Brooke interview, take one, mark.
We are really great.
[upbeat pop music playing]
Hi, guys. It's Brooke.
Beautiful.
Hey, guys. It's Chloe. Riddle me that.
Good, good, good.
Hi, I'm Paige.
[laughing]
It's me, Kalani. Can I post on Insta?
-And we're looking back... -...at some of our cringiest...
-...cringiest... -...dances on the show.
...six, seven, eight.
Now, the group routine... Pfft. It's beneath them.
This is what an eight and under routine would do.
We've got preteens and teenagers
and they're doing "The Seven Little Dancers"?
[Chloe]
I believe it was season four, actually.
We were the Seven Dwarfs.
It was kind of a hot mess.
Like, I looked back on that dance recently,
and I had a good laugh.
[Abby]
entitled "The Seven Dancers."
So, you are kind of like
inspired by those famous little dwarfs.
They're cartoons.
This being the last competition before Nationals,
there's a lot of pressure on the girls.
So I wanted to do a routine
that would be a little different.
Something fun. Something entertaining.
See, we don't do these kind of dances that much.
I think the number's cute, I just don't know...
It's musical theater. I think that's kind of
-the idea. -Yeah, cute isn't...
You can have musical theater that's competitive.
Now, the group routine... Pfft. It's beneath them.
This is what an eight and under routine would do.
Not these kids.
We've got preteens and teenagers
and they're doing "The Seven Little Dancers"?
Five, six, seven, eight.
[all mumbling]
-Okay, guys. -[whispers] Wait, come here.
[Abby]
you're gonna have to do musical theater pieces.
If the girls aren't in perfect sync,
and they're not clean,
we're never gonna win this competition.
[host]
[audience cheering]
La, la, la, la, la.
We're like, "Na, na, na, na, na."
[cartoonish music playing]
That was a comfortable costume.
We had a t-shirt on, we had white leggings on.
We had some name that described us.
I think we did back handsprings or something.
It was... It was a mess. [laughs]
-[music ends] -[cheers and applause]
[host]
Second place...
-"Queen Bee." -[cheering]
And first place in the overall small group division...
Act number 63, "The Seven Dancers."
[cheers and applause]
Congratulations. Everybody, take a bow.
It was fun. It was funny.
I mean, how many dances did we do, though?
Like, there's only so many ideas you can come up with.
Only so many dances you can do.
So at some point, you reached the level
of Seven Dwarfs dances.
[woman speaking indistinctly]
Oh, my God. Sorry, Steve.
-[laughs] -[kisses]
Oh, my gosh. Did you watch the vegan dance?
There's so many things wrong with this right now.
Yeah, it's bad.
[Holly]
it's just... I can't move beyond the concept.
It's silly.
[laughs]
We did a vegan group dance.
Abby's friend had a single coming out about being vegan.
So we all had to dress as animals
and, like, pretend we were being slaughtered.
[Abby] All right, so, just let me say,
the reason that I invited Jordan to come here today
is because he released a single
about being vegan.
[Maesi]
and they've known each other forever. [giggles]
This whole thing this week is all to impress... Jordy.
[Holly] Because that's Abby's friend.
This is a very meaningful song for me.
So please bring your heart into it.
So, girls, you understand that you are animals protesting.
So these lyrics,
"Speaking up against the wrong. I ain't scared of no friction.
Peace is all it is. It does not have to be fiction."
Actually, I do remember Abby wanting to become vegan.
And then I think we caught her, like, eating a hot dog
or, like, having some fast food.
So the vegan thing maybe lasted 30 minutes.
[Holly]
I don't have a problem with the choreography,
it's just... I can't move beyond the concept.
It's silly.
[Ashlee] We're gonna look so stupid.
No one's gonna get that it's a vegan dance.
Even listening to the words, you don't get it.
There's so many things wrong with this right now.
Yeah, it's bad.
[Kalani]
And Abby would do anything for that man.
AKA, make us dance to a vegan rap.
Acting as being slaughtered onstage.
All right, well, girls, get into makeup.
[upbeat music playing]
[laughing]
[Jill]
like a high school talent show.
I just can't look at them and take it seriously, honestly.
We know what they are because we saw
the progression of the animals and we know.
But do you think people will see that they're animals?
[Holly]
half of what Jordy was saying when he was rapping.
