Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Gianna Martello probably knows Abby Lee Miller better than anyone. As an alumnus of the famed Penn Hills studio that is now featured on Lifetime’s TV show “Dance Moms,” she has spent 20 years with the often brash reality star who helped her transform from a student into a teacher and choreographer.
But even though the 27-year-old Pittsburgh native is a member of the television cast and actually choreographs the dance routines, most people don’t recognize her. Unlike the show’s other volatile personalities, she is subdued and even-tempered, preferring to avoid the drama and concentrate on the dance.
5 comments:
The competitive dance world is a beast like no other. People think that "theater kids" have stage moms. But "dance moms" are far worse, and far more intense... I guess that's why they made a hit reality TV show about them. Competitive dance is truly entertaining. The costumes are sparkly, the dancers are incredible and like any other sport at the end there is a huge trophy. There are ranks, and judges, and eyelashes and hairpieces flying. The world is a true spectacle. Abby Lee Miller seems crazy on TV and I'm sure she is, but I also must applaud her for truly making something of herself. Though the competitive dance world existed long before her TV show, she revolutionized it, and created a cult. She either had a smart business advisor, or did it herself, but she truly made something of her career. That's respectable. I can imagine she's a passionate and committed dance teacher, or at least was at some point, before her fame got too big. The interview in the article from one of her studio choreographer's and former student is interesting. Abby has a reputation of crazy, but the choreographer seems unfazed by it. If she truly does stay out of the drama, like stated in the article, good for her. It must be hard to not get involved as it literally surrounds you. I also must applaud her choreography and costume choices. Though sometimes too provocative for the age of the dancers, the pieces are always "on point" and fun to watch.
It must be a rather complicating experience to have your place of work constantly in a state of controversy and "drama", as the article states it. Particularly when you function as the artist in the room, and your goal really may just be to get your art and your work distributed. While Dance Mom's presents an excellent opportunity to do this for a choreographer, I can definitely see the trade-offs and challenges associated with having to be worried about how you're also being portrayed on a reality television show where your employer is the star. What I can say I admire about Abby Lee is her ability to turn a workplace into a set that can accommodate the level of tension and drama portrayed on the show. While I'm sure there is a lot to be said about how much of that is editing and direction, it's still worth mentioning that she has seemingly been able to not cross too many employer-employee boundaries while still producing such a controversial show.
I am an avid watcher of Dance Moms since the beginning of season one. I like many followers of the television drama have felt as if we have grown up with the girls of the Abby Lee Dance Company. Along the way it can also be seen that young dancers teachers have grown up with them. Gianna has always been a driving factor in the girls lives. I am happy to have seen that after the drama of Abby Lee's downward spiral in the last seasons that Gianna has remained a constant level headed character in the show. She remains typically out of the drama focussing on teaching the dances and providing for the student physical and emotional needs as they experience the ups and downs if being an Abby Lee dancer. She can always be seen rushing the girls out of a dressing room of yelling moms and flying wigs and pointe shoe. I do think it is important though that she possibly stand up more against Abby verbally as it is clear that she cares for the girls and thus it is her responsibility to stand up for them. Hopefully with this improvement, Dance Moms can remain the same amazing show that i have enjoyed so much in my years viewing the show.
I have sort of fallen off the bandwagon with Dance Moms but when it first came out I was obsessed, and Gia always seemed to be the unsung hero of the bunch. She was always around and always supportive but never too involved. Close enough to make a difference, but far enough away that the whole world wasn't watching her every move. There are very few people in the reality TV world who I think have done I've worked multiple time with the girls on Dance Moms, and met Abby Lee and Gia. It seems to me that Abby is the brains of the operation but that the love of dance (and the literal choreography) is all Gia. There is a lot said about Abby and whether she is a good person or not, or what her role is in the growth of the girls as dancers and as people. I am not a huge fan of Abby, she was kind of rude and crass and too good for me when I met her, which was unique of the other members of the Dance Moms cast. Gia was quiet, she worked with the girls, did her job and then sat down. To a lot of people this seems uninteresting or boring but to me it means power. She knows what she wants and she has used this opportunity to make it into exactly what she wants. She is making money, getting choreography jobs, and building a relationship with these girls, now teenagers who have gone on to have great starts to their performance careers. She is set, she will have jobs for the rest of her life, and not because people enjoyed watching her scream at 11 year olds on TV but because she was calm and solid and people liked her. I think thats pretty impressive for anyone, especially someone in her environment.
"Dance Moms" infuriates me. I think it does the dance world an incredible injustice, and emphasizes the wrong people - that is, the moms and not the talented girls actually doing the dancing. Dance as it is is under appreciated and under recognized, and I think the time devoted to the drama incurred by the mothers would be much better devoted to the children dancing. Truly, Abby Lee turns out some very incredible young dancers. I ardently feel that this should be the story told, instead of perpetuating this idea of the dance world as a catty, uncharitable environment. "Dance Moms" frequently feels as though it is capitalizing on the young girls it features, which feels counterproductive and unacceptable. Ms. Martello even claims there is a lot of "nonsense". The very foundation of the show is built on a set of extremely problematic values, and I hope the show is discontinued - sooner rather than later.
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