Dance Moms, which premiered on Lifetime in 2011, centered around the Abby Lee Dance Company
or ALDC, as fans know it and quickly caught on with viewers thanks to all of its drama.
But what's happened to the original Dance Moms cast since then? Here's what your favorite
stars look like now.
Chloe Lukasiak
Fans of the original Dance Moms will easily remember Chloe Lukasiak. She was talented
and always vying for Abby Lee Miller's hard-earned approval.
"This is just another example of Abby's blatant disregard for anyone who's not Maddie"
Chloe was often pitted against Miller's personal favorite dancer, Maddie Ziegler, but after
officially leaving in 2014 and briefly returning in 2017 Chloe has been doing her own thing.
"Hey guys, it's Chloe, welcome back to my channel!"
For starters, Chloe has a super successful YouTube channel with more than 2 million subscribers,
as well as a pretty successful acting career. She has starred in the made-for-TV movie Center
Stage: On Pointe, the film Loophole, and more. But perhaps the most important transformation
Chloe has made since her Dance Moms days is that she's learned to stand up for herself.
"Sometimes I just don't wanna dance. I mean I love dance, I'm tired and I need a break"
Chloe told Teen Vogue,
"As a person, I think I've grown up a lot. […] I've found my voice."
Brooke Hyland
Brooke Hyland was one of the older members of the ALDC, but with her mom and Abby Lee
Miller constantly at each other's throats, she was still thrown into the drama, eventually
leaving the show in its fourth season.
"No more cutesie little kid dancing, Brooke. It's time for you to step it up."
Since the show, Hyland has released several songs and music videos, including "Mean To
Me," which was allegedly about Miller's treatment of Brooke on the show. Now, Hyland is all
grown up and graduated from Ohio University in 2019, according to her popular Instagram
account. She has largely stayed out of the spotlight for the most part, and has been
traveling the globe and documenting it all for the 'Gram.
Paige Hyland
Brooke's younger sister Paige also had a rough time of it on Dance Moms. She left the show
in the fourth season but she didn't go quietly.
"She told me, I'm terrified for Abby to watch me dance"
Hyland and her mother both filed lawsuits against Abby Lee Miller for emotional distress
and defamation. But the cases were dismissed by a judge in 2015, according to Deadline.
After all the drama, the younger Hyland sister has taken time to focus on herself. She had
a successful YouTube channel, but she hasn't posted a new video since 2015. According to
her Instagram which has over 3.3 million followers Hyland graduated from high school and plans
to attend West Virginia University.
Nia Sioux
Another original Dance Moms member, Nia Sioux, was known for her signature dance move, the
death drop, but she still faced Abby Lee Miller's disapproval on the show. Outlasting many other
fan favorites, Nia ultimately left the show in 2017, according to Teen Vogue.
"I really wanna be a singer, and become a popstar. Maybe if I do well today, that dream
might come true"
Even before she quit Dance Moms, Sioux was venturing out on her own in search of her
next big move. She's released several songs and music videos, and had a 59-episode arc
on The Bold and the Beautiful, as Emma Barber, from 2018 until 2019.
Sioux also signed on to star in the sci-fi film The Code, according to Deadline.
Maddie Ziegler
Perhaps the most well-known original member of the ALDC is Maddie Ziegler.
"I don't like to lose, but I don't ever lose anyway"
Abby Lee Miller's golden child, Ziegler got plenty of screen time on the show, as Miller
tended to give her a solo every chance she could.
"This has been the best six years of my life with you guys. Maybe not so much the stressful
part, but to be with you every day."
The young star left Dance Moms in 2016, and her career has skyrocketed ever since.
"I have a lot in the works that I can't say"
Ziegler first made a name for herself when she starred in the music video for Sia's "Chandelier."
The video quickly went viral, and Ziegler returned to star in several other music videos
for the artist. In fact, Ziegler and Sia have such a close relationship that the dancer
told Jimmy Fallon that Sia actually became her godmother.
"She is the best person in my life, she really is. She's, I think my godmom now"
In addition, Ziegler also landed a role as a member of the Jets in Steven Spielberg's
remake of West Side Story.
