Sources indicate that the Dance Moms of Lifetime are paying around $16,000 a year per child in tuition at a minimum. That is the estimated amount that it costs to be a part of a company (such as the one on the show) and to be abused by Abby Lee Miller. It’s safe to  assume that the Dance Moms company is bringing in roughly $112,000 for the 7 girls to be trained and molded by the Abby Lee Dance Company, yet the students nor their moms get any respect. I can understand Abby’s high standards and requirements, but her harshness is a little more than I think I would be able to handle.

Brooke doesn't want to dance anymore, how does she tell Abby?

On this week’s episode ‘Brooke’s Turning Point’ Abby sees a lot of red and uses a lot of harsh words. Brooke just gave one of her best performances and has finally made it to the top of the pyramid (she should be at the top, Kelly’s paying $32,000 for her and Paige) yet Brooke’s passion for dance is fading despite the fact that she’s earned another solo. She’s 13 and the time commitment required for dance is more than she wants. She wants to be able to do 13 year old things like go to football games and hang out with her friends and her dance schedule seldom allows her to do that.  Long story short, Brooke is tired of dance. She wants do cheer and cheerleading tryouts are coming up and at the same time as a competition and Kelly allows Brooke to decide if she will attend the dance competition or the cheerleading tryouts. Brooke choose cheerleading tryouts and makes the squad. When Abby finds out that Brooke won’t be attending the competition to do her solo and participate in the group number Abby pitches a bitch-fit. She tells all of the girls that their solos are cancelled and she cancels the group performance. She says the only way the girls can perform solo is if they do it under Gianna’s (the other dance coach) name. She won’t allow them to compete under her name because she feels that without Brooke, the performance won’t win.  She tells Kelly that it’s she and Brooke’s fault because Brooke should have saw her commitment to dance through to the end of the season. This is true, Brooke started, she should have finished but when you dealing with someone like Abby who makes little girls cry for fun, how can you tell you child that they have to endure that type of treatment. Abby tries to pitch the team against Brooke by telling them that Brooke screwed them over and now they can’t perform, Abby says “she’s screwing me, I can feel it”. I died laughing but how inappropriate is it to say that in front of kids. Ever the drama queen, Abby has a change of heart and allows the girls to perform under her name and even agrees to travel with them (to the Dance Mom’s disappointment, she shows up just as the bus is leaving).

"She's screwing me! I can feel it!"

They arrive in New Jersey to compete and Cathy from Candy Apples is up to her old tricks again, she has girls that look really old competing in a 9 year old division. She uses Vivi-Anne as a prop by having her included in the routine to qualify in the division. It doesn’t work, they place 8th. The Abby Lee Dance Company does extremely well. They win the group performance (without Brooke), McKenzie kills her solo, she places first and so does Chloe. Maddie and Chloe were competing in the same division and Maddie finished 3rd (gasp). Abby tells Melissa that it’s because Maddie looks like a pro, she said that Chloe’s routine was amateurish and that’s why the judges picked her to win. Talk about full of shit. Who says stuff like that? Abby Lee Miller does. The Dance Mom’s allow her to get away with it so she continues to get more and more outlandish every competition.

If I was paying Abby $16,000 a year, she darned well better turn my kid into Baryshnikov and it needs to be done without all the attitude. She should be buying them gifts, not the other way around.

Next Week: Now that Brooke is gone, a spot has opened up. It looks like the spot is going to go to Leslie’s daughter Peyton. Remember Leslie from the first episode. She put Abby in her place and demanded that she find a spot for Peyton or else. Perfect timing.