We are doing a new group routine this weekend
and everybody's in it.
The entire cast.
It is called "Where Have All the Children Gone."
This is a routine about children who become missing.
You've all seen the children's faces on the milk cartons.
It's contemporary, It's mature, and it is very dark.
You have to be great actresses to pull it off.
And they're all in white like they're angels.
I don't want any discrepancies.
I don't want any opinions.
"Where Have All the Children Gone"
is one of those routines that's simple and clean,
but it tells a story.
It makes you think.
And that's what people are looking
for in an overall high-score winning number.
This is a big regionals for us, and I want them to do something
that nobody's ever seen before.
I want to change it up.
And I don't think any of the moms
would dare say anything to me.
Moms, I'm going to go ahead and dismiss you now.
We have lots of work to do with girls.
Up.
Let's get moving.
Come on.
Let's go. Let's go.
Let's go.
1, 2, 3 and 4.
[MUSIC PLAYING - JOSEPH KERSCHBAUM, "WHERE
HAVE ALL THE CHILDREN GONE?"]
(SINGING) All the children once running around
have evacuated.
Where have all the children gone.
"Where Have All the Children Gone"
is a very haunting, dark piece of music.
When you're at a competition, the dancers
that everybody's talking about the next day, or the pieces,
are the ones that told the story.
The kids that could act as well as dance.
The choreographers that made you think about something,
that made you feel something.
And that's what "Where Have All The Children Gone?"
does to people.
[MUSIC PLAYING - JOSEPH KERSCHBAUM, "WHERE
HAVE ALL THE CHILDREN GONE?"]
(SINGING) This is just a dream.
The original concept is about children
that have gone missing.
So the kids on the milk carton.
The kids in the news every night.
But I put a little edge to it as to maybe there were
some bullying involved and was causing other children
to commit suicide.
That's what the story is about.
[MUSIC PLAYING - JOSEPH KERSCHBAUM, "WHERE
HAVE ALL THE CHILDREN GONE?"]
(SINGING) We hope they're hiding.
To be honest, I don't really know what the meaning of "Where
Have All the Children Gone."
But Miss Abby said we're giving the message
to parents that this has still been happening
and you should be safe.
But I really like it.
It's really cool and creepy and awesome.
[MUSIC PLAYING - JOSEPH KERSCHBAUM, "WHERE
HAVE ALL THE CHILDREN GONE?"]
(SINGING) Where have all the children gone.
I love dark stuff because I do dark stuff.
And I even did a missing child thing,
but I don't think that this is age-appropriate for McKenzie
and Vivi at all.
I'm sorry. WOMAN: I'm surprised.
I'm surprised. - Yeah.
I'm not happy about that at all.
It is very disturbing song.
My kids are fine with it being dark music.
I don't even think they really listen
to the words of whether the costume or the music.
I mean, it's just, that's the art of it.
I really worry that this number may be
too heavy for girls this age.
It might be too depressing not only for the audience
but for the judges as well.
To me, it's about child abduction.
It's a message that I know, for Mia, makes her very sad.
And I'm a little uncomfortable with it.
Come close.
Listen to me. All right.
You're dancing.
You're doing steps.
You're trying to listen to the words.
You're not interpreting the story correctly.
And this is very serious, because maybe
people in the audience have had a child that's gone missing.
So you're going to touch somebody's heart.
So this has to be a very serious routine.
And right now, you're just doing the steps.
And we need to get past that, and we need to perform.
You two understand?
It's very serious.
I am an artist.
And when it comes to complicated choreography,
the children who are the dancers,
they need to become artists as well.
And I want to teach them to convey
the story with their emotional execution
as well as their dance technique.
You ran, you ran, and stopped and you're like, oh!
Give me a hand.
Give me a fist.
"Where Have All the Children Gone"
is a very haunting, dark piece of music,
and I love to use stuff like that.
At some competitions, you'll see a lot of dark things.
And in others it's your typical upbeat,
fun, tap, jazz, whatever.
So I try to get my kids to do everything.
Ooh.
Like you're trying to grasp on to stay alive.
