Strictly Baby Disco - Yay or Nay?

Last week, Channel 4 aired a documentary following the journey of three children vying to topple the DK (Disco Kid) dancing champion, Karah. Disco kid Dancing is a bizarre world – full of sexualized, extravagant (dare I say tacky) costumes, pushy parents and young children pushing themselves to mental and physical extremes. It draws some of the same comparisons, and criticisms as beauty pageants for children.

Whilst there is no denying that the talent of the competitors is enormous, one has to wonder whether it is a case of too much, too young. The demands of competing surely are harmful to children at a young age, for example, one girl had a back problem, and after the first eat of the DK championship at Blackpool, one girl collapsed and one girl burst into tears, which was harrowing to watch.

The competition also causes great stress for children leading up to the event, for example, the Irish mother frequently lambasts her daughter for failing to complete a move correctly and forces her to practise continuously. The competition has become a big part of her life and you wonder whether the girl has a chance to lead a normal life outside DK dancing or whether it is just Disco, Disco, Disco 24/7. The monstrosity of a wig that is fixed on her head was the mother’s idea, who often ignores the pleas from her daughter to stop wearing the wig.

It does seem that some of the mothers have concentrated everything on their child’s success in the competition. Does it mean that they focused in wanting the best for their children…or are they attempting to live their lives through their children, who are treated as “things”. The mothers treat their children with enormous pressure – one parent is unhappy with her child not managing a Top 3 finish despite clinching a trophy. I do worry that entering a competitive environment so young may have an adverse effect in later life. They are experiencing so much pressure – mental and physical – that it may culminate into something with negative consequences, especially as some of the mothers as just as obsessed with success if not more. Failure to succeed can harm the relationship between mother and daughter and can harbour resentment. What if the child didn’t want to compete anymore? For some of the mothers, they have devoted their life to it, so what would they do if a situation would arise? Karah, the reigning champion, seems to be the most normal of the 4 girls (although her final costume and her fake tan were horrendous) and is a talented dancer who rightly won the DK contest at the end of the show, but DK dancing seems like a strange and scary world.