[announcer] We would like to welcome to the stage
"Food for Thought."
[cheering]
[mellow hip-hop melody playing]
♪ On my sleepless nights ♪
♪ Speaking on the topic ♪
♪ Getting blocked out the media... ♪
There's probably a chicken in there.
Trying to think of the things.
If I was a pig, what other meat?
Maybe a cow? Someone was definitely a cow.
Like, that is just so degrading.
Like, why was... why were we pigs and cows
and chickens?
Getting slaughtered on stage?
That's, like, the most insane thing I've ever said in my life.
I don't think there was blood.
I think that we were, like, pretty animals.
I don't know.
I don't know what this was.
The overall high score for group production...
goes to entry number 104,
"Food for Thought."
[cheering]
[Holly]
which I know is not on a vegan diet.
I cannot believe they won.
[cheering]
It was just, like, the most bizarre,
wild thing I've ever seen.
And I think
that was my first look at seeing
that you will do anything for love
and you'll also put your children
through anything for love.
-[pop music playing] -[indistinct]
[laughter]
Ooh, my lips were real crusty.
Don't look at that too close up.
Beautiful!
Sacrifice our souls on stage?
[Christi]
I have to say that our beautiful, graceful,
lyrical dancers aren't exactly the typical
hip-hop prototypes.
This was our group dance "Light My Fire"
that Abby made me do with a broken foot.
How nice of her.
We are going to be doing a routine.
The routine is called "Light My Fire."
And it's hip-hop.
Now, Paige, it's been weeks.
I think that you are capable
of performing in this hip-hop routine.
She has to get approved by the doctor first.
[Abby] Absolutely.
But it's going to be with the boot on.
Abby never let me get away from things.
Even though I had a broken foot,
I thought, "Oh, maybe I'll get a little break.
Go do something fun." No, I had to sit in the room
and write down ballet terms.
She gave me a ballet dictionary
and I had to sit there and write it over and over
in the back of the room,
when there was some really fun stuff
going on at school I could've been at.
[Abby]
to realize that these girls can do it all.
So my girls are going to be doing a hip-hop routine.
One of the reasons I chose hip-hop
was so that I could incorporate Paige.
She can do all the upper body movement,
she can hit all the isolations.
[Kelly] Is Paige really improvving with her boot?
Just shake your boot, Paige.
[Abby] Two, two, three, four.
Whatever it takes, the Abby Lee Dance Company
is a full-service studio.
And two and three and four
and five and six and seven.
Anything hip-hop
is in the same category as ballet for me.
I just shouldn't be doing it. [laughs]
[Abby]
Big! Move! Bigger!
I expect you guys to bring something to the table.
We actually didn't do hip-hop at Abby's.
I don't think I ever took a hip-hop class
at her studio.
So...
I wasn't very good at it.
[Abby] My reputation is on the line.
I'm trying to tell the whole city of Pittsburgh
that you're great at hip-hop and I'm not seeing great.
Start again, and I want you to sizzle.
I want you to burn rubber across that stage.
And I'm not seeing it.
[Christi]
I have to say that our beautiful,
graceful, lyrical dancers
aren't exactly the typical hip-hop prototypes.
[Abby]
Are you ready to dance? Are you gonna do it?
[Abby] Have to hit it hard.
Show everybody that you can do it all.
Get down there quick and make sure those hats are on tight.
I had a boot on my foot,
so Abby made everyone else wear boots
so I wouldn't feel left out and could still be in the number.
Lucky me. [laughs]
First of all, that is not hip-hop.
I don't know what that was.
I can just feel the weight of my leg.
Know when you have a boot on and it's weighed down?
And I was trying to dance and keep it up.
And I was... My whole left side was weighed down.
I told every girl in that hip-hop number
I wanted fire.
What did I get? Lukewarm.
[laughing]
That is embarrassing.
You can tell we are not hip-hoppers.
I feel like I wish I would've spoke up and said,
"Why am I dancing with a broken foot?
Like, that just doesn't make sense."
But I was scared of her.
So I just kept my mouth shut and did what I was told.
When I watch old clips of myself,
there are so many things going through my head I wanted to say
that I never did, and so, even seeing those clips now,
I have more of a voice
and I vocalize anything that I need to.
Oh, my God!
I definitely speak up now.
I would say I am my mother's daughter, that's for sure.
[laughter]