Mackenzie Ziegler
Maddie's younger sister, Mackenzie Ziegler, also couldn't help but steal the show on Dance
Moms. Of course, fans will remember Mackenzie as the cute, little stunner from the show,
but, since leaving the series in 2016, she's really grown up.
"I don't wanna go to Broadway, I just wanna stay at home and eat chips"
Mackenzie has since made a name for herself in the world of dance and entertainment, appearing
on Dancing With the Stars Juniors, in 2018. Ziegler has also written a book called Kenzie's
Rules for Life: How to Be Happy, Healthy, and Dance to Your Own Beat, and she has over
12.7 million followers on Instagram, along with a blossoming music career.
Kendall Vertes
"You're not out there Kendall, so you don't know."
"Excuse me Abby…"
"Why are you so mean?”
"...to talk to my child like that."
Kendall Vertes wasn't in Season 1 of Dance Moms, but she's still considered an honorary
original cast member. Having joined the ALDC in Season 2, she quickly became a fan favorite.
Kendall left the show in 2017, when the seventh season came to an end, but she hasn't stopped
hustling since.
"Hey everyone, it's me, Kendall K!"
"I just moved to LA, so it's pretty busy here."
She has starred in several acting projects, including Rapunzel: A Princess Frozen in Time,
and she reunited with some of her former castmates for The Irreplaceables World Tour.
Kalani Hilliker
Another member of the ALDC who isn't technically an original cast member of Dance Moms is Kalani
Hilliker, who joined the series in its fourth season. She immediately fit right in with
her talent, and her mom quickly fit right in with the drama.
"Kalani, you have to pull out all the stops, and have a flawless performance, alright?"
"Got it."
"OK"
Kalani left Dance Moms in 2017, and she's been rocking her own thing ever since.
"It's my turn to win"
Not only does Hilliker's Instagram account boast more than 5.7 million followers as of
mid 2019, but she also shows over 730,000 subscribers on her YouTube channel. HIlliker
is clearly making a name for herself, and she even appeared in the 2018 TV show Dirt.
While many of the original dancers from the show no longer dance professionally, Hilliker
is still at it, though these days it's mostly just for fun.
Christi Lukasiak
Let's be honest. Everyone knows that the real stars of Dance Moms are the moms themselves.
"I can't even look at Melissa. It's always all about her daughter and no one else. Our
kids count too"
Christi Lukasiak was definitely one of the most dramatic moms on the show, and it seemed
like the was constantly defending her daughter Chloe.
"My daughter is a 10 year old little girl. And when you have 40 year old women who will
stop at nothing to tear her down because of a dance, sorry I'm gonna step in."
Christi and Chloe two left Dance Moms in 2014, returning briefly in 2017 and the mother of
two hasn't stopped working it since.
"She hits a pose, she hits a pose, and she's owning it, yaas."
When Christi watched her daughter return to the stage with the Dance Moms crew in 2017,
she told the BUILD Series,
"I was very proud and emotional and excited to watch her. There is nothing in this world
I love more than watching Chloe dance. We all know that, right?"
Lukasiak has been traveling the world with her family and showing off her adventures
for her more than 2 million Instagram followers.
Kelly Hyland
Dance Mom Kelly Hyland also survived a lot of drama on the show.
"If you don't wanna be part of our group…don't come to our studio."
Along with her daughter Paige, Hyland filed a lawsuit against Abby Lee Miller, via TMZ,
after making their exit from the series. The case was later dismissed.
"Get your finger out of my face …Get off of me."
These days, Hyland loves to brag about her two daughters, Brooke and Paige, to her nearly
1 million Instagram followers. But in 2019, Kelly sadly lost her own mother, posting a
photo of her mom with the heartfelt message:
"My mom went to heaven today. She has always been the sweetest angel, the most giving person
I've ever known."
Fortunately, Hyland still has a lot of good times to look forward to, and her daughters
seem to bring her plenty of joy.
"And Alls I wanna do was have a good time."
Holly Frazier
One of the best parts of Dance Moms was that it featured real mothers sticking up for their
daughters.
