Production of ‘The Help’ Stirs Racial Tensions on ‘Dance Moms’
On Dance Moms, things got pretty heated when Abby decided to have the girls do a routine called “Good Help Is Hard to Find,” based on the movie The Help, which is about the relationships between housekeepers and their employers in the South during the civil rights movement. The moms were nervous about entrusting such complex subject matter to Abby’s heavy hands. Abby typecast the girls based on their skin color for the roles of maids and socialites, which also kept tensions high.
The subject of racism stirred up some emotions, and during rehearsal the moms had plenty to get into, covering things like whether segregation still exists and whether most people are racist. One mom felt that the girls playing the socialites were more at risk for true hate. But one African-American mom was able to share her personal experiences of racism, which really opened up the eyes of her co-dance moms. After horizons were expanded, the girls’ performance blew the judges away and they walked away with the win.
Dance Moms airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on Lifetime.
Watch: Abby Lee Miller’s nemesis return to Dance Moms
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