[upbeat music playing]
[Abby]
For regionals, Maddie is doing a routine
to the music, "Beautiful."
It's a lyrical, contemporary piece.
Turns, jumps, leaps.
What she does best.
["Beautiful" by Jaclyn Dima playing]
Get off the floor in that
I always win first because I work really hard in classes,
and I'm usually against like seven-year-olds.
There's a lot of times when I get bumped up
and I still get first place,
so I don't really get worried.
Every week, you have a new routine.
Yes?
What... what do you think the judges are looking for?
-Technique? -Right, and technique means
all the hours you spend in ballet class,
Every
You need to rely on your technique.
Yes? Any questions?
No? Anything you want to go over?
It's good? Okay.
See you on stage.
[upbeat music playing]
Da-da-da, da-da-da, da-da-da, da-da-da, da.
And... a one, two, three, four,
and five, and six, and seven, eight.
I'm doing a new solo this week called
and it's a little, cute, French dance
and uses personality, and I really like it.
One, two, three, four, five.
I'm super nervous.
This is a new solo,
and I want to win first so that I can go to nationals.
[upbeat music playing]
[Abby] How we doin', ladies?
[Kelly] Can you try to keep those straight up? Thanks.
[Abby]
for Starpower regional competition.
Providence is an hour outside of Boston,
and wicked, wicked competition,
and we hope to qualify all of our routines.
Get your stuff, babe.
I've gotta get my stuff out of the back, okay?
Chloe and I arrived at the dance studio
to board the bus to get ready to go to Rhode Island,
and I got a call from my cousin,
and she had said, overnight,
that my gram had gotten worse,
and she was now on a ventilator.
What's going on?
[sighs deeply]
My grandma got bad overnight.
[sobbing] She's not conscious.
And they had to put her on a ventilator.
[sniffles]
I don't know if I should go.
I can't imagine, you know, living my life
without knowing my grandmother's here.
Even if I don't see her or talk to her every day,
just knowing that she's there,
it... [sighs]
I don't know, it gives me strength.
And to think about her not being here anymore,
you know, it just... it's very hard.
I'm very, very close with her.
You have to do what makes you feel good.
I know.
If you feel like you need to be here, then stay.
Chloe will be fine.
I know. I know.
-You know how to French braid? -I do.
[Christi]
if I should go on this dance trip
which, at this point, is so not my priority,
or if I should go to the hospital.
It's bad enough that it's going on. Now you're leaving.
But I know what my grandmother would tell me to do.
She would tell me to go get on the plane.
Yes, she would.
My grandmother has been an incredible supporter of Chloe
since day one, and my grandmother would've said,
"Don't be ridiculous. Go get on that plane
and do what you need to for Chloe.
You come back and see me. I'll be here."
[dramatic music playing]
[upbeat rock music playing]
-[upbeat dance music playing] -[applause]
[Abby]
The judges will be looking for technique,
choreography, performance, costume.
I feel great. I think we're very well prepared,
and we're ready to go.
Can I have everybody gather up so I can talk to everybody?
I want eye contact here.
There's people here from all over the place,
and the reason is this is the last regional
to qualify for their nationals.
So I need you to be on the "A" game today.
You have a new solo today,
you have a new solo today, you have a new solo today.
I was gonna have you dance
in whatever the next age group is, 9 to 11.
You've had a really easy year.
You're on 8 and under, and you're 8.
You're at the top of the age scale, yes?
Everybody else is at the bottom of their age scale.
So we're gonna bump you up and put you on the youngest side
just so we see how it is, all right?
I can't believe Abby bumped Maddie up
into Chloe's age category.
It's just typical Abby.
She can't let Chloe just have her day.
She always has to make it about Maddie.
I really don't want Maddie bumped up into my age category
'cause I feel like I have a better chance of winning
first place if we were in separate categories.
[cheering]
[indistinct announcement]
[man]
Entry number two, put your hands together
for
Break a leg. And I love your veil.
You're so sassy.
All right. Mwah. Good luck. Have fun!
It's really important that I make my mom proud of me,
and when I'm dancing,
I always look for her in the audience.
[man]
Please welcome to the stage Chloe,
-"Parlez Moi,"
[girl] Come on, Chloe!
["Parlez Moi"
[singing in French]
[Christi]
it is such an amazing feeling for me. It's like magic.
She's my little girl.
I-I love her more than words can say,
and when she's on stage, she's perfection.
[music ending]
[crowd cheering]
[solemn music playing]
[Maddie]
and I really like the challenges,
and I'm not afraid of competing against older girls
because I'm used to winning every dance I do.
[man]
2-7-A, this is Maddie.
Category, age 9, this is "Beautiful."
["Beautiful" by Jaclyn Dima playing]
[Christi]
and Abby should've left Maddie in her own age category
because then Maddie could've done that category,
Chloe could've done this one, Brooke could've done the next.
She moved Maddie up
so that she would make sure that Chloe didn't win.
♪ Didn't I fall? ♪
♪ Didn't I, oh, didn't I tell you ♪
♪ When you took me that far? ♪
[crowd cheering]
♪ So beautiful ♪
[music ending]
[crowd cheering]
[man]
-Here we go. Fifth place... -[cheering]
Entry number 24...
[Melissa]
and we have to do really well
because this is to qualify us for nationals.
Ladies and gentlemen, by less than one point
separates second from first.
Second place, entry number 25,
that's Chloe from Abby Lee Miller.
[cheering and applause]
And ladies and gentlemen, your Power Division
9 to 11 solo champion,
with a check, plaque, your winner will be...
Maddie Ziegler with "Beautiful."
Maddie beat Chloe by half a point.
They shouldn't have even been competing against one another.
I mean, this is kinda getting ridiculous.
Chloe's constantly being set up to lose.
It's not fair.
I don't think it's fair that I didn't get first.
I lost by half a point.
She's at least able to compete at nationals.
Tell everybody your name one more time.
-Maddie. -From what studio?
Abby Lee Dance Company.
-Who was your choreographer? -Abby Lee.
[man] Girls, guys, take a bow!
[Melissa]
She's definitely going to nationals.
[man] Let's turn this room right back up in about five minutes.
Have you heard anything about your grandma?
No. And, you know, I'm kinda looking at it like...
-you know, no news is good news. -Yeah.
I can't allow myself to think, like,
you know, that she's mortal
and that someday she's not gonna be here.
Yeah, I mean, she is, what, eighty...
-She's 87. -...seven.
-She's gettin' up there. -But I need her.
Like she's my mom. Like I need her.
I'm not ready not to have my mom.
And I'm gonna see if I can call her.
[phone ringing]
Aunt Jackie?
-Hi.
What's going on with Gram?
[whispering] Oh, fabulous.
Oh, good.
Aw.
I'll be there. I'll be there tomorrow.
My grandmother's condition has improved significantly,
and I feel so much better.
I feel so relieved,
and now I know that I made the right decision
on coming to the competition with Chloe.
I would try to leave early tomorrow.
I'm gonna go. I'm gonna go as soon as I can.
[sighs]
-Oh, I'm so relieved. -I know.
-Give me a hug. -[sniffles]
Don't worry about it.