L.R.
What you describe makes me question whether these moms you know are really focusing on dance -- the art form -- or on showing off children like prizewinning pets. And it also makes me wonder whether their teachers (or are they "coaches"?) are focused on teaching lifelong love of dance or on winning prizes to stick in the studio display case.
Real dance does require make-up -- on stage, for performance. And makeup that is appropriate for the role being played. (You don't put the ballerina dancing Sleeping Beauty in pounds of rouge and screaming scarlet lipstick or she isn't an innocent princess, she's a streetwalker.) But what you're describing, I would bet, is from the kinds of "dance" where it's all about how "adult" the kids can look and how many competitions the teacher/coach can win. I would question whether those kids are learning skills that will make them want to dance for a lifetime, rather than for a trophy.
But moms and dads should not let that form of "Dance Moms" dance put them off. If kids want to dance, they should -- but the parents need to find a serious studio that focuses on teaching, not on constant competition.