Tanisha Madhukar - Blog #1 - Who Are You?
Dance Moms is a reality TV show that was released in 2011 that featured 6 young, wonderful dancers, their mothers, and their monster of a teacher, Abby Lee Miller. I took an interest in this show because growing up I loved dancing and thought, “Oh a show about dance, I should watch it!” Safe to say dance is not the only thing the show is about. I have rewatched Dance Moms enough times that no matter what scene you play I can tell you the exact season it was released, the competition they were attending, and who had solos that week. I have also had the pleasure of engraving almost every line into my mind. As sad as that sounds there is one line that has just stuck with me.
Season 5 episode 13, the theme of the group dance was the Spice Girls, and Mackenzie had a solo. Before announcing the solo, Abby questions Mackenzie saying, “Without being Maddie’s little sister--without being [pop star] MackZ… Who are you?” Mackenzie Ziegler was the youngest dancer on the team for most of the show’s running date. The whole time she was there she was constantly undermined and compared to her older, presumably perfect, sister Maddie.
As I grow up and rewatch this scene I feel such sympathy for Mackenzie. From a young age she was pushed into a situation with little to no control over her own actions. She never had the time or chance to figure out what she actually wanted. Her whole life her dance teacher, a person she trusted dearly, constantly made her question her self-worth. Now she had the audacity to directly question Mackenzie's whole being?
Mackenzie has taught me that the people in your life, even those you consider close, are never going to actually be you. Despite what you tell them, they can never know your true feelings or capacity among different situations. As a result, you can’t spend your entire life trying to do what pleases them. You need to make your own decisions, and in turn your own mistakes. You can’t have crazy expectations for yourself or you’ll never grow.
Season 5 episode 13, the theme of the group dance was the Spice Girls, and Mackenzie had a solo. Before announcing the solo, Abby questions Mackenzie saying, “Without being Maddie’s little sister--without being [pop star] MackZ… Who are you?” Mackenzie Ziegler was the youngest dancer on the team for most of the show’s running date. The whole time she was there she was constantly undermined and compared to her older, presumably perfect, sister Maddie.
As I grow up and rewatch this scene I feel such sympathy for Mackenzie. From a young age she was pushed into a situation with little to no control over her own actions. She never had the time or chance to figure out what she actually wanted. Her whole life her dance teacher, a person she trusted dearly, constantly made her question her self-worth. Now she had the audacity to directly question Mackenzie's whole being?
Mackenzie has taught me that the people in your life, even those you consider close, are never going to actually be you. Despite what you tell them, they can never know your true feelings or capacity among different situations. As a result, you can’t spend your entire life trying to do what pleases them. You need to make your own decisions, and in turn your own mistakes. You can’t have crazy expectations for yourself or you’ll never grow.
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A deep connection is made with the specific moment when Abby asks, "Who are you" and real struggles with identity. Mackenzie is nothing but a little girl who is struggling with her identity, and that is a struggle that everyone has, sometimes at any age. Describing how a trusted adult contributed to her doubts about her self-worth and identity made me think about how childhood environments affect how you live the rest of your life. The fact that only you know your true feelings and desires is also very important and eye-opening.
ReplyDeleteTanisha! Dance Moms! I used to love this show! I hadn’t thought about it in at least a couple of years, and reading your blog brought back many happy memories. During COVID, I used to binge watch episodes and clips on YouTube. I watched the Boss Ladies (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fELN5kMxeg4) performance specifically more times than I can count. I truly loved that performance. I, too, felt bad for Mackenzie, but was always rooting for her and Maddie. Wow, totally unrelated, but I was also listening to music while writing this comment, and Love Lies by Khalid and Normani started playing. Dance Moms and Love Lies together just teleported me back to a nostalgic episode for a second. Thank you for that.
ReplyDeleteHi Tanisha! I heard a lot of praise about the show “Dance Moms”, especially from one of my friends. When explaining Season 5 episode 13, and summarizing the entire theme in one line, it made me reflect on my own identity. I really love how you emphasize that people in your life will never truly understand how you feel and you cannot spend your entire life on them and instead have to focus on yourself. It makes me wonder about who is your favorite character from the show and how does it reflect on your own identity? Thank you for sharing this really important message about prioritizing yourself. This blog allowed me to take some time to reflect on my own identity and now, I may even watch a little bit of Dance Moms.
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