A dance routine on the series Dance Moms: A New Era has sparked controversy due to a dance number based on the late murder victim, JonBenét Ramsey.
The routine, performed by 11-year-old dancer Ashlan Scheide, included a shocking sequence in which the young dancer mimed being strangled.
Several people were outraged by a routine based on Ramsey, who was tragically found dead at age six in her home in Boulder, Colorado, in 1996.
The case, which attracted national attention, has never resulted in any arrests and the boy’s murder has never been solved.
In one sequence of the show, Ashlan’s mother, Lisa, told her: ‘You’re going to be a luxury beauty girl, that’s what JonBenét was, but then she was kidnapped and murdered.
A dance routine from the series Dance Moms: A New Era has sparked controversy over a dance number based on murder victim JonBenét Ramsey. The routine, performed by 11-year-old dancer Ashlan Scheide, included a shocking sequence in which the young dancer pretended to be strangled.
Several people were outraged by a routine based on Ramsey, who was tragically found dead at the age of six in her home in Boulder, Colorado, in 1996.
Ashlan said she was nervous about the information about the case surrounding Ramsey, but was willing to follow instructions to prevail in the competition.
“This isn’t really for me, but I’ll do anything to win,” Ashlan said.
In the episode, Ashlan is seen going over the routine with her dance teacher Gloria Hampton.
Many viewers were outraged by what they saw in the series, which airs on Hulu.
“I was like, ‘I’m sorry, what?’ I was like, ‘That’s ridiculous,'” Evie Nagy, a viewer of the show, told Inside Edition on Thursday.
Hampton said Inside edition about his career and creative process in a recent interview.
“I’ve been doing this for years,” Hampton told the outlet. “Last season we took 450 dances to a dance competition for five weeks and then to nationals. So I’m used to making costumes for thousands of kids and 450 dances.
He added: “Music inspires me a lot. I think it leads me to what I want to do. I hear something and I get inspired by it and I have a vision. It’s interesting. I really have a vision in my head when I hear something I like.”
Ashlan said she was nervous about the information about the case surrounding Ramsey, but was willing to follow instructions to prevail in the competition.
In one sequence of the show, Ashlan’s mother, Lisa, told her: “You’re going to be a high-end beauty girl, that’s what JonBenét was, but then she was kidnapped and murdered.”
The Ramsey case, which attracted national attention, has never resulted in any arrests, and the boy’s murder has never been solved.
Outraged reactions to the dance number
Several users took to X/Twitter to express their opinion on the controversial dance routine.
One user said: “I’m disgusted by the Dance Mom episode! They had a girl playing John Bennett Ramsey and at the end of the dance the girl chokes herself and runs away. OMG how disrespectful!”
Another user said: “What are you saying?” I’m sick.
Several users took to X/Twitter to weigh in on the controversial dance routine.
One user asked: “Who the hell thought something so tragic and despicable would be a good idea to do?”
One user said the segment “has to be the most disgusting example of child exploitation on primetime television.”
The user added: “We have become a disgusting society that uses the murder of a child as entertainment” and stated: “Shame on everyone associated with this, including the pedophiles who enjoy it.”