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| Cast members from Dance Moms on Lifetime TV |
Previously on Dance Moms: after leaving the Abby Lee Dance Company (ALDC) over numerous fights with studio owner Abby Lee Miller, Kira Girard and daughter Kalani Hilliker returned to the team. Meanwhile, Kendall Vertes and JoJo Siwa competed for a chance to score a solo at Nationals. This week on Dance Moms S5 E29 titled "Baby Dance Mama Drama," Kira announces she's pregnant; Kendall and Maddie Ziegler compete for a chance to represent the ALDC at Nationals; Abby announces an opening date for her ALDC-LA studio.
As Dance Moms S5 E29 "Baby Dance Mama Drama" opens, the team arrives at Abby's new ALDC-LA studio. They are impressed with how it looks, and Melissa (Mackenzie and Maddie Ziegler's mom) notes that Abby is happier and more relaxed in her new surroundings. Abby informs them that the grand opening will be in two weeks, and will coincide with Nationals [this actually took place in May 2015]. Jill (Kendall Vertes' mom) hopes that Abby won't be "too distracted" with the opening to attend to the team's needs for their most important annual competition.
Abby unveils her pyramid, the leaderboard for the ALDC. It is usually based on how well the girls did at the previous week's competition (if you missed it read my recap for Dance Moms S5 E28 "Solo Battle: Round 1"). Abby congratulates the team for their 1st Place win, then reveals the rankings from the bottom, up:
Kalani Hilliker: wasn't in the competition.
JoJo Siwa: forgot her choreography.
Nia Frazier: did what she needed to do.
Kendall Vertes: came in third place.
Maddie Ziegler: was supposed to be lead dancer…
Mackenzie Ziegler: …but it was Mackenzie who stood out.
This week the ALDC will travel to Spokane, WA, for a Sheer Talent competition. Kendall and Maddie will dance head-to-head, and the winner will be in the running for a solo at Nationals (the team's biggest annual competition). Kendall will do a contemporary routine called "Blowing Red" inspired by "Little Red Riding Hood"; Maddie will do a contemporary routine called "The Woods" about a tree that comes to life. Mackenzie will do a acro-jazz solo called "Bats—t Crazy" (aka "Bat Crazy') in which she will portray a bat. The group will do a musical theater number called "Always a Bridesmaid" inspired by the movie Bridesmaids.
While the girls rehearse "Always a Bridesmaid," Jessalynn (JoJo Siwa's mom) asks Kira if she's planning to marry her boyfriend. Kira says he was going to propose when they were in Australia (read my recap for Dance Moms S5 E21 "Down Under, Part 2"), but it didn't work out. Then, Kira announces that she's five months pregnant. Congratulations, Kira! Both the Moms and Kira say that it's probably why her moods have been so different in recent episodes (see my recaps for Dance Moms S5 E25 "Abby vs. Kira" and Dance Moms S5 E27 "Abby vs. Kira, AGAIN").
In the middle of that conversation, Mikey Minden (Nia's video producer/director) calls to let Holly and her daughter Nia know that she'll be filming a new video next week. Even though all of the moms seem happy about the news, Holly thinks they aren't genuine. Later in the episode, Holly tells Jessalynn and her daughter JoJo that Mikey wants JoJo to be in the video.
While Mackenzie rehearses her solo, Holly confides her belief that Abby already knows who she'll reward with solos at nationals, and that she's just going through the motions of having the girls compete for the spots. Holly doubts that Nia will ever get a solo at Nationals.
Mackenzie struggles to learn some parts of her choreo, and after her session she's in tears and says she doesn't feel comfortable. Melissa says Kenzie wants to do a solo, of course, but more importantly, she doesn't want to disappoint Abby. When Abby asks her why she's crying, Mackenzie says it's because she couldn't do the moves Gianna (Abby's assistant choreographer) was giving her. Abby calls her a baby, tells her she needs to toughen up, and reminds her she can't be crying at auditions.
Kendall rehearses her solo in costume because she'll be using her scarf as a prop. The moms talk about how Maddie never works with props because it increases the possibility for error, and Abby won't take that chance with her favorite student. Jill says it's tough to compete with Maddie at the moment (after dancing in three Sia videos and appearing on numerous television shows like Saturday Night Live and The Grammy Awards, Maddie is an international star), and says the only way Maddie won't be getting a solo at Nationals is if she books a gig instead.
Competition day arrives. The Moms have a surprise baby shower planned for Kira, but she isn't there; she is at the hospital due to a health scare with her pregnancy. Mackenzie is scheduled to dance first, but still gets a surprise start when the "Bat Crazy" music begins early. She wears a black costume with cool bat wings and little bat ears. She looks fabulous, and the dance is fast and fun to watch.
Maddie is next with "The Woods"; she wears a gorgeous brown chiffon costume festooned with glittering blue leaves. It's a phenomenal piece. Kendall follows with her "Blowing Red" number; she wears a red backless leotard, a long chiffon skirt, and a scarf to represent the hood. She drops her scarf, but the routine is still impressive and she works the costume well.
While the team prepares for their group dance, Kira arrives, and thankfully, both she and the baby are okay. The ALDC takes the stage for the "Always a Bridesmaid" number; they wear multicolor, pastel-toned dresses. Their routine is very good and they give an excellent performance.
The awards ceremony begins. In the Junior Solo Division, Mackenzie wins 1st Place. In the Pre-Teen Solo Division, Kendall earns 2nd Place, Maddie wins 1st Place. In the Pre-Teen Group Division, the ALDC wins 1st Place.
Back in the dressing room, the team holds Kira's shower with cake, presents (including a tiny blue ALDC romper), and decorations that read, "It's a Boy!" Kira says, "It's so nice to see the little mini baby shower after the day that I had in the hospital: blood work, IV, ultrasound and everything else."
The Moms almost make it through a whole episode without a fight, but as Dance Moms S5 E29 "Baby Dance Mama Drama" closes, there is a conflict with the classes Abby scheduled. Jill doesn't want to attend because she wants Kendall to head home to Pittsburgh, PA to see her family, which leads Abby to says that she's glad Kendall lost and won't have a solo at Nationals. At first Melissa says she won't be at rehearsals because she's going to Hawaii, but then she says the girls can stay until the 5th. Jill yells at Melissa for changing her mind and saying one thing in front of Abby and then another behind her back. They’re still arguing when the other moms leave.
Next week on Dance Moms S5 E30 titled "Nia vs. Kalani: Winner Takes All," the girls face off for a chance to represent the Senior Division at Nationals; Nia shoots another music video; Abby and the ALDC once again compete with Erin Babbs and the Murrieta Dance Project (MDP.)
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Dance Moms airs on Tuesdays at 9/8c on Lifetime. Photo courtesy of Lifetime.
To see all of our Dance Moms recaps click here.
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Posted on Wednesday, July 22, 2015
