The Dance Moms: When Stars Collide

Growing up, I was surrounded by many superstitious and unfounded behaviors that many of my friends and family members believed in and practiced. As it turns out, there are many superstitions and ritualistic behaviors that Poles believe in and that are incorporated into daily lives as well as in the many rich customs and traditions. One example of a superstitious routine intertwined with many ritualistic behaviors is the Christmas Eve in Poland. Although many different practices are performed on this very special evening of the year, the whole sequence of behaviors and actions can be classified as one broad and complex ritual that many Polish families follow until this day. It is not a surprise then that my family and I also developed a traditional …show more content…
The episode that I watched was titled "When Stars Collide." In the above-mentioned episode all the dancers, their mothers, as well as the dance school 's owner Abby Lee Miller, experience a tremendous amount of pressure when they find out that they will be visited, interviewed, and judged by a Broadway casting director. All the mothers want their daughters to be noticed and picked out by the agent. The tensions in the episode are high as not only do the parents stress out about their daughters ' performances, but they also are preparing a dance that they themselves will perform in front of the New York agent. From an anthropological perspective, I believe that this show would be an excellent example of illustrating today 's American culture. In the show, it is quite evident that there is an enormous emphasis on the way that both the dancers as well as their mothers present themselves aesthetically. There is a significant focus on the makeup as well as the costumes that the young dancers wear throughout the show. Although part of their appearances on the show involves performance, the girls ' fashionable clothing style and flashy makeup are also present in ordinary situations. In addition, a great emphasis is placed on the children 's mothers who are also very well dressed, stylized and up-kept, which is highlighted in many scenes of the show. These aspects of the feature demonstrate our culture 's preoccupation with one 's personal appearance. In our culture, it is believed that personal appearance not only indicates our status in the society, but it can also affect our life endeavors and ultimately contribute to our future. Another aspect of the show that reflects our society today is the emphasis on one 's personal capabilities and competence in terms of measuring