Hat Tricks, All About the Boys & Nia's Solo (My Episode 6, Season 3 Recap)

Finally!!! Nia gets a solo this week and I am thrilled.  It has been a long time since Nia has competed individually and it is a chance for her to shine. Nia loves to dance with the group but a solo is special. I think Nia performed well although she did not place this week. We were stunned when only Kendall placed. The group dance, always very important, became even more critical since the girls were determined to redeem themselves!

Have you noticed that Abby is really into props this season? Props can be cute or an asset but they present an additional challenge.  The girls need to practice with the props. A dancer should work with the actual prop during rehearsal. Not rehearsing with a prop can result in disaster and this threat was looming. Abby told the girls woe on anyone who dropped their hat! The girls had to focus on the dance, their facial expressions, their technique, their legs, their feet, their hands, their turns, their hair and their hats not to mention Abby’s threat! Hats off to them-the girls did a beautiful job!

Nerves were definitely on edge this week. Usually Abby is the primary source of our frustration but there was some tension in the mommy ranks or at least on the mommy bench and it was not coming from Abby! Christi was annoyed with Abby’s treatment of Chloe and she lashed out at everyone around her.  Although the moms were trying to help Christi she snapped at us throughout the week and on competition day.  There was no way to console her and we felt helpless in trying to support our friend. It became obvious that what Christi felt she needed most was a break from all of us. She gave herself a “timeout”!

When Jill walked out of the studio I knew she would come back.  She was angry but I knew that it was a snap decision to walk out. She just needed to cool down and consider her options.  I never doubted that she would not get on the bus and return to the team for the competition.

• The Boys' Club (Cathy's Episode 6, Season 3 Recap)
• The Dance Moms on Their Favorite Ways to Unwind
• The Dance Moms on Teaching Kids to Give Back

Seeing Cathy with her boy group of dancers was quite a surprise. Cathy recruited an entire team of boy dancers to represent her studio to try to gain an advantage! Apparently, the rivalry between Cathy and Abby runs deep. I objected to Abby’s recruitment of new dancers as a replacement team and I think Cathy’s decision to recruit dancers from around the country to battle our girls went beyond the spirit of healthy dance competition. The stakes seem to be higher this season and that only means the pressure is mounting. Cathy’s all boy team made quite an impression!  So did our girls! We were thrilled that the girls won this week but we know that this is only the beginning of a tough season and rivalry with Cathy.  Abby and Cathy are determined to beat each other so who knows who will make the next “move” and what it will be? They just keep dancing on each other’s nerves!

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