How to make dance moms edits
Brooke Hyland Proved the Producers Gave Her a Bad Edit
Brooke Hyland may have left Dance Moms in Season 4, but she remains a memorable part of the show. Along with her sister, Paige Hyland, and her mother, Kelly Hyland, Brooke was an original member of the cast. At 13, Brooke was the oldest member of the original ALDC Junior Elite Competition Team. Brooke stood out for her incredible flexibility, acrobatic skills, and impressive tricks.
‘Dance Moms’ Season 2 cast | Jeffrey Mayer/WireImageBrooke Hyland was made out to be a miserable teenager on ‘Dance Moms’
But Brooke also developed a reputation on Dance Moms for seemingly being apathetic about dance. Her teacher, Abby Lee Miller, dubbed her “brooding Brooke”, citing that she always seemed “miserable.” Clips from the show often supported the idea that Brooke was just a moody teen. However, there was a ton more of her personality that fans actually never got to see thanks to the edit the producers gave her.
The producers gave each dancer a specific archetype
It’s no secret that producers of reality TV shows use clever editing to enhance drama. The producers of Dance Moms were certainly not an exception to this rule. They even created “personality archetypes” for each dancer and strategically used clips to support that narrative. For example, Maddie Ziegler got painted as the “unbeatable golden girl” while Kendall Vertes was often portrayed as the “bratty crybaby.”
RELATED: ‘Dance Moms’: 1 Dancer’s Doctor Predicted She ‘Wouldn’t Be Able to Walk’ if She Kept Competing
Kelly Hyland gets candid about how ‘Dance Moms’ misrepresented her daughter’s personality
At a meet and greet in 2014, Kelly got candid about the way Dance Moms portrayed her eldest daughter. “OK now, wait a minute; I want you guys to see Brooke’s personality,” Kelly began, citing Brooke’s bubbly persona. “Now do they show this on the show?” she questioned. After receiving a resounding no from the audience Kelly continued.
“I personally find that to be so sad because they make her out to be a miserable teenager,” Kelly shared about the edit Brooke received on Dance Moms. “And she never smiles, never talks. And she probably has more personality than any of the kids on the show.
And they just, like — that’s ‘her character’ is that she’s a miserable teenager. So I love doing meet and greets because I love for people to see how they really are because I don’t think that they show that on the show.”
RELATED: ‘Dance Moms’ Producers Used 3 Clever Tricks to Heighten Drama
How Brooke proved that she was getting a bad edit on the Lifetime show
Brooke was quick to chime in, sharing that she’d done an experiment to prove that the Dance Moms producers were giving her a bad edit.
“One time I tested it out during pyramid,” the Dance Moms alum shared. “And I’m smiling the entire time, OK. And I’m not even kidding when I say there must’ve been maybe one minute out of the three-hour pyramid that I was not full-on smiling. Watched that episode… wasn’t smiling. I was like ‘Are you kidding me?’ There were literally five seconds that I wasn’t smiling and you aired that part. It makes me so mad.”
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Maddie Ziegler also called out the ‘Dance Moms’ producers
Clearly, the Dance Moms producers weren’t willing to show the full extent of Brooke’s personality.
And Brooke is hardly the only cast member to call out the producers for their sneaky ways. In a recent interview with Cosmopolitan, Brooke’s good friend and former team member, Maddie, shared how she was coerced by the producers.
“People thought I was a brat because in all my interviews, I would say, ‘I’m the best. I know I’m going to win.’ Maddie shared about how many fans of Dance Moms perceived her. “But that’s because the producer was telling me to say that. I don’t think I’m better than everyone else. I was just doing whatever they told me to do because I thought that’s what you did. They set you up for failure.”
Clearly, the Dance Moms producers had an agenda. Considering everything Brooke and Paige experienced during their tenure on the show, it’s good they finally got out.
RELATED: ‘Dance Moms’: Kenzie and Maddie Ziegler Tried to Quit for Years
'Dance Moms' Producers Used 3 Clever Tricks to Heighten Drama
Though Dance Moms isn’t scripted, the reality TV show isn’t a real as many fans might think. The show hit Lifetime show was actually heavily produced. And while some of the drama between the cast was real, most of it was heightened, manipulated, or completely fabricated. But what tricks did the producers use to ensure that the show would be entertaining for fans to watch?
Dance Moms cast | Jeffrey Mayer/WireImageIn early seasons of the show, there was plenty of real tension between some of the mothers of the Junior Elite Competition Team.
