max ziegler | dance moms

Return of the Candy Apples

Kindergarten was hard today. We had to trace the letter 'Q' ten times! It's a very tricky letter and I didn't enjoy it. Sadie loves it for some weird reason I don't understand.

"Try being in fourth grade. We started learning long division, and it's really hard," Maddie complained as we rode to the dance studio.

"I don't know what we're learning," Kenzie shrugged. "School is boring."

"Mackenzie! You have to pay attention in school or else you won't learn anything," Mommy insisted as we arrived at the studio.

"Girls! Let's go! Come on, girls! Let's go!" Miss Abby yelled as we all filed into the room. "I want to start off talking a little bit about dance troupe in Greensboro, North Carolina. That was not the group in Lake Tahoe that just won a national championship. Obviously, cute still works in the Carolina's. Kendall, you did your solo scared to death. That face was not an Abby Lee Miller face, that's for certain."

"Well, Abby, that was her first time out," Jill defended.

"Oh, oh, shh. We don't get to talk. It's my turn," Miss Abby insisted, shushing her. "This weekend, we are headed to Columbus, Ohio. You know who lives in Ohio."

"Candy Apples!" Chloe exclaimed as we all cheered.

"We are going there, and she will be at the competition. I don't want any squawking between the mothers. You are all on the same team, and we're all gonna take a bite out of that big apple," Miss Abby spoke, and we laughed. "Alright, we're gonna start with the pyramid."

She turned her attention to the pyramid, and we did the same.

𝙈𝙖𝙙𝙙𝙞𝙚

𝘾𝙝𝙡𝙤𝙚 𝙉𝙞𝙖

𝙋𝙖𝙞𝙜𝙚 𝘽𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙚 𝙈𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙣𝙯𝙞𝙚 𝙈𝙖𝙭 𝙆𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙡𝙡

"On the bottom: Kendall. You are on probation. That means that I am watching you like a hawk. Do you understand me? Max. You struggle doing the choreography like everyone else. You're sloppy, and you're always late. Mackenzie. I keep giving you little parts. Same as Max, your dancing is not up to where the rest of the girls are. Maddie could've easily played your part when she was seven. Brooke. You knew the number. But the crying and the hysteria, that's not a young adult. Paige. You did a nice job this weekend. Then, on the bus coming home, we told you to sit down 32 times. I counted. That's 31 too many," Miss Abby stated.

"Every single one of them were playing on the bus," Kelly argued.

"That doesn't make it right!" Miss Abby yelled.

"So tell them, yell at them, too!" Kelly shouted, pointing at the rest of us.

"Nia. I left you here in the same spot that you were in last week. Maybe somebody from Nia's family could show up at the competition and watch her and clap for her. Next we have Chloe. Chloe, you did a great job. And at the top of the pyramid is Maddie. You did a great job. I've seen you dance better. I want you to be exactly where you were in Lake Tahoe," Miss Abby spoke, and she nodded. "Every single person is gonna be in the group dance. It is called 'Bad Apples'."

Everyone laughed at that, even the moms.

"It's a little '40s, has a little novelty, but it's a little Katy Perry. It's a little kicked up. So I want the pin-up girl look. We have the rat, we have the snood. If you don't know what a rat and a snood is, go Google it and figure it out," Miss Abby instructed. "When you go onstage for that competition, you better be on fire. Brooke, you're doing a solo. Cathy has a girl entered your age. I want you to make applesauce out of that kid. Backstage, freak that kid out. I want that kid in tears before she ever stops on that stage. Alright, Candy Apples, applesauce. Squish 'em. Alright, moms, you're dismissed. Girls, spread apart. Let's warm up and start doing the number. Let's go. Music!"