Hobbesian Political Philosophy in "Dance Moms"

      Seven pre-teen dancers, five “stage moms”, and one seemingly insane middle-aged dance teacher -- throw in choreography, costumes, and cross-country competitions and you have a recipe for... Hobbesian political philosophy? Viewers may not guess that a “guilty pleasure” television series would display the main ideas of Hobbes’ Leviathan; however, Lifetime Network’s hit show “Dance Moms” portrays just that. It shows everything from competition to self-preservation to fear of violent death, which, in this case, means fear of the wrath of Abby Lee Miller, the owner and dance teacher at Abby Lee Dance Company (ALDC). 

Competition and Equality 

  In Leviathan, Hobbes is clear that competition is paramount to survival, as men are existing in a constant state of war. The cast of “Dance Moms” -- namely, the dancers -- is continuously competing amongst one another for limited resources. In this case, said resources consist of titles, crowns, and, most notably, the glory obtained by reaching the top spot of the “pyramid”. Each episode, Miller reveals her “pyramid”, a formulaic rank of her students based on their attitudes and performances in competition.

      The unveiling of the pyramid, as seen in the video above, is also a great example of Hobbes’ belief of equality of mind, body, and hope in the state of nature. The week prior to said unveiling, the dancers are on equal footing; they all have access to Miller’s choreography, attend the same competitions, and possess their own unique strengths in dance. For example, one dancer, Chloe, is endowed with talent in ballet while another dancer, Brooke, displays a gift for the “acro” style of dance. However, through their performances in the weekly competition and by maneuvering into Miller’s good graces, only one dancer emerges to claim her spot at the “top” of the pyramid. Therefore, she is the only girl entitled to the limited resource of glory. 

Self-Preservation and Fear of Violent Death 

     
      Hobbes states that “each man hath to use his own power as he will himself for the preservation of his own nature; that is to say, of his own life”, which, in summary, means man will do everything in his power to survive. Luckily in “Dance Moms,” the dancers are not actually killed for performing badly or for not acting according to their dance teacher’s standards; however, either of the above circumstances certainly qualify as something equivalent to death in the eyes of Abby Lee Miller. The dancers’ mothers go to great lengths to keep their daughters in Miller's favor, which often results in scheming against other dancers and their families. This can include buying gifts for Abby Lee in order for their daughters to receive more personal instruction and even gossiping about or sabotaging each other. For example, in one episode, dancer Brooke’s costume didn’t fit and yet the mother of another dancer on the team wouldn’t lend her daughter’s costume to Brooke, all in the hopes that the costume score portion of Brooke’s performance would be low. In the world of the ALDC, anything goes.

Who knew trashy reality T.V. was so reminiscent of Hobbes' state of nature?

      
       The dancers and their mothers go to such great lengths for one reason: to protect themselves from Miller’s wrath, which in this case is the the television program’s closest representation of the “violent death” described in Leviathan. Poor performance in competition, in addition to bad behavior by dancers or their mothers (yes, their mothers... there’s a reason why this is a reality television show) has resulted in more than a few instances of Miller’s extreme fury. A multitude of harsh consequences have been known to follow the wrath of Abby Lee (view video from approximately the one minute mark). Among these consequences include exclusion from group dances and solos in competition, relegation to the bottom of the pyramid, and suspension. Or, in extreme cases, it could even mean losing a spot on the team. All of these repercussions represent a theoretical death in the arena of dance. Losing the respect of Abby Lee Miller is, therefore, the loss of a dancer’s life in one of the nation’s top companies. 

In reality TV, anything goes -- much like in Hobbes' state of nature. 

Hobbes in "Reality" Television as a Whole 

  Though it may seem like a bit of a ridiculous notion, “Dance Moms”, among many other reality television programs, is a prime example of Hobbesian political philosophy at work. As amusing as it sounds, the selfish and scheming people (or, as it appears, caricatures of people) shown on “reality” TV programs are living in the state of nature, all vying for glory, fame, or a cash prize. So, go ahead: lay back, grab a snack, and turn on the tube -- it’s studying!