In fact, Dance Moms producers intentionally cast dancers and their mothers who had a history with one another. And while some of the information that fueled the most famous feuds was voluntarily shared by the moms, that wasn’t always the case.
‘Dance Moms’ cast members recall the producers listening in on their phone calls
The original members of the Dance Moms cast had little to no experience in the world of reality TV. Perhaps this is why it took a while before they caught on to some of the producers’ antics. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Jill Vertes recalled that for a while, she couldn’t figure out how the producers had so much information. It took Vertes a while before she realized that if she forgot to turn her microphone off, the producers had access to all of her personal phone conversations.
RELATED: ‘Dance Moms’ Fans Are Pissed at an OG Mom’s Racist Remark
But listening in on private conversations isn’t the only way that the Dance Moms producers managed to heighten the drama of the show. They also utilized clever editing and took things out of context to make things seem more intense than they sometimes were.
The producers used clever editing when making the show
“They can edit you any way they want,” Melissa Gisoni revealed in the aforementioned interview.
“There were a lot of things said not in the context where they had us saying them,” Vertes agreed. “Like Kira, for instance, threw a bottle at a camera person or a producer. It was so funny and it made it look like she was throwing it at one of us,” Gisoni shared about another Dances Moms cast member. “And she was was mad at the producer. She whipped the bottle and they made it look like she was throwing it at Jess,” Vertes added.
RELATED: ‘Dance Moms’: Maddie Ziegler and the OG Dancers Barely Remember the Show
One thing the producers did to ensure that they could always fall back on clever editing was dictating what the cast wore.
In an interview with E! News, Asia Monet Ray revealed that they were required to wear the same clothes for days on end.
The ‘Dance Moms’ cast had to wear the same clothes for a week
“Certain things that were on the show were obviously creative editing of just making certain pieces splice together,” the Dance Moms alum shared. “We had to wear the same clothes for like a week. So certain things could be taken out of context.”
The Dance Moms producers also resorted to baiting the cast to get a specific reaction.
This, combined with the stress of constant filming, helped heighten the drama of the show. So while there was some real animosity between the moms sometimes, a lot of it was produced to add entertainment value to the show.
RELATED: ‘Dance Moms’: Abby Lee Miller Admitted That the Girls Were Traumatized
Mom, hear me!
Participants talked about mutual understanding, the ability to listen and hear, and new methods of pedagogy. The topics of the seminars are very interesting: "Modern Psychological and Linguistic Methods in Working with Children", "Psychological Portrait of the Team - I, the Parent, the Leader", "The Image of the Creative Team", "Kill Mom! What children want to tell you, but are afraid. Classes were held by the head of the project "Dance Klondike", candidate of sociological sciences, journalist and writer Sergey PICHURICHKIN and the head of the training center "Dance Village", teacher-choreographer Tatiana BOGOYAVLENSKAYA .
"Dance Klondike" is a global dance project in which teachers and choreographic groups can demonstrate their talents, gain new knowledge and skills in modern dance styles.
To become a participant in several competitions-festivals at once, the team just needs to submit an application and come to the "Dance Village", where performances at competitions can be combined with master classes in folk dance, modern, street dance, modern dance, stage, contemporary, classics, step , jazz, hip-hop.
Sergei Pichurichkin has been giving seminars on psychology for 12 years, and five years ago he brought to life the big project “I, the Parent, the Leader”, thanks to which the lecture “Kill Mom! What children want to tell you, but are afraid. The project was based on dialogues with children who, through social networks, share their feelings, emotions and problems with Sergey. For children, this is an attempt to reach out to the adult world, and for adults - to hear them.
It's not what you think
According to Sergei, he did not leave journalism for psychology:
– I believe that one thing cannot replace another. Hobbies should be combined and enrich life experience.
In my book The Image of the Creative Team, which has been published four times, I tell the leaders of children's creative teams about the image, about working with children, and about psychology in general. Collecting material, I talked a lot with children. I was able to see distortions in the work of teachers, and I understood how adults can be taught to hear children. I was struck by one discovery: no matter what you think of yourself, others think differently about you. Probably, this was the impetus for the appearance of the seminar "Kill Mom! ..". A mother may think of herself that she is the best, most caring and responsible in the world and does everything for the good of her child, but in a conversation with her child you understand that he seems to live in a completely different world.
Sergey Pichurichkin
The purpose of my lectures is to teach teachers, parents and children to navigate the psychological aspects of life. When a child knows where it is necessary to show flexibility, and where firmness of character, it is easier for him to live.
