ABBY LEE MILLER: Push!
Right, you got to get the momentum, turning.
[music playing]
Ava's excited about her solo, and I'm very proud of her,
because I thought she'd be a little bit nervous.
Nervous. JEANETTE: But she's not.
She's excited.
I think you're more nervous than her.
This is Ava's time.
This is Ava's time to show that she can do it.
I would make it very clear to Ava, her best of the best
the best is probably not designed for her to win,
and she needs to know that.
JEANETTE: Christi seems a little bitter.
I refuse to believe that Ava's being set up to fail.
This is Ava's opportunity, with this solo,
to really show Abby that she can be a strong competitor,
for nationals and now.
Use the umbrella.
Put it in your hand--
other hand.
Circle it.
It circles.
The umbrella does concern me, I will tell you.
Absolutely.
The umbrella concerns me, because it's huge.
Right.
It is huge, and there's a big silver thing
sticking out of the side of it.
ABBY LEE MILLER: Four.
Just put the umbrella on your shoulder.
Quit-- you're holding it like it's a golf club.
Put it up there. Uh-uh.
Uh-uh.
Oh, my god.
- Bum. - Oh!
Ava just poked out her eye.
[music playing]
Don't kick the prop, Klutzy.
She's so worried about opening and closing the umbrella
that she's not doing it.
Like, Ava doesn't have a choice.
She's just going to have to do the best she can with it,
and if it breaks on stage, it breaks on stage.
There's nothing else I can do.
Uh-- uh-- the umbrella just broke.
I think at this point, I mean, , you know Ava's not winning.
Like, you do know that.
If you don't want her to dance with it, stand up for it.
There's nothing to lose.
Abby doesn't expect her to win.
I am concerned, as a parent, as a dance teacher,
as everything--
ABBY LEE MILLER: You should be, because--
--because some of the mistakes that she's making in here,
she doesn't do normally.
ABBY LEE MILLER: I know that she's the daughter
of a dance teacher.
I'm kind of questioning your training though.
JEANETTE: I think she's so concerned about that umbrella.
She had-- they had problems with it yesterday.
One of the ends came up and almost scraped here in the eye.
So I think she's worried about it.
I think Jeanette is more irritating than any
of the moms, because she claims to be a dance instructor.
She should sit back and say, hey, here's
one of the best teachers in the country.
I should be grateful for this.
What do you think, Gianna?
She doesn't do the solo?
GIANNA: Yeah, the solo comes with the prop.
The solo and the prop are--
ABBY LEE MILLER: The solo and the prop are a thing.
Your kid needs a gimmick.
Your kid's arms are horrendous.
They're, like, gargantuan. - Ava's arms are not horrendous.
She looks like a preying mantis.
They are not horrendous.
- Yes, they are horrendous. - No.
ABBY LEE MILLER: So giving her the umbrella, it all goes away.
We don't have to do this.
I understand-- Abby.
CHRISTI: Christi, you sent our girl into the lion's den.
JEANETTE: Ava can't do anything about her long limbs.
There's nothing-- - Yes, she can.
We can control them. We can fix them.
The umbrella's not going anywhere.
Out!
ANNOUNCER: This is going to be entry number 12.
Please help me welcome Ava and "Drizzle," entry number 12.
[MUSIC PLAYING - CASSANDRA KUBINSKI, "ECHOES"]
CASSANDRA KUBINSKI: (SINGING) 'Cause
I hear the tears, the years.
I thought I had it all, but champions can't rise--
CHRISTI: Aren't you annoyed that you said
that the umbrella was a problem from the get-go
and it was a problem on stage? JEANETTE: Absolutely.
You're right.
You should hold Abby accountable.
Here goes Christi egging Jeanette on.
She's setting Jeanette up for failure.
I want to address the umbrella situation.
JEANETTE: We knew it'd break. - No!
You have this attitude, we knew it would break.
Listen, honey!
No child of mine has ever gone on that stage
and had that happen, completely inside out.
She did not miss a beat, and did
it with a smile on her face.
That is a sign of someone that can handle the pressure.
Well, that's great if you want to think that.
I think it's a kid who didn't know how to open her umbrella.
Your overall 9 to 11 solo regional Elite top three.
Third place champion, put your hands together
for Ava, entry number 12.
JEANETTE: When Ava dances with me, she gets first place.
Is it the choreography?
Is it Ms. Abby?
Is it the props?
What is it?
Because Ava doesn't get third place.
I'm done listening to Christi, because she
has no idea what she is doing.
K. Stop.
Take a deep breath.
You look at me.
You have got everything, and she is dumb
if she does not recognize that.