[Abby] So, ready? Let's take it from the top.
♪ See the yoga bunnies in their SUVs ♪
♪ They got their custom coffee and their inner peace ♪
♪ See the homeless dude sleepin' in a box ♪
♪ Just look the other way but it never stops ♪
[Paige]
and I really like it
but I know that Abby is watering it down
just because of my foot.
And it's starting to hurt, so I don't know
if I'll be able to dance at competition.
[Abby] Let's go. We gotta move.
You're outta here. Thank you, Kelly.
Paige's foot is not 100% healed yet.
So I can't make her run the routine over and over and over.
It could cause more injury to the foot.
How you feeling?
-Are you on the couch most-- -Don't cry.
-[Holly] Oh, no, no. -Don't cry.
[tense music playing]
[Holly] Did Abby say something?
[Kelly] Aw, honey.
Paige has had a broken foot.
And for her to go out there after having one hour
to learn a dance and to practice on a prop
is not fair.
All right, Brooke, you have two more days
to perfect this routine.
Your jumps need to be higher than they ever were.
Your tumbling skills...
need to be lofty.
Let's do it.
My solo this week is called "Fly"
and it's an acrobatic routine.
And I'm really excited. I think it's gonna do well.
♪ I have been waiting so long ♪
♪ Been so patient... ♪
Smile!
♪ Mm ♪
[Abby] Lock that left knee!
♪ Then we can fly ♪
All right. A lot of it's wonderful.
Take the music, listen to it,
find the story in it,
and tell everybody.
Do something with this.
I think her performance of the choreography
is outstanding.
Except the face.
Is she gonna go on stage and be poetic
and impress the judges? I don't know.
All right.
[gentle, whimsical music playing]
Hi, how are you?
-Here's Brooke. -How you doing?
I am so excited to give all the girls an opportunity
to go to a real recording studio.
I don't think the girls
have a lot of opportunities in Pittsburgh
but I think that now that we're in L.A.,
that we need to take advantage of this.
[upbeat pop music plays]
♪ Oh, yeah ♪
♪ Friday night and it feels so right ♪
♪ Cold breeze in the August sky ♪
We're recording "Summer Love Song"
in Seven's studio,
and it's with my best friends. It's awesome.
♪ Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on ♪
♪ And play that record 'til the sun goes down ♪
♪ From the beach to the party to the underground ♪
♪ Let me keep on groovin' ♪
♪ Put your hands in the air, keep movin' ♪
[upbeat music playing]
[Kelly]
of recording this song.
I just hope that at the end of the day
everybody had a good time doing this
and it was a positive thing for them.
[Seven] You did a great job.
[upbeat pop music playing]
Megaphone. Where is it?
Being the manager that I am,
I see a golden opportunity.
Let's take this little CD that Brooke's made,
let's take the music and let's do a video.
Let's go.
I have a vision for this video.
I see the girls up on top of one of those sightseeing buses
that tour all over the Los Angeles area.
They're gonna be up there, dancing in their seats,
swinging their arms.
Fun, fun, fun. That's what I wanna see.
And... action!
♪ Oh, yeah ♪
Brooke! You're not playing to the camera.
All I'm getting is the side of your hair
in your face, like this!
I'm really excited I'm shooting my own music video
but Abby's sucking all the fun out of it.
She keeps yelling at us.
[Abby] That's all I've seen!
Turn your head and look in the camera,
and quit putting your arms in front of someone else's face!
You know, I'm glad that Abby wants to be a part of it,
but why does she have to take charge?
Run up, run down.
You're just having fun. Like da-da-da.
You don't even know there's a camera on you.
Up, up, up, and down, down, down,
and back up in the middle.
"Oh, there's some guy taking my picture."
Yes? And then turn, up, high arms, big butt,
look, and then take that camera with you. Ah!
Got it? All right. Ready?
A lot of the ideas that Abby has for the video
I think are cute.
Action, Mackenzie! Go!
One, two, three, action!
[Abby] Good girl! Nice.
Did you get that, Nia?
Are you sure?
[Abby] Okay.
Shooting a music video in L.A.?
I mean, come on, that's a dream job.
Run, Maddie! Run!
We all got a special part
in the music video.
[Abby] Run! Dance! Go!
Go! Go!
[Maddie]
I think this is one of the best days ever.
[cheering]
[Kelly] Good job, guys!
[Abby] Yay! We're done.
[funky music playing]
[Abby] This is it.