Only parents can teach this. But what if they themselves do not know how and do not know? To study. In my lectures, fathers and mothers begin to understand what are the characteristics of their children, how to communicate with them, how to teach. With a base in psychology, it will be easier for parents to find a common language with their son or daughter. The more knowledge adults have, the more they can pass on to their children, and the smarter, more interesting and creative each next generation will be.
At my seminar “Kill Mom!..” many parents and teachers can hear things that are unpleasant for themselves. However, I do not seek to tell my audience that they are the wrong parents. I am the same “teapot” as they are, I just came to the conclusion over time that every person in his life should grow above the beliefs that his parents stuffed him with. In my seminar, I ask adults to get rid of their parents inside themselves, to hear their children and help them. Now there are many developments in the field of psychology, and we must abandon the old stereotypes and patterns of education and teaching and begin to apply new ones.
At my lectures in Norilsk, I saw people who are ready for change and who have taken the first steps towards this. I am far from thinking that tomorrow everyone will rush to change and correct something. Someone will apply new knowledge in six months, someone will read a book and think, and someone will forbid himself to yell at a child. If at least ten families, even for a short time, reduce the level of negative emotions, aggression, vindictiveness, resentment, I will consider that the seminar was useful.
I want and I must
Tatiana Bogoyavlenskaya
Choreographer Tatiana Bogoyavlenskaya admits that after meeting Sergei Pichurichkin she became more of an analyst than a practitioner in the field of dance.
- I used to have one team, I raised it and gave it all my experience, and now I help many creative teams in Russia, of which there are more than five thousand in the database of our project. I share my experience with choreographers, but not in terms of productions - I work with teachers to create the internal microclimate of the team, to personal growth and communication with the environment.
If a person's consciousness is ready to be creative and open to the world, then he can correctly perform a movement, come up with a new one - dance can be born out of all this.
In modern choreography, improvisation is popular, but it is difficult for children, because most choreographers work with arms, legs, positions, positions and forget that in front of them is a little man with his own story, who came to the dance class from somewhere, brought what – something emotions, moods and, perhaps, knowledge. And sometimes the teacher does not work out because he does not see the personality of his student. It is very important to consider the individuality of the child, then he will do everything that he is asked. If the teacher does not know how to find his resource state, then in his work there is a mentoring tone and orders, as in the army: “Get up! Have fallen! Pushed up!” We save children by giving new knowledge to teachers. A person always has a choice: I want and I must. Only “must” is a manipulation that limits the development of a person, and “I want” gives freedom and opens many roads.
My practical training is based on the knowledge of Neuro Linguistic Programming. NLP is a bunch of practical, psychological knowledge that has been transformed into certain formulas. I give a formula, a person executes it and gets the finished result. Moreover, this result can be predicted and calculated. The use of this knowledge allows the teacher to free the mind for creativity and new ideas. The idea of my practical classes is that we live through this or that situation several times, and as a result, its resolution occurs automatically.
Almost the same with children. They need my classes in order to solve problems that arise within the team: they seem to be friends, but there is no understanding. And the games that we use at children's seminars help children understand that they are together, what they are together for, where and how it can be used. And this is a new experience for them.
Natalia CHERKASHINA
Photo by Elena KHUDANOVA
at 17:45 147 0
Debt, bullying, fainting from hunger.
How Korean kids are preparing to become K-pop stars
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British Instagram blogger Evodias went through a rigorous selection process as a child and went to Korea to become a K-pop star - Korean pop music that is popular all over the world. She told the BBC what the life of future K-pop stars consists of and why she left this career.
K-pop - is a musical genre that originated in South Korea and combines elements of western electropop, hip-hop, dance music and contemporary R&B. Early XXI century K-pop has become a massive musical subculture with millions of fans, especially among teenagers. The stars of this genre are called "idols" in the country: they usually not only sing, but also act in films and on television and maintain popular blogs.
Becoming a K-pop star is not easy: it usually takes years of intense training and sometimes even plastic surgery . But that didn't stop Evodias who, while still a schoolgirl, left her home in northeast England and went to South Korea to become an "idol". BBC journalist Elayne Chong retells her story as she heard it from Evodias herself.
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"At that time, K-pop was not known in Britain yet. But I, half Chinese, half Korean, watched South Korean series such as "Boys Over Flowers and "Naughty Kiss" and fell in love with K-pop and culture in general. While my classmates were crazy about Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys, I was listening to Wonder Girls and B2ST.
