Maddie Ziegler got her start on the popular reality show Dance Moms. Since then, she's
starred in singer Sia's music videos and has branched out into acting. But what else is
there to know about the dancer? Here's the stunning transformation of Maddie Ziegler.
When someone is as much of a talent as Maddie Ziegler is, it's not exactly surprising to
learn that they've been doing what they love for years. So it should come as no shock to
discover that the award-winning star has been dancing since she was a toddler.
In an interview with Complex, Maddie explained that she's been a dancer for the majority
of her life. She explained,
"I started dancing when I was two. I went to the ballet studio for like a year and I
actually wanted to do hip-hop so I went to try it out, but I ended up doing a lot of
tap, ballet and jazz."
Having started when she was 2 years old, it's likely that Maddie can't even remember a time
in her life when she wasn't dancing, and that certainly comes across when she's on stage.
Maddie Ziegler didn't only start dancing when she was young, but she also started to throw
her hat in the competition ring early-on as well. Before Maddie was on Dance Moms, the
young star-in-the-making appeared on the reality show Live To Dance, which was hosted by Paula
Abdul. The short-lived show was only around for one season, totaling seven episodes. As
seen in a promotional clip for the show, Abdul believed the series to be different from other
dance competition shows thanks to the wide range of ages it allowed for eligible contestants.
The show didn't turn out to be Maddie's big break, but that didn't stop her from going
on to succeed in the world of dance anyway.
Most people will remember Maddie Ziegler for her part in Dance Moms, a reality series on
TLC that focused on the dancers of the Abby Lee Dance Company — and their moms, of course.
The show was full of drama, as well as some pretty uncomfortable moments, as many viewers
thought instructor Abby Lee Miller's strategies for teaching young girls to dance bordered
on bullying.
However, there was one standout on the series, and that was Maddie Ziegler. Maddie was the
obvious frontrunner of the series, as Miller made it no secret that she was her favorite.
Back when the show premiered in 2011, Maddie was only 8 years old and seriously adorable.
From the start, it was obvious why the young dancer was the favorite: Her skills and passion
on the dance floor were undeniable. She obviously moved on from Dance Moms as she got older,
but, when she was first introduced to the world, she was just a sweet, little girl with
moves like no one else.
Because Dance Moms became so popular after its first season, Maddie Ziegler started to
gain some newfound fame for herself. But with all that attention came even more pressure.
It was no secret that Maddie was the star of the Abby Lee Dance Company, but, for a
girl her age, it got to be too much.
In a scene from Season 2 of Dance Moms, while performing a solo dance, Maddie stopped, having
forgotten her next move, and she ran off the stage crying. It was a dramatic moment, as
she begged someone backstage to let her go again, worried about how Abby Lee Miller would
react.
Fans felt for Maddie at that moment, and it was kind of heartbreaking to see a young girl
feeling such immense pressure. However, Miller claimed in her book Everything I Learned About
Life, I Learned In Dance Class that Maddie was set up by producers to fail. She alleged,
"They set the ball in motion at the beginning of the week so that Maddie didn't have enough
studio time to finish learning her solo."
Years later, in an interview with Seventeen, Ziegler went on to explain that her choice
to leave the show in 2016 wasn't an easy one to make.
"Leaving Dance Moms was a hard decision to make, but it was getting too stressful. Now,
I feel like I'm so free."
Maddie added that, while she appreciated the teaching from Abby Lee Miller, she didn't
appreciate the stress that came with the show. In her words,
"I feel like I had so much more pressure on me to be the best in the room."
What made Maddie Ziegler really become a household name was her part in Sia's music video for
"Chandelier." In the role, Maddie danced across the screen and into the hearts of viewers
all over the world. The music video was a hit, and a lot of the reason for that was
because of Maddie's magnetic, intense dance routine.
As Maddie explained in an interview with News.com.au, Sia reached out to her over Twitter.
"She tweeted me and asked me to be in her music video for her new song and I thought
it was fake at first because not a typical person just tweets you — like a celebrity.
I didn't even know she was making a video — there was no audition, no anything. It
was just a direct message from Twitter."
From that one message, a star was born, as Maddie went on to star in many more projects
with Sia, such as the "Elastic Heart" music video, many live performances, and more.
Referring to the Australian songwriter as a "second mom" to her, Maddie told People
that she greatly enjoyed their time on tour together in 2016. She told the outlet,
"I've actually lived with [Sia] this year more than I have with my actual family, so
it's fun."
Their connection on stage is what landed them rave reviews for their tour.
According to a Billboard review of Sia's show with Maddie, things wouldn't have been the
same without the young dancer. As that write-up reported,
"Maddie's presence adds a mischievous energy, as if replicated movements can't capture the
heart behind those wide eyes and deranged smiles."
