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.