I had a burning desire to become an actress and perform. In South Korea, one way to do this is to become an "idol", someone who does everything: modeling, acting, singing and dancing.
It seemed to me that K-pop was the way to my dream.
Image copyright Euodias
I've been auditioning for different companies since I was 10 years old. Often it was necessary to send a video of myself: sometimes I skipped school to record, which my mother was very angry about.
And one day when we went to visit my grandmother in Seoul, I went to the casting, which was attended by 2000 people.
We were all gathered in a huge waiting room. You might have seen something similar on Britain's Got Talent, but we didn't have chairs. We sat on the floor in rows of ten.
My turn came after six hours of waiting. My heart was beating very fast as we were called one by one.
Photo by Euodias
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When the first girl sang, the judge shouted "Stop! Next!" before she even started singing the chorus. The other girls were treated the same way.
When it was my turn, I delivered a monologue from a Korean TV movie. The referee cut me off in the middle. "We are looking for those who sing," he said. - "Will you sing?" I didn't prepare a song, but I decided to try singing "A Whole New World" from Disney's Aladdin.
The judge interrupted me and asked me to dance. I was not ready for this either and felt like an idiot. They turned on the music and I improvised something. After conferring with the assistants, the judge gave me a piece of yellow paper. This meant that I passed to the next stage.
I was sent to a room where I was asked to walk along a line on the floor and my face was photographed from different angles to see how I would look in the frame.
A few days later I was asked to come with my parents and discuss the contract.
According to the contract, I had to leave my family and move to South Korea to pursue a career in the company. The company could get rid of me at any time if they thought I wasn't good enough for them. But if I decide to leave my career on my own, I will have to pay the full cost of my education, which is thousands of dollars.
- The dark side of Korean show business
My mother reluctantly signed a two-year contract for me, which was the minimum they could offer. After that meeting, we quarreled, and my mother did not speak to me for a month.
Shortly after I became an apprentice, the company transferred my contract to another firm. Such movements are common, and no one asks for the opinion of the students.
My new company was harsh. I had to live in her building along with other students who were between the ages of nine and 16.
Boys and girls lived separately.
We only left the building to go to school. Korean students went to local public schools, but because I was British, I went to an international one. Apart from school, we were not allowed to go anywhere without permission. But even when we asked permission, we were usually denied.
If parents wanted to visit their children, they had to get permission beforehand. Relatives who came without warning were not allowed.
image copyrightEuodias
Our usual day went like this: we got up at five in the morning and danced. School started at eight. After school they returned to the company and were engaged in singing and dancing. The students practiced until 11 pm and even later to impress the instructors.
At night we were on our own. We had a tight schedule and they made sure we were all there before locking the doors.
It was forbidden to go on dates, although some people secretly did go.
All students were required to act as if they were heterosexual, even if they were not. Anyone who claimed to be gay was kicked out.
Both boys and girls had "managers" - older people who could text us at night to keep an eye on us. If we didn't answer right away, they called and asked where we were.
We didn't have weekends or holidays. On holidays such as the Lunar New Year, the students stayed in the company building while the workers took a break.
Image copyright Euodias
The company divided us into two groups, something like Team A and Team B. I was one of 20 or 30 members of Team A - we were considered to have the strongest potential.
Team B had about 200 students. Some of them even paid tuition. They could have been preparing for years and not be sure that they would ever "debut" at all. "Debut" was the moment someone started performing in K-pop.
Team A girls lived four people in a room.
Ordinary students slept together in a huge room on rugs - right on the floor.
I saw how tired students from Team B slept right in the dance studios after class - the mats there were still the same as in the hostel.
Only once did I see a student from Team B move to Team A. But if a member of Team A behaved badly or complained about something, they could be intimidated by being kicked out or transferred to Team B.
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However, usually no one complained. We were all young and ambitious. The company believed that everything we have to go through is part of the discipline training, and this is necessary for the future "idol". We agreed with everything.
We didn't use our own names in the company building, except when talking to other students. We had a number and a stage name, given in accordance with the image that was chosen for us.
I was given the name Dia. But our instructors usually referred to us by the numbers they saw on our shirts. It was wild, like we were participating in some kind of scientific experiment.
I knew that I had the makings of a successful "idol". The company liked me because I was small - the instructors constantly praised me for being petite. Don't get me wrong, I love to eat, but I have a high metabolism and don't gain weight.
And the weight was an eternal headache for everyone. Each student had to weigh no more than 47 kg, regardless of age and height. At the weekly weigh-in, we were examined by a coach and our weight was announced to the whole room.
