ABBY LEE: Holly, come on down.
I told you I wanted you to come in on the private.
Here I am.
Come on in.
Have a seat right here.
Do it again.
Soutenu.
Don't rush. Plié.
Use your stomach.
Do you see how she bobbles all over the place?
She doesn't engage her abdominals.
I made Holly come in and watch the rehearsal
because she does not have a clue that that
kid cannot correct herself.
Got it? - Yes.
You're on, kid.
[BOLLYWOOD MUSIC]
Face.
Elbows lifted.
HOLLY: I love it when Nia has an opportunity to demonstrate
her talents individually.
I'm not sure, however, that I would have picked
another ethnic dance for Nia.
This leg has to be over your head.
Stretch this foot.
Ooh, stretch it.
HOLLY: I think Abby is definitely making a statement.
I think she's setting Nia up for failure, to be quite
honest, because I asked for it.
I demanded it.
Go!
HOLLY: And Abby is gonna give it back to me
tenfold by putting Nia in a situation where she is almost
at the impossible level of being able to pull
off a dance of that magnitude.
When we're on the road away from Abby's studio,
we have to rehearse any time and any place.
Holly, are you working again?
HOLLY: Well, actually, I'm not doing work work-work.
I'm trying to help Nia, and I'm writing
things down in this notebook. - [LAUGHS]
HOLLY: My official notebook of Abby's corrections.
Your dance notebook.
HOLLY: My dance notebook.
When I signed up for dance, I expected
a dance teacher to do this.
But since a dance teacher is not doing it, I have to step in
and I have to give her whatever I can give
as an educator to help her.
I'm so out of my element.
This is not what I'm used to doing.
So my soutenu plié is written down here somewhere.
[LAUGHS] It's like you're speaking Chinese over there.
Legs should be together.
[GROANS]
Ew, that's sloppy.
This week I'm not Dr. Holly.
I'm not Principal Holly.
I'm Dance Mom Holly.
You're in Holly's Boot Camp.
You're funny, Holly.
MELISSA: We're really excited that there's
more competition in Orlando, especially for Maddie.
Because it's going to challenge her a little bit.
While Maddie was rehearsing, there
was a little girl practicing as well about 10 feet away
from her.
Name is Juliana, and we've seen her at other competitions.
A lot of people think that Juliana
is Maddie's big competition.
Don't get me wrong-- she's a sweet girl
and a great little dancer.
But Maddie has no competition.
You have to talk with her.
[CHATTER]
MELISSA: Hold on. Do you want to meet her?
Just go up to her.
Hi.
We've heard so much about you.
Hi, I'm Melissa.
So you're tiny like my Maddie.
Are you a good tumbler?
Yes.
Well, MacKenzie is a good tumbler too.
[CHUCKLES]
And does it really matter who wins or does
it really matter who has fun?
That's right.
What's the answer?
MELISSA: 'Cause we want--
I don't care if I don't win.
MELISSA: Good luck.
It was so nice meeting you.
Nice to meet you, too. Good luck.
Oh, thank you. Good luck to you, honey.
- Thank you. - Maddie, good luck, Maddie.
Good luck.
ABBY LEE: Maddie was the only one
who qualified for the pageant.
I would expect nothing less from her.
ANNOUNCER: Ladies and gentlemen--
[CHEERING AND APPLAUSE]
MADDIE: Today, I'm doing my solo for the pageant.
And I'm kind of nervous because my rival, Juliana,
is also competing against me.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
(SINGING) There's a secret hiding in my heart.
Don't know where it ends or where it starts.
Though I haven't any clue, and there's nothing I can do,
'cause I'm so in love with you.
[CHEERING AND APPLAUSE]
MELISSA: Normally we don't have a title
pageant at any competition that we've ever gone to.
This is something new that we've seen here,
and it was kind of exciting.
ANNOUNCER: And now, please welcome back
number 42 with "This Girl."
[MUSIC PLAYING]
[APPLAUSE]
MADDIE: I know that when I dance, I'm a winner,
and I don't let the competition get to me.
But now it's the interview part in the-- in the pageant,
and I'm super nervous.
GIANNA: You've been in the pageant for a long time.
You know how to do this.
Some of them have probably never spoken in front of judges
before. Right?
Mm-hmm.
JULIANA: Hi.
My name is Juliana.
I'm from Saddle River, New Jersey.
I'm so honored to be here tonight.
I'd like to thank my mom for supporting me in all I do.
Starpower, thank you so much for this opportunity.
[CHEERING AND APPLAUSE]
Good evening, ladies, gentlemen, and judges.
My name is Maddie, I am eight years old,
and I'm from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
I hope you enjoyed my--
my performance this evening.
[OMINOUS MUSIC]
Thank you.
