“You gave us the opportunity of a lifetime,” Christi says of John Corella, one of the creators of Dance Moms who joins Christi and Kelly to discuss the origins of the show and how it still resonates with audiences 12 years later. As former Mr. Dance of America, John wanted to create a show that let viewers see some of the country’s most talented young dancers and their dedicated mothers. As they all recognize, the show came together easily, as though it were meant to be. 

The chemistry and camaraderie among all the women was already in place. John looked out for the ‘OGs,’ and pushed back against the craziness that resulted as the show progressed beyond its original format. Now that he teaches dance to little children, he better understands what the Dance Moms were going through with their kids at the time.

They discuss their favorite moments, how they deal with continuous negative feedback, and even the celebrity response to the show. They wonder if some of the people from the community who weren’t cast still wish they had been. John even credits the show with making inroads by bringing different cultures and lifestyles into the living rooms of the average American viewer. 

Quotes

“The thing about the show that I think was different from a lot of experiences that people had: Everything just kept clicking. Everything kept working. Everything was fast. Everything fell into place. It didn’t seem difficult. A lot of people pitch shows, and they sit in production for a year.” (13:07-13:26 | Christi)

“That is the beauty about Dance Moms is that women identified with you all, and kids identified with your kids because they were inspired by you all. And that’s why people watched it.” (20:38-20:52 | John)

“You all were funny. You have to give yourselves credit. You were so funny and open. The cameras turned on and you went. That’s something I’d never seen before and it’s hard to find.” (23:45-24:01 | John)

“We’re probably more hypercritical of ourselves than anyone else because we always have to apologize constantly for our behavior–’I’m sorry I did that.’ We’re always defending ourselves.” (26:45-27:00 | Christi)

“I never brushed it off. I feel like it kind of ate at me, and that’s why I sort of lost my mind, because all that would bother me. I was never a social media person, I’m still not. I try to just stay away from it. I would lose my mind if I read everything everybody thought about me.” (27:56-28:23 | Kelly) 

“I just can’t imagine what all of those people, who are the quickest to judge and the meanest, what they would look like if someone put a camera on them. Or if they were under the pressure that we were. You never know how you’re going to react. And then you get your kids involved and it’s a whole other ballgame.” (29:18-29:37 | Christi and Kelly) 

“The part that I don’t like about reality TV is the lying. Just be transparent and let people choose whether they want to do it or not.” (38:12-38:27 | John)

“I don’t think anyone should suffer over television.” (45:36-45:39 | John)

“I didn’t know the effect it would have on people. I felt like people would watch it but I didn’t know how angry some people would get, how passionate, how crazy over your kids. That was something extremely new.” (52:14-52:31 | John) 

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