If the weight exceeded the established norm, they reduced the diet. Sometimes those who were "overweight" were left without food at all, given only water.
It all seemed pretty cruel to me, because some of the girls couldn't help it - they were tall.
It was normal to starve yourself. Some had anorexia or bulimia, and many girls did not have their periods. Fainting was common. We often ourselves carried those who lost consciousness to the hostel.
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I fainted twice in class, probably from dehydration, though maybe from malnutrition. I woke up in bed and couldn't remember how I got into it.
At some point, I realized that I had no friends there. They were all colleagues. The environment was too tense and competitive to make friends.
Monthly reviews supported the atmosphere of stress. Each student performed in front of everyone and received marks from the instructors. If the grades were low, the student was immediately kicked out.
Image copyright Euodias
The streams of newcomers came to replace them.
Many of them came after plastic surgery and looked like K-pop stars.
Bullying was common among students. One girl was teased for being overweight. Another, who danced well, had her ballroom shoes stolen.
I missed my old friends back in England, but I couldn't get in touch with them because the instructors told us to turn off our phones so we could focus on class. The company wanted us to look more mysterious before debut and not post anything inappropriate on social media.
We could get our phones for 15 minutes in the evening and I used that time to call my mom. But many students secretly had second phones.
My parents knew that studying was hard, but they couldn't do anything, because I was bound by a contract, and they were very far away. Most of the Korean students didn't tell their parents because they didn't want them to worry.
It helped me to believe that one day I would debut as a member of a K-pop group.
However, the company had seats for less than half of the members of the A-Team. We competed for them through constant examinations.
K-pop groups are usually structured like this: lead vocalist, dancer, rapper, youngest member, and so on. Everyone has a special role.
I was delighted when they first told me that they wanted to choose me as a vocalist. But then the company said that they see me in a different role - visual.
The visual is the face of the group. You are chosen for this role because of your appearance, and especially because of how you are likely to look in the future. Another girl competed for this place with me. She was more attractive than me, but the company thought that if I got plastic surgery, I would be prettier than her and could become a visual.
My face is too large for Korean standards, and they wanted to change my nasal septum and make my jaw smaller. The company could not force me to go for the operation, but it encouraged me in every possible way.
Plastic surgery in South Korea is a common thing, and this prospect did not scare me. I looked at it as an investment in my future. The cost of the operation was to be added to my debt to the company.
My mother didn't like the idea. She understood that the operation brought me closer to the dream of becoming an "idol", but she was worried about me.
When the company announced that I had been chosen for the role of visual, I was happy. I was told that I would be a K-pop star. You can imagine what that meant to a teenager.
Then I learned more about my future image. Dia, which I would have to become, was supposed to be modest, sweet and innocent. As a visual, I had to become the embodiment of these qualities. But Dia was not me. I am sassy and loud. And I began to doubt whether I could be an obedient girl in public.
I thought that the game would be worth the candle if I became an actress as a result. But when I tried to talk to the company about it, the answer was: "No, we think you're more suitable for a girl group.
"
Some of the management told me that since I'm only half Korean, my acting career is only for supporting roles. I felt that my dreams were crumbling.
My contract was just about to expire and needed to be renewed before starting the group. And I said I don't want to.
This was a rare case: most students go to great lengths to realize their dreams. But despite my refusal, I parted ways with the company kindly. I fulfilled my obligations under the contract and did not owe anything. If I had stayed and debuted with the group, I would have had to pay for instructors, housing, and plastic surgery. Even successful artists must keep working to pay off the debts that build up during training, as well as the new debts that form when a student becomes an "idol". In general, it is quite difficult for K-pop stars to earn something.
I returned to England with my friends without having the operation. I passed my final exams along with everyone else.
Later I studied art and got a place at a fashion school in France. And I was lucky because a lot of K-pop students dropped out at 18 or graduated at 21 and didn't know what to do next. They gave everything for trying to become a K-pop star - and ended up with nothing.
image copyrightEuodias
My mother was happy to have me back. She always considered my training a mistake. But she knew that I had to figure it out myself. And it took a long time before I realized that my mother was right.
When I see videos of the band I was supposed to be in, I feel relieved: thank God I'm not on stage with them. All this seems to me a lie, but I know these girls personally, and the way they behave in public does not at all correspond to what they are in life.
Now I don't think about performing. If only as a hobby. Instead, I am a blogger on YouTube. I discovered an entrepreneurial spirit in myself, I love making videos for my channel.
