers until all but two winners (one female, one male) are eliminated. Although the show is supposed to concentrate on the dancing, dramatic clips of an ambulance pulling away took the center stage in one episode’s previews when last season’s Malece Miller was accidentally dropped on her head by partner Amen Way.

            In the same way, Dance Moms’ Abby Lee Miller screams until her voice literally goes raspy. Ballet West dancer Zachary Prentice of Breaking Pointe, which follows the lives of dancers at Ballet West documentary-style, told the camera straight out that he loves drama. So many people hate it, and yet they can’t look away.

            Julie Smith, a mass communications professor at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, said that many people watch shows for this dramatic element rather than the actual dancing.

            “I think there is an element of superiority. I think there is a part of us that likes to watch these shows and feel superior. Feel that we are better adjusted, perhaps better parents than the people on TV,” Smith said. Dance is not alone in this reason for viewership either.

            “I mean, whenever I see an episode of Hoarders it makes me feel like a terrific housekeeper. I once had a student tell me she watched Jersey Shore because it made her feel like less of a slut. So there’s a lot of different reasons why we watch this, and I do think that superiority does play a part in it. It makes us feel better about ourselves,” Smith said.

            Producers love these shows, too. Smith explained that producers favor making reality shows like these rather than fictional dramas because reality television is cheap to create.

           “That is the absolute number one reason. Because think about it, what are their expenses to make Dance Moms? What do the producers have to pay for? The cameras, the cameramen, the lighting, the sound guy. That’s it. They don’t have to pay for a scriptwriter. They don’t have to pay actors. They don’t have to pay wardrobe people, makeup people. You see what I mean? And they don’t even have to create or build a set. It’s all there.”

            Those frugal tactics add up, with totals ringing in at $100,000 to over $500,000 to produce a reality show episode. On the other hand, starting costs for a scripted series can be anywhere from $500,000 to millions of dollars per episode, according to an article by Laura Jerpi of South University.

 

 

The Starting Line

            Although dancers’ lives have become a phenomenon within the past several years, the seed of reality dance television was planted decades before. According to Dance/USA, the first televised dance show was called “The Arthur Murray Party,” which featured famous ballroom dancers Arthur and Kathryn Murray. Each episode, they would perform a “mystery dance,” and the viewer who correctly recognized the dance would be awarded two free lessons at one of their dance studios. The show lasted for ten years and started a gradual list of dance programs, with Dance Fever and Dance Party USA filling its dancing shoes through the decades leading into the early ‘90s.

            Some variety shows also contributed to the earlier stages of America’s developing interest in dance. American Bandstand, which ran from 1956-1989, featured not only the latest bands and music but also acted as a source for the latest dance moves. It led to similar shows such as Soul Train, which aired from 1971-2006. It may have jump started the careers of singers such as Tina Turner, the Jackson 5, Whitney Houston, Justin Timberlake and Beyoncé, but the music-based series featured countless dance routines that also kick started the performing careers of dancers such as Carmen Electra, MC Hammer and Nick Cannon. The dancers were looked at as fashion icons and also presenters of the most current dance styles.

            In 2005, the public’s recent obsession with dance truly took off with the debut of the ABC hit Dancing with the Stars. The ballroom program led the string of multiple dance programs that have followed up until now, bringing dance to thousands of viewers in the comfort of their living rooms. So how will dance shows avoid becoming a fad?

“I’d say keep the drama up,” Smith said. “As long as the ratings are there, and as long as the shows continue to be cheap to produce, they will be on TV.”

 

 

 

 

Sources

• “About [Soul Train]” – An overview of the TV show Soul Train, as well as performers who got their start on the show.

• “America's Love for TV Dance Shows Has Long History” – A history of reality dance TV from the 1950s to present.

• “Dancing with the Stars' History” – A history of Dancing with the Stars.

• “Dance Moms' Third-season Premiere Delivers Record-breaking Ratings” – Dance Moms’ third season premiere ratings and viewer demographic statistics.

• “'American Bandstand': Dick Clark's Greatest Moments” – An overview of the TV show American Bandstand and how it contributed to the creation of later shows, like Soul Train.

• “Reality TV - Low Cost Programming That Produces High Ratings” – An article about reality television, including its cost, authenticity, and future.

• “Soul Train Dancing Compilation” – A video of dances featured on Soul Train. Also a look at the dancers’ reputation as style icons and at which dancers later became famous performers. 

• “True Life: I Was On “Dance Moms” – A behind-the-scenes look at Dance Moms through the eyes of Dance Spirit magazine’s managing editor Rachel Zar.