Only three months later Dance Moms: The ReunionWe’re back in the studio, this time with a new team led by dance coach Gloria “Glo” Hampton, on Hulu’s new show. Dance Moms restart, Dance Moms: A New Era.
Hampton is determined to turn her girls into stars and says she learned from her dance partner and former friend Abby Lee Miller. Can Hampton create her own legacy and fulfill her goals of stardom for her dancers?
DANCE MOMS: A NEW ERASTREAM IT OR SKIP IT?
Opening shot: The exterior of Studio Bleu in Ashburn, Virginia, in the early morning. A truck pulls into the parking lot, its headlights illuminating the trophies in the windows.
The essence: Glo Hampton is not only a dance coach, she is also a dance mom. However, she cites the “enormous opportunity” of launching her new elite team as “the biggest challenge of her career.” [her] dance career.”
While the show features an entirely new cast and studio, Hampton has ties to the flagship series. In the debut episode’s introduction, she even reveals that she and Abby Lee Miller “used to be good friends.”
“But Abby is mad at me,” she adds. “She’s jealous because I’m the coach of the next big team.”
The infamous pyramid returns in the pilot episode, with its seven selected dancers (Ashlan, Audrey, Bellatrix, Smiley, Leilah, Lily, and Mina) each taking a spot in the three rows. They have all gone through a rigorous audition process lasting three days. Just like in the original series, each of the girls’ mothers (Lisa, Tammi, Roxce, Domenica, Leslie, Corinne, and Min) watch the placement of the pyramid.
After Lisa claims that her daughter Ashlan “likes to dance for fun,” Hampton fires back, arguing that being part of the team “isn’t about fun.”
After revealing that Audrey is the dancer at the top of the pyramid, Hampton praises her, but mom drama ensues after Studio Bleu newcomer Corinne, whose daughter is Lily, questions Audrey being chosen as the lead in the routine. Smiley’s mom Domenica labels Corinne “some kind of stalker” of Studio Bleu. This only escalates to involve other moms after Min learns that her daughter Mina, the youngest on the team, needs help from Audrey, the eldest, who Mina claims is “just watching TikTok all the time.”
The mothers then attack Tammi, Audrey’s mother, for her daughter’s alleged lack of leadership, prompting Tammi to note in a confession that “it’s a parent’s responsibility to rehearse with their child, not a 12-year-old.”
Lisa scolds, “The head that wears the crown is heavy, Tammi,” followed by Corinne adding, “But remember, she didn’t win any crowns.”
Hampton, whose “only goal is to win another national title,” demonstrates her strict instruction by assigning Ashlan a left-side aerial in the group number “Shatter,” after she failed to do it during the audition. The tough love transcends Hampton’s instruction, however, and manifests itself through the mothers’ guidance to their daughters.
Once at the Starbound dance competition in Newark, New Jersey, Min expresses her frustration that Mina received no help from Audrey, leading Tammi to urge her to “stop making stuff up.” After Min and the other mothers continue to air their grievances, Tammi becomes angry and eventually claims that Min is “being a bitch.”
While Mina emerged victorious with her “Swamp Witch” solo, the team’s dance group was not so lucky and placed sixth. Not even the phrase “second is first to lose” can be applied here… However, Hampton revisits one of Miller’s maniacal mantras to close out the episode.
“Maybe Abby was right,” he says. “Maybe we’re all replaceable.”
What shows will it remind you of?
Needless to say, this program will remind you of Dance Momsas well as its subsequent spin-offs. However, the reality reboot may also be reminiscent of shows like Baby Ballroom and Little kids and tiaras.
Our opinion: This series, literally and figuratively, has Dance Moms It’s written all over it. The confessionals, the pyramid, the drama, even the font used to spell out the cast’s names and the location of scenes take fans back to the original show. However, as Hampton told DECIDER, it’s “a new era,” meaning they’re implementing their own unique take.
While Dance Moms Since then, some alumni have claimed not to have had a voice in the original series (or supposedly to have been given one by the producers), but these dancers are expressive. They speak their minds. —whether it’s admitting that they’re Hampton’s “favorite” (Audrey) or agreeing with the consensus that they could be a “model” (Smiley) during their introductions—in a way that feels refreshing to fans of the original series. Their fights with their mothers are on full display, but there’s a genuine love there that viewers can easily pick up on.
The mothers provide the drama, which mostly revolves around their children. As for Hampton, she lays out her intentions to bring home a national title for her new team, while also proving her dedication to her dancers.
“My expectations for my junior elite team is that they give me 100%, because I’m going to give them 100%,” he explains. “And I’m going to give them a difficult choreography, but at the same time, I don’t know if in three days they’re going to learn a routine and be the best they can be. If I have to cut someone, I will.”
Sex and skin: No.
Parting shot: Hampton emerges from the locker room in tears after taking responsibility for the group routine and finishing sixth.
“I wanted to go out and I really wanted to blow everyone away,” she admits through tears in a confessional. “There’s no one to blame but me. Honestly, at the end of the day, I’ll take the blame.”
She adds: “All I can do next week is [I] “I just have to do a better job. I just have to rethink things. Did I make this dance too challenging for these girls? Or did I choose the wrong dancers for this team? Maybe Abby was right. Maybe everyone is replaceable.”
Sleeping Star: All of these dancers showcase their unique personalities, but Ashlan truly establishes herself as a daring force, giving both her mother Lisa and Hampton a run for their money. Hampton also deserves recognition for her instruction, which while demanding, exemplifies a genuine care for each of her students and their success.
Pilot’s most typical phrase: While this snippet is technically a teaser for a future episode, it bears highlighting.
Ashlan, tearfully holding a cup of coffee: “I’m at the point where I need some coffee.”
Producer’s voice off-camera: “Is that coffee, Ashlan?”
Ashlan: “No, it’s Cherry Coke.”
Our calling: STREAM IT. While critics may think Dance Moms: A New Era resting on the laurels of the flagship series, it’s clear that the new version, led by Hampton’s tough-love direction, casts a solid cast that exudes their own signature star power and sass.
