Surely inspired by the popularity of TLC’s Toddlers & Tiaras, Lifetime decided to also wade into the divisive world of parents who push their young daughters into show business when it launched Dance Moms in 2011. As the title suggests, Dance Moms is as much about the mothers of the dancers as the dancers themselves, portraying a world where grown women bicker with each other as their prepubescent daughters compete in dance competitions while sometimes dressed a bit maturely. To say that Abby gives her girls tough love would perhaps be too kind, as her lessons come peppered with criticisms, personal insults, and even throwing chairs at her young students. Miller has contended that the effectiveness of her controversial methods speaks for itself in the various success stories that have been spawned from her studio– most famously, former student Maddie Ziegler, who has gone on to become a star in her own right– and that’s tough to disagree with. ...