I never knew how much I missed watching one high-pitched teacher yell at tiny prima ballerinas. But it turns out I needed Dance Moms: A New Era more than I knew. However, I could do without the overzealous mothers who are living vicariously through their daughters. I thought the original series was bad, but the Hulu reboot highlighted just how crazy (Yes, Tammi, I am using the term crazy) some mama bears can act. If anything, I would suggest that the moms attend an etiquette class before filming again because their kids are going to need a lot of therapy at this rate. Each one was more horrific than the next, leaving me to think the show should have been called Stage Mothers in the Wild.
8. Domenica
Domenica is an esthetician with two daughters — one in dance and one in gymnastics. She was the “young” mom who felt she was cooler than the rest because she always wore a crop top and had her hair done. Domenica genuinely felt that her proximity to Tammi would gain Smiley solos and opportunities, but it didn’t. She rarely could keep her cool and often cried in front of her daughter. Smiley was finally given a duet but was taken out for lack of chemistry. Naturally, any mother would have been upset, but Domenica’s weird comment regarding Lilly and Smiley “looking like lesbian twins” didn’t sit well with viewers. I think Domenica’s mean-girl attitude should have been talked about way more than it was.
Smile was collateral damage as it felt like Domenica was the one who wanted to be the real star. Smiley started dancing to correct her pigeon toes but she was seen as the pretty face of the group. I can’t help but wonder where she got that notion from. I didn’t like how the mother of two came across as so entitled. Domenica was hard to like and I have to rate her the worst of the group.
7. Roxce
Okay, I’ll be straight with you. The only reason Roxce isn’t at the top of this pyramid is that Bellatrix has talent. However, her mother’s bullying tendencies often overshadowed her talent. Bella has been working with Ms. Glow since the age of five and she knew how to perform. But so did Roxce, just not in the good way that wins trophies. It was blatantly obvious that Roxce was a dedicated dance mom who liked to kick ass rather than make friends. Hulu cameras caught Roxce screaming at other moms and entering their personal space.
She was way too aggressive and confrontational. The cherry on top for me was watching Roxce storm into the Nationals rehearsal crying about how her daughter was “dying” first in the dance. Poor Belly looked so uncomfortable and embarrassed.
6. Lisa
Lisa was the mother who was walked all over by her daughter. Ashlan was a brat who literally would yell at her mother for using a blending sponge wrong. Even though Ashlan had raw talent, she needed to be reprimanded for her bad attitude way too much. Honestly, Lisa just looked like she had a beaten-down mother who was tired of being a parent. I mean, who would enjoy being yelled out daily by a mini-tyrant? Lisa clearly gave her the world and spent hours driving Ashlan to and from dance; she sewed costumes and sat for hours in the dance studio. Ashlan was a tiny dancer monster because Lisa never corrected her behavior so she only had herself to blame.
5. Tammi
By the end of the season, Tammi and Audrey were not Ms. Glo’s favorites anymore. Even though Audrey danced on Broadway in The Music Man next to Sutton Foster and Hugh Jackman, she turned into a real meanie in the end. It probably didn’t help that Tammi often broke down in front of her daughter whenever the women were mean to her. Tammi had a few moments when she lost her cool, but she had a nice streak. If the fights got too bad between the moms, she would try to distract the children with a game.
4. Corrine
Corrine seemed like a pretty down-to-earth dance mom, but then she opened her mouth. The first two episodes painted Corrine as a major instigator and stirrer of the pot. As a viewer, I didn’t love how obsessed Corrine was with bringing the other dancers down. What mother has the time to dig into a kid’s competition record from last year to start drama? But once Corrine realized that tearing the other children down wasn’t a good look, she improved in my book. She took a back seat and just let her daughter dance.
3. Min
Min was all about making her daughter, Mina, into the best she could be. She was a dance mother who wanted to ensure Mina didn’t rest on her laurels and surpassed everyone in the class. But with such passion, Min sometimes came off as cold. For fans, it was heartbreaking to learn she had lost her son in a tragic accident and never told her parents in China about it. Min often gave off Tiger Mom vibes. The only moment I wasn’t thrilled with Min was when she talked about taking away Mina’s beloved teddy bear. She kept telling the other moms that making her sad would make her daughter dance better, but it just didn’t seem kind. However, Min won me over thanks to her quote, “Jing and Tammi are both dumb bitch.”
2. Jing
Gina was a great dancer, and all the other moms knew it. However, that didn’t make it okay to attack Gina and Jing repeatedly due to their insecurities. After getting a call from Ms. Glo, Jing did what any other mother would have done. She packed her daughter’s dance bag and showed up at the studio because opportunity waits for no one. There were moments, however, when it felt like Jing was making chaos for the sake of chaos, thanks to her cheesy lines. Even the dancers took a page from their mother’s burn book. The way that Audrey was directly challenging and antagonizing Gina was so hard to watch.
1. Leslie
Leslie, in my opinion, was the most down-to-earth and rarely found herself in a skirmish. She was an extremely busy working mother who had three kids to take off. Leilah was a good dancer and had passion, but she was also a kid who wanted to play. I wonder if Leslie even knew what she signed up for with Dance Moms: A New Era because the rest of the women were thirsty. Leslie epitomizes a “Won’t start; none won’t be none” mentality. And honestly, it was a breath of fresh air.
TELL US — WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE MOMS FROM DANCE MOMS: A NEW ERA?