A mom from Hartford, Connecticut, is speaking out after a video of her daughter at a dance competition went viral. In the video, 6-year-old Shaniah is left out of a team hug as the coach leans in to hug the other girls on the winning team except for her — the only Black teammate. Shaniah’s mother, Melissa Breglia, spoke to NBC Connecticut and shared what happened. She also revealed that she confronted the coach afterward, in the dressing room.
Breglia told the outlet the coach from Dance Xpressions was defensive and claimed she didn’t do anything wrong. Later, another parent shared video footage with Breglia to show her it wasn’t just in her head. The video appeared to show the coach really did seem to purposely hold back from giving her daughter a hug when she hugged the rest of the girls. According to Breglia, Shaniah asked her mom, “Mommy, I did all my moves, I smiled the whole time … and I didn’t get a hug, but they did.”
In the video Breglia shared to TikTok that has since gone viral, her daughter’s dance team won a competition, and the coach was called to the stage to celebrate with the girls. The coach leaned in and wrapped her arms around all of the girls except for Shaniah. She hugged those girls. She then pulled back as Shaniah leaned in to try to hug her. But in the end, Shaniah doesn’t get a hug. According to her mom, she realized in the moment she was excluded.
Breglia shared updates on social media, including the fact that, according to her, it took two weeks for Dance Xpressions to post a statement about the incident. In screenshots that Breglia posted on TikTok, the studio alleged Shaniah’s coach immediately apologized to Shaniah for the oversight in including her in the team’s group hug. She also revealed that the company made the decision to “part ways” with Breglia and her family.
Breglia posted her own statement about what happened to her daughter as the only Black dancer on the team. She wrote that both of her daughters “lost their entire world” because of the incident. Both Shaniah and her older sister had been part of Dance Xpressions for years. The company severed ties with them following the controversy.
“They just keep crying… they lost their passion, their friends, and people they thought loved them as family…. The dance ‘family’ that they spent hours on end with… sacrificed other plans and put dance first… has completely left them in the dark… ONE!! Team member… ONE!! did the right thing and called to see if my kids were okay! and I thank you… I know the studio will kick your kids out if they knew,” Breglia wrote on Facebook. “So I will keep you nameless but you are a wonderful person and I thank you for asking. To the remaining mom with kids of color… you are doing them a dis service by raising them in that world!! PLEASE talk to people who can teach them about their culture!”