Though some might say that Sia ignited Maddie's career, it's clear Sia's shows and music videos
wouldn't have been the same without the talented teen.
"You're my very special friend; I love you so much."
"Aw."
"I just adore you."
Throughout her young life, Maddie Ziegler has been able to explore a lot of different
career paths and business ventures since gaining fame as a dancer. And in 2016, Maddie got
a unique opportunity to try voice acting in the animated film Leap!, and she really enjoyed
it.
Leap! tells the tale of an orphan who wants to become a ballerina in Paris, and Maddie
really resonated with the message of the film. She told USA Today in an interview,
"I think what's really inspiring about this whole film is that it's OK if you're different,
and it's OK if you're not perfect like maybe all the other people in your group. So it's
good to be yourself and to try new things."
Just like the characters in Leap!, Maddie hasn't been afraid to try things out of her
wheelhouse, as she's proven time and time again.
"You were spying, weren't you?"
"I don't think so."
“Yes you were — you were admiring the most wonderful dancer you've ever seen."
As Maddie Ziegler grew up, she took on more and more acting roles. She had a role in the
2017 film The Book of Henry, in which she played a young girl named Christina. Maddie
did such a great job in the role that the movie really wouldn't have been as powerful
of a film without her, or her passionate dancing.
Director Colin Trevorrow told People,
"Maddie's character is in an emotional prison and she ultimately had to take control of
her own story and she does it through dance. Only Maddie would've been able to emote through
her body, and emote through her art, in the way that she does in the end of this movie."
In fact, the film's climax was centered on Maddie's dancing.
One of her biggest crowning achievements as an actor was getting cast as Velma in Steven
Spielberg's remake of West Side Story. It's clear this was a huge moment for her, as it
probably would be for just about anyone else.
Maddie told Entertainment Tonight,
“It was honestly one of the best experiences I've ever had. To work with Steven Spielberg
was a pretty life-changing thing, so I'm just really grateful for that."
Being in a Spielberg movie is a huge leap for Maddie, and, no matter what, the project
likely taught her a lot of valuable lessons in the entertainment industry — not that
she needs any help breaking into that field!
Maddie Ziegler has grown up a lot since her Dance Moms days. She proved that in 2017 when
she posted pictures with her first public boyfriend, Jack Kelly.
As E! News reported, the two were all over each other's social media profiles, and Maddie
made it clear that she was enamored with him, captioning one post,
"Happy with you all the time !!! I love and miss you so much already. Time will fly by
soon, I promise."
However, the two weren't meant to last, and, according to an anonymous source who spoke
to The Advertiser, they ended things in 2018. The source explained,
"They still talk and there has not been a defining reason behind it, just that it's
becoming more difficult to maintain the relationship between the distance and both their schedules."
Maddie and Jack might not have lasted, but, when fans saw them together, it was yet another
reminder that the little girl they met on Dance Moms was growing up.
As if touring with international pop star Sia wasn't time-consuming enough, Maddie also
took the time to author the book The Maddie Diaries, a memoir about her life. In 2017,
the book became a New York Times bestseller.
Maddie's book was her first chance to tell her story in her own words, instead of letting
Dance Moms or Sia music videos do it for her. She told Entertainment Tonight in an interview,
"I may be only 14, but there are so many things I love and care about, and so many other sides
of who I am. I want people to know the real me. The silly stuff, the serious stuff, and
everything in between."
In 2019, Maddie Ziegler got to use her creativity for something beyond dancing and acting. Of
course, performing is still important to Maddie, but, when actress Kate Hudson reached out
to her to have her collaborate on a fitness apparel collection for her company Fabletics,
she couldn't say no.
In an interview with Us Weekly, Maddie explained how much fun it was to dip her toes into the
fashion and business worlds. She said,
"Kate and Fabletics have already designed amazing things for Fabletics in the past,
so I kind of took their pieces and put my own spin on it. I love color and I kind of
wanted to bring my own personality to the clothes and that's basically what this is."
As someone who has lived most of her life in the spotlight, Maddie knows what it's like
to feel insecure, which is why she also took the time to ensure her Fabletics collection
was both comfortable and flattering.
Maddie Ziegler is wise beyond her years, and, after living so much of her life on-camera
for Dance Moms and presumably learning tips and tricks from some of the greats in the
entertainment industry, Maddie still seems to have a great head on her shoulders. That's
not an easy feat for those who grow up in the business! In fact, the starlet considers
it a great privilege to be a role model for younger girls, and she takes it very seriously.
She said in a May 2018 interview with Yahoo! Lifestyle,
"Being a role model is the best part of what I do, only because I wouldn't be here without
the people who have supported me. It's really amazing and inspiring that people think of
me as a role model."
Still, she stressed in the interview that there are days where Maddie looks around at
the fruits of her success and wonders, "Why me?", proving once again that she is nothing
if not humble.
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