Nearby: 'Dance Mom' Reacts to Season Finale
"We're not bad people," Leslie Ackerman said.
The second season of Dance Moms, a popular reality TV show filmed in Penn Hills, came to an end last Tuesday.
Upper St. Clair mother and daughter, Leslie and Payton Ackerman, again made a number of appearances in season two.
"As a whole, there were a lot of changes (from season one)," Leslie said. "I'm just glad in the end (of season two) we got to see more of the girls' talent and less mom drama."
Although Leslie does understand that the show is called Dance Moms.
In many scenes, Leslie is shown arguing with the other mothers.
"It used to bother me, but it doesn't bother me anymore," she said.
But Leslie reminds viewers that the editors cut out the parts when the other moms antagonize her; they only show her reaction.
"Which is me, I am real," she said.
Leslie said she holds a grudge with a few of the moms. She speaks with Holly and is cordial with Melissa, "but it will never be the same."
And life in general is a bit different for the Ackermans since they started appearing on the show. When Leslie is out, she is often approached by fans, and Payton "gets recognized everywhere."
"People are intimidated by us (at dance competitions), but if they have enough sense to say hello they end up saying, 'You're nothing like that on TV,'" Leslie said. "We're not bad people."
So what's next for Leslie, Payton and Dance Moms?
"I have no clue, I wish I did. I'm always left in the dark," Leslie said.
Despite the drama, Payton plans on dancing with the Abby Lee Dance Company until she goes to college.
In the meantime, Leslie's older daughter and former student of Abby Lee Miller's just finished performing with Taylor Swift at the MTV Video Music Awards and filming a performance for Abby's new show, Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition.
—
Like Cranberry Patch on Facebook or follow us on Twitter. Don't forget to sign up for our daily email newsletter by clicking here.
Joe
6:19 pm on Wednesday, September 19, 2012
What has happened to us as a society when "reality TV" and stardom trump our sense of propriety? Simply put, "Dance Moms" is an awful program. My wife watches this program much to my disappointment and objection. I do not appreciate or understand her attraction to the "drama". I don't wish anyone, let alone the owner, of the "Dance Moms" "studio" ill but I would prefer she go out of business – or at a minimum, off the air. I would encourage the mothers who choose to send their daughters to that school to choose another school. We teach by what we allow. Let's encourage our little girls be "little" for as long as possible as opposed to allowing them to be exposed to the situations and "costumes" that this show provides. There's more to life than dancing in some show Taylor Swift is performing. I implore those who watch this show to please stop. May we seek a return to the dignity and modesty that people of generations past embodied and embraced as opposed to the pursuit of fame and fortune that our "reality TV" programming has provided. Let's learn to be famous for our care, consideration, common courtesy and human decency display and not the worst that these TV programs provide.