ON THE TOP OF THE PYRAMID

Written by: Skylar Powers

During the 2022-23 school year, Ritenour’s KRHSmedia has had to start filming a reality series similar to that of “Dance Moms” due to their following dropping drastically in the recent months.

Maggie and Jane Bannester both love “Dance Moms” and this has led to the creation of “Ritenour Moms.”

“We thought it would be a good fit for a new activity at school that the KRHSmedia department could work on in class to film,” Jane Bannester said.

However, star of the team, Maggie Bannester, saw this start from a different viewpoint.

“Ms. Bannester (my mom) saw all of the tryhards and wannabes in the school and wanted to give them a chance to dance with such an amazing star like me,” Maggie Bannester stated.

The series “Ritenour Moms” follows dancers Maggie Bannester, Charli Holmes, and Jayden Bock being coached by Jane Bannester in all things dance.

Holmes learned about the series as a way of Jane Bannester spotlighting her and her teammates.

“Miss Bannester saw the talent around the school and wanted to highlight us while having fun with it,” Holmes shared.

Early on in the show is when core memories are made for many of the cast members.

“Seeing students like Charli Holmes psych out the competition or Jayden Bock break down in tears, you could see the possibilities for real cat fights and drama. Now let’s see if they can dance,” Jane Bannester said.

While there is plenty of drama between dancers, they spend so much time together that they are bound to have strong feelings about one another.

“My most impactful memory was getting to work with THE Charli Holmes, she is hands down one of the best dancers I’ve ever met,” Bock said.

The most memorable part for any viewer of the show is the amount of drama.

Maggie Bannester shared one specific instance while at a Pattonville competition she broke her femur and couldn’t dance. Jane Bannester then pulled their dances from the competition entirely.

“All of the dancers were mad and tried to jump my mom. So my mom fought 20 teenage girls and won,” Maggie Bannester said.

Regarding this instance, Bock shared how they “all want to get that Maddie spotlight, but Maggie gets the upperhand with her mom being the coach”.

Along with the drama, the iconic pyramid which includes the dancers’ placements is also one of the most standout parts of the Ritenour Moms series. These placements are often very controversial among the performers.

“The typical pyramid placements is Maggie at the top, and me wrongfully second to her,” Holmes said.

Many of the dancers and viewers of the show have expressed how harsh they see Bannester as.

“If they can’t take it then that’s on them,” Jane Bannester said.