A DANCE Moms: A New Era contestant has been slammed by viewers for her JonBenét Ramsey-inspired dance routine.
During a recent episode of the show, 11-year-old Ashlan Scheide performed a dance routine based on the late murder victim, and despite her coach and mother coming to her defense, viewers were still shocked by the “disturbing” performance.
The new Hulu reality TV series may have just premiered a few weeks ago, but the Dance Moms reboot is already causing its fair share of controversy.
During the first season’s eighth episode, titled Glo Don’t Give with Both Hands, Ashlan’s mom, Lisa, told her daughter more about her upcoming performance – inspired by a very unusual true crime case.
“You’re going to be a glitz pageant girl – that’s who JonBenét was, but then she got kidnapped and murdered,” she said.
Ashlan was notably taken aback by her mother’s description of the performance but was determined to do her best for a shot at victory.
“This is really not for me, but I’ll do anything for the win,” Ashlan said.
Ashlan was then shown going over the routine with her dance instructor, Gloria “Miss Glo” Hampton.
Hampton described JonBenét as a “glitzy pageant queen,” but urged Ashlan to “remember” that her unsolved murder remains “a really sad, tragic story.”
“So you’re playing this young child who was put on display at all these pageants and your parents want this fame and stardom for you,” Hampton said.
“But is that what they really want?” she questioned.
UNSOLVED MURDER
JonBenét Ramsey’s body was found in her family’s home in Boulder, Colorado, on December 26, 1996.
Her murder has remained unsolved to this day.
In 2008, DNA tests performed on JonBenét’s clothes eliminated her parents, John and Patsy, and brother, Burke, as potential suspects.
Recent testing has noted there was an “unexplained third party” in her death, as reported by AP News.
“I want you to research JonBenét,” Hampton instructs Ashlan in the episode.
“I want you to know all about her, everything about her family and about her tragic ending, OK?”
Hampton defended her unique inspiration behind the routine, saying she’s “been doing this for years” and is more inspired by music than the background story.
The Cast of Dance Moms: A New Era
Dance Moms: A New Era premiered on Hulu on August 7
- Glo ‘Miss Glo’ Hampton
- Ashlan and mom, Lisa
- Audrey and mom, Tammy
- Bellatrix and mom, Roxce
- Isabella ‘Smiley’ and mom, Domenica
- Leilah Bell and mom, Leslie
- Lily and mom, Corinne
- Gina and mom, Jing
- Mina and mom, Min
“Last season we took 450 dances to a dance competition for five weeks and then at nationals,” she said.
“So I’m used to doing costuming for thousands of children and 450 dances,” she added.
During the routine, Ashlan twirls around the stage as somber music plays in the background.
“Careful what you wish for….careful what you wish for,” the song’s lyrics say in the background, repeating the eerie mantra.
“Music, I am really inspired by music. I think it leads me to what I want to do,” Hampton explained.
“I hear something and I get inspired by that and I have a vision. It is interesting,” she continued.
“I really have a vision in my head when I hear something that I like,” she added.
During the routine, Ashlan’s facial expressions are contorted to make her appear terrified, as she widens her eyes and drops her mouth open in shock.
However, it was the last few seconds of her performance that truly shocked the audience watching – and viewers at home.
Towards the end of her routine, Ashlan’s hands grasp at her chest, and, raising her arms up, she eventually wraps her hands around her neck, making it appear as though she’s strangling herself.
Her head then moves side-to-side, as though mimicking a “no” motion, as she tearfully – and fearfully – departs the stage.
‘ACTUAL MURDER’
Dance Moms fans new and old were quick to share their thoughts on the routine.
“Who the h**l thought something so tragic and despicable would be a good idea to perform?” one viewer wrote.
“We have become a disgusting society using the actual murder of a child for entertainment,” a second viewer commented.
“I think a dance about JonBenet could never truly be done in taste,” a third viewer shared.
“Simply because there is no happy ending, it’s just emphasizing a horrific murder of a child,” they added.
Some viewers were put off by the routine for a different reason entirely and were left wondering how the audience was supposed to connect the murder case through the choreography.
“How was the audience supposed to deduce that was about JonBenet Ramsey? It was weird,” a viewer wrote.
“Who would be that stupid?” another viewer questioned.
Still, Ashlan managed to secure fourth place in the competition.