This competition is very important for my girls.
Not only do they have to win, but they have to impress me.
I'm making my decision for nationals.
[dramatic music playing]
These solos today need to be top-notch.
Today is not the day for mistakes.
Girls, you have to understand, not only is today a big day
because of the other dance studios that are here,
but this is the end of the road.
Maybe the end of the line for some of you.
People always say I put pressure on my girls.
I think that's a bunch of bunk.
This is your last opportunity
to impress me before nationals.
I need to pick who's going,
and it's not gonna be everybody.
[music fades]
This is it. It's unfortunate that you're still injured,
but you know what? You gotta go out there
and for two minutes and 30 seconds, forget the pain
and you have to do what you know to do.
I mean, for this kid just to be coming off a broken foot,
I'm gonna be glad to see her on stage doing this routine.
[emcee] All right, Los Angeles, please welcome Paige,
performing "City of Angels."
[applause]
-Yay! -[Christi] Good job.
[funky up-tempo music playing]
♪ See the yoga bunnies in their SUVs ♪
♪ They got their custom coffee and their inner peace ♪
♪ See the homeless dude sleepin' in a box ♪
♪ Just look the other way but it never stops ♪
♪ City of angels ♪
♪ But nobody wants to use their wings ♪
♪ One day, I'll fly away ♪
♪ 'Til then, I'm blending in ♪
[singer vocalizing]
♪ Yeah ♪
♪ La La Land ♪
["La La Land" echoes]
♪ La La Land ♪
[cheering]
[emcee] And that was #64, "City of Angels."
[Abby]
Even though her doctor has cleared her,
she's not 100% yet.
It's gonna take a lot of time
for Paige to get back where she was,
even if that means no dancing at nationals.
Don't cry!
Oh, Paige.
It's fine.
[sobbing]
You were fine.
You were gorgeous.
Don't cry.
I forgot the whole dance!
I think that it's unfair of Abby
to make this one week...
[tense music playing]
...your option if you're dancing at nationals or not.
Brooke, come on! Stretch out.
Since nationals is next week,
I'm treating these solo performances
as if it were an audition.
Last one to go is Brooke.
The pressure is on.
-Are you ready? -I think so.
Do you need to run it over-- run over it again?
Brooke, you can get out there
and you can be gorgeous
and everybody's gonna leave talking about the acrobat
and how great she was,
or you're gonna go out and crash and burn.
It's up to you, kid.
I'm about to go on stage for "Fly"
and I'm pretty confident,
but I'm just kind of scared I'm going to forget it
like Mackenzie.
[emcee] Moving ahead to #100,
this is a Teen Solo.
Give it up for "Fly."
[applause, cheering]
♪ One look at me across the room ♪
♪ I have been waiting so long, been so patient ♪
♪ For you to bloom ♪
♪ Though it's not just the things that you say ♪
♪ Somehow you surround me with all that I've wished for ♪
♪ And I'm swept away ♪
♪ I'm hoping one day ♪
♪ You might give it a try ♪
♪ Then we can fly ♪
Yes! Woo!
♪ Mm ♪
♪ Then we can fly ♪
[Abby] Woo-hoo!
[upbeat music playing]
[cheering]
"Fly" went really good. I hit all my tricks
and I didn't forget my dance. [laughs]
What did you like better,
recording your own song and doing a music video
or dancing?
Music video and singing.
[dramatic music playing]
[emcee] Finally, your highest scoring
Elite Junior Soloist,
with a score of 273.7 points,
is...
Miss Maddie with act #52, "Piece of my Heart."
Ladies and gentlemen, we are going to start
with our Elite Teen Solo division of competition.
Fourth place,
with a score of 271.2 points,
Miss Brooke with act #100, "Fly."
[cheering]
[Brooke]
but I think Abby will still be proud of me
because she saw how amazing the dancers were,
so I think she'll be happy with fourth.
[Kelly]
because, you know, Paige went on stage
and she didn't place
and, you know, Brooke got fourth.
So, my kids really don't have
a good chance of performing at nationals.
Girls, this was a test for nationals.
And I said it doesn't matter, really, what the judges think,
it's what I think. Who grew? Who learned?
This competition, ladies,
was to see what we're going to do at nationals.
I don't know what's gonna happen next week for nationals.
I might use the whole group,
I might not.
I have to worry about what's best
for the Abby Lee Dance Company.
And if that means some people not dancing,
that's what it means.
[tense, dramatic music playing]