Dance Moms kicked off its latest season Tuesday night by continuing its music video tradition—with a twist.

Lifetime said goodbye this season to the big, flashy 80’s-inspired productions featuring the Moms, and opted instead for a video shot entirely on GoPros, featuring the girls of the Abby Lee Miller Dance company.

“Dance Moms has been a huge success for us and we’ve already embraced the drama, and bigness of all the mothers, but over the past year we’ve realized that the girls are the marquee players on the show, and the kind of social response the girls get is tremendous,” said Aaron Golman, VP, brand creative at Lifetime. “Rather than do a big production music video we wanted to do something that was a little different.”

Lifetime gave the girls the song —Jesse J’s “Masterpiece"— and the GoPros, and the show’s producers, Collins Avenue, set aside some time during filming in L.A. for the girls to practice their choreo and hit ‘record.’

The video isn’t just part of a shift of focus for the marketing campaign for Dance Moms — it’s part of a move away from traditional on-air promos towards spots that feel shareable and social.

“We’re pushed every day to make our promos feel more like content.” said Creative Director Karen Griffenhagen, “This felt like something that was shareable, that the girls had done themselves. It felt behind-the-scenes while at the same time being polished.”

The price point also helps, in an age where marketing departments are being asked to do more across the board.

Goldman said Lifetime is working on similar ideas for other series, like the summer premiere of Bring It.

“Going forward, we can’t do a bunch of GoPro shoots, but we’re looking at this kind of model of doing authentic content that feels on-brand, and feels polished and premium, and utilizes our talent,” Goldman said.

CREDITS

Tim Nolan — SVP, Marketing

Valerie Albanese — SVP, Creative

Aaron Goldman — VP, Brand Creative

Karen Griffenhagen — Creative Director

Sean Nalaboff — DP/Director

Mark Harriot — Editor

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