We already know that they can jump
and kick and leap and turn.
That's not in question.
But can they convey this story to the audience?
A story which some of them don't even understand.
Paige, figure out where you're supposed to be.
[music playing]
I think "Where Have All the Children Gone"
could win because it's a good number.
And we normally don't do scary numbers like that.
We normally do more numbers with face and personality.
Where have all the children gone.
Up!
Inside.
Today's group number is "Where Have All the Children Gone."
It is a dark topic that has to do with children
that have gone missing.
Choreographically, there is an edginess to it
and it's very subtle.
So I don't even know if the judges
will see all of that happening.
[MUSIC PLAYING - JOSEPH KERSCHBAUM, "WHERE
HAVE ALL THE CHILDREN GONE?"]
(SINGING) Flesh of their sons and daughters.
Where have all the children gone?
I think artistically it's a beautiful piece.
Yeah.
But it's pretty somber to see a child choking themselves.
I am always a big believer that Abby always
has a strategy in mind that she doesn't
share if everybody else.
She's the expert, I'm not, and that's
what we're paying her to do.
And I have to trust that she knows what she's doing.
It's jarring.
I don't know.
It's just plain creepy.
It is a little creepy.
But now it's death.
It's death, and it's violent.
I'm not really sure about "Where
Have All the Children Gone."
It's really dark.
I mean, we have little kids on stage handling an issue that's
too dark for most adults.
I don't think Abby wants to hear anything we have to say.
No, please.
If we tell her that we're disturbed,
she'll stabby-chokey us.
HOLLY FRAZIER: I know.
Exactly.
[music playing]
It's a heavy topic.
I know that.
But I'm trying to challenge them to emotionally
execute the concept along with their dancing.
ANNOUNCER: Please welcome to the stage
"Where Have All the Children Gone?"
[applause]
[MUSIC PLAYING - JOSEPH KERSCHBAUM, "WHERE
HAVE ALL THE CHILDREN GONE?"]
(SINGING) The creaking silence of age,
echoes through the streets, sounds like old wooden floors
under heavy feet.
All of the children once running around have evacuated
or maybe they just disappeared.
Where have all the children gone?
Just yesterday they were tying ribbons in trees
and swinging from the branches.
Maybe this is just a dream Maybe we are sleeping in rooms
filled with metal shelves.
If we put our ears to those shelves,
where have all the children gone?
We know this is really happening.
Where have all the children gone?
[crowd cheering]
The dance was amazing.
Although disturbing, I'm glad my child was a part of that.
It really did stretch her as a dancer.
I don't think that anyone would say
it's too heavy and too mature.
Now, maybe some of the moms thought that.
But once again, I'm not out to please the moms.
I'm out to please the judges.
ANNOUNCER: We're going to find out
the eleven-and-under highest score routine of the day.
If we were at nationals this would
be your eleven-and-under Victory Cup winner.
Ladies and gentlemen, the highest-scoring routine
of the day it went to entry number
250, "Where Have All the Children Gone."
Congratulations, Abby.
All of you, congrats.
This goes to you.
I questioned that dance from the beginning,
but Abby was right.
She pulled it off.
ANNOUNCER: Good job.
Take a bow, [inaudible] girls!
Our girls did qualify for nationals,
so we are going to nationals.
There were over 280 acts, and they were first.
The highest-scoring number in the entire competition.
I knew this would be a risk, but it was definitely
a risk I was willing to take.
It made everybody stop and pay attention to my dancers.
I'm Abby Lee Miller-- that's what I do.
Congratulations!
Aren't you guys excited?
Oh, I'm so proud of all of you.
The girls won the top award that you can win
and they deserved it.
Things are looking really good for nationals.
Now I have a better idea of what we're going to take.
We just need to figure out how we're
going to get that swing there.
But this isn't the act.
It's only the beginning.
We have a long road before we get to nationals.
[music playing]
[screaming]
All right.
I think-- can you go to the mall now?
Yes, I think you can go to the mall now.
They think things are tough now, but just wait.
Things are about to get a lot tougher.