[APPLAUSE]
She did good, didn't she?
She walked gorgeous.
Did she speak well?
She was perfect.
Ladies and gentlemen, our first runner up, Juliana.
[APPLAUSE]
Ladies and gentlemen, your winner tonight, Maddie!
[CHEERING AND APPLAUSE]
Maddie, congratulations to you.
Good job.
Who's your teacher?
Abby Lee Miller.
Congratulations.
[CHEERING AND APPLAUSE]
We are rehearsing Nia's solo.
Oh.
I want Nia to put her Bollywood costume on.
Holly's always upset because Nia doesn't have
enough time to learn things.
Come on. You know what?
Let me just have her rehearse.
Get over it, you know? Man up.
Get over it.
Learn the number.
Go out there, sell it.
And, you know, quit giving in to that.
I just think that she's making her child
weaker instead of stronger.
Are the feet flexed or pointed?
See, you can't decide once you get there.
Arms straighter!
Bigger!
Give me something.
You're, like, at a funeral.
Nia's name is screamed out constantly.
ABBY LEE: Nia!
Boom, hip!
It's in a nasty, barking way.
It's really mean.
ABBY LEE: Do it.
Kick.
See, this is-- this step--
Yeah, but she's getting frustrated now.
ABBY LEE: That kick--
kick, catch-- has been in every one of your dances.
So that should be perfect.
HOLLY: I think you hear it one way and I think she's feeling
it another way. 'Cause it's--
Holly, we're right back to the same thing.
I don't need to be here doing this with her.
As a teacher, we give them the tools, we do our job.
It's up to them to go out in the world and use them.
I disagree with that.
If I need to wipe her butt all the way there,
that's ridiculous.
It's vicious at times.
And sometimes I don't think Abby realizes
the way that she says things and how hurtful her words are.
And I'm not asking you to wipe her butt.
I'm asking you to do your job.
When you talk to Maddie and you're giving her corrections,
you're not barking at her and yelling at her, wrong!
How many times I got to tell you this?
Time and time again.
You don't talk to her that way.
Because I have to tell her once.
I don't know what Holly's problem is this week.
But she said to me, you're just barking orders at her.
You're just barking at her, which
was like calling me a dog, which I do not appreciate.
Go out there, flex, point, do what you're supposed to do,
and we'll see if the judges like it.
Thank you.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
What's wrong?
I'm sorry.
I've spent a lot of time with Holly.
I have never seen her get emotional.
She's a stone mountain, and she was crying her heart out.
Because when it's your daughter, it hurts.
HOLLY: I was OK until I saw her sitting there and she's upset.
I know.
I never thought I would let dance get to me.
Ooh, I know.
CHRISTI: I think Holly finally stepped back from that educator
stance and she became a mother.
And she saw what I go through every week.
All of the sudden, it just hit me.
Like, I have allowed it to get to this point.
And I felt bad.
Like I was so responsible. - I know.
How many times for these apologies?
I subjected her to this--
subjected her to Abby, and Abby doesn't get it.
[SIGHS]
Wipe your tears.
We can't go out there looking like this.
I can't. I'll go wash my face.
'Cause we have-- we have to go out
there and look intimidating.
So that's why-- then we have to be dressed up.
- [LAUGHS] - Goodbye.
HOLLY: [LAUGHS]
Bye, Nia.
Bye, girls.
Bye, Hol.
Bye.
OK.
How you-- how you doing, OK?
You ready to dance?
Mm-hmm.
Love you.
I'm feeling better right now, after having a conversation
with Christi for a little bit and checking in with Nia, who
unfortunately was giving me the support
I'm supposed to be giving her.
So I felt bad about that.
I'm supposed to be the person who's supposed to be her rock,
and I fell apart.
Let's go.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
I'm in the audience, Nia comes out.
I'm thinking of all the corrections
that she needs to make.
She's either going to do the corrections
and forget the routine or she's gonna do the routine
and not do the corrections.
I'm like, her little head, her brain can
hold but so much information.
[BOLLYWOOD MUSIC]
[NON-ENGLISH SINGING]
[CHEERING AND APPLAUSE]
I think she might be next.
ANNOUNCER: We have some special awards to give away.
Here we go.
9 to 11 Folkloric now--
number 441 A is Nia with "Bollywood" for three more
stars and a first place trophy.
9 to 11 Hip Hop, number 42, Tessa.
ABBY LEE: Nia was first place in her category,
and that hasn't happened all season.
I was really proud of her.
She looked beautiful.
She did a great job.
I think Nia has really come a long way.
HOLLY: Hey!
Chicka-micka, you won!
I knew you could do it.
You're so awesome.
So Laquifa didn't win, but Nia did.
And I am so happy.
I'm thrilled.
Yes!