It's A War-- Black Kettle

I was bored enough last night to break down and watch the reality show Dance Moms. I was surprised to see that it's filmed right here in my backyard-- Pittsburgh! Who knew the 'Burgh had famous dance companies? Not this girl. Aside from watching the seemingly scripted antics, I found some of the music used to be quite good. One piece in particular, It's A War, struck a chord with me. Now, I can't find a YouTube video, but I'm going to post a link to the song itself. A breathtakingly beautiful song.

Now a note about the show: Some will say dance teacher Abby Lee is a bully. As someone from a performing arts background (I worked as a professional actress for a time and studied theatre on a collegiate level), I disagree. She is thickening their skin for a business that can be heartless, ruthless, and every woman for herself. I kind of wish I was pushed to that limit when performing growing up. I don't think I would have quit so easily. On the flip side, I'm also not a mom, so I'm not sure if I'll feel the same once I have kids. To be honest, when teaching, I use a much gentler approach and to be completely honest I probably have the thinnest skin of anyone I know. However, I am thinking that if the goal is to make them professional dancers, then perhaps being harsh and blunt isn't such a bad thing. Maybe the big, bad "real world" won't seem so cold, so scary.