"Abby's showing her true colors and I don't like what I see"
One of the most protective moms of the original cast was Nia Sioux's mom, Holly Frazier, who
tirelessly advocated for her daughter and called out anyone who typecast Nia in any
way because she was the only black member of the ALDC at the time.
"You need to be a grown woman and own your words."
"I own my words."
"You're not getting rid of me, and you're not getting rid of Nia"
Frazier is still her daughter's biggest fan, and she frequently posts about her on Instagram,
where she has nearly 2 million followers, as of mid 2019. And as fans of the show will
recall, Frazier earned her doctorate in education, so, basically, she's always been a boss babe
on screen and off.
"Teaching my mom how to dance. Yay!"
Melissa Gisoni
As a mother of two famous young girls, Melissa Gisoni is surprisingly down to earth.
"My daughter's better than your daughter. I don't care! It makes me so crazy."
While she got along with Abby Lee Miller more often than most of the other moms, that didn't
mean she wasn't part of the drama before she left Dance Moms in 2016 with daughters Maddie
and Mackenzie Ziegler.
"Melissa, don't lie for your kids.”
"I'm not--"
"You lie enough yourself as it is, without lying for her."
Gisoni opened up about why she decided to leave the show, writing for Cosmo,
"My kids told me they didn't want to do it anymore. When my kids aren't happy anymore,
I don't care about anything else. It was also holding the kids back. […] I never thought
about Maddie being famous. I never wanted to be on TV and I never want to be on TV again."
Melissa is her daughters' biggest fan, but she obviously likes to stay out of the spotlight.
And after living that drama-filled life with Abby Lee Miller, can you blame her?
Jill Vertes
"Is she my daughter or what"
Kendall's mom, Jill Vertes, held nothing back when it came to going head to head with Abby
Lee Miller. Jill brought a lot of drama to the show, despite not coming on until Season
2. When she and her daughter said their final goodbyes in 2017, Vertes was clearly done
with the series.
"Kendall, just focus on what you're doing right now we'll discuss this later."
"Oh yeah, much later when she's in a back brace."
Vertes actually took to Instagram in June 2019 to share how she felt about the new cast
of dancers and mothers, posting, quote, "Just sayin' let it be." Her former castmates were
quick to respond to the photo, with Christi Lukasiak commenting,
"If I could 'like' this 876 times, I would. If only people could read our group text chain
now […] that's a show in itself."
If anyone wants to leak those texts, just sayin', we would totally read that.
Kira Girard
As one of the newer cast members of Dance Moms, Kalani Hilliker's mom, Kira Girard,
still managed to make a name for herself on the show.
"I wanna show Abby that Kalani is the strongest dancer on this team."
When she and her daughter said goodbye to the series in 2017, fans were sad to see her
go. But Girard is now focused on health and wellness. According to her Instagram, her
four main passions are fitness, lifestyle, health, and travel and that certainly seems
to be the case. Girard has more than 1.5 million followers as of mid 2019, so while she may
no longer appear on TV every week, she's still got plenty of fans.
Abby Lee Miller
"The moms don't rule the dance studio, ya idiot. They don't!"
The namesake of the ALDC and instructor extraordinaire, Abby Lee Miller, created plenty of drama,
even after the show ended. When Dance Moms' seventh season wrapped in 2017, Miller was
sentenced to one year in prison, as Deadline reported. She was found guilty of fraud for
hiding hundreds of thousands of dollars during her time on Dance Moms. Then, after she was
released from prison, Miller was tragically diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, according
to Entertainment Tonight.
While she might be the most notoriously abrasive of the bunch, Miller has clearly had a rough
go of it. And it all amounted to a personal storyline which made her return to the show
that much more intriguing.
"OK I'm done. Thank you."
These days, Miller has been in recovery, and she continues to carry on teaching dance to
young hopefuls. The eighth season of Dance Moms premiered in June 2019, and, like all
the seasons that came before it, it quickly garnered attention.
"You are not choosing a dance teacher over your mother. No, you did yesterday and you
humiliated me and sent me out of a room."
"Because I wanna dance"
There's still plenty of drama, amazing choreography, wildly talented budding stars, and stubbornly
protective moms on the show, but it definitely isn't the same as it was back in the day.
After all, the original cast of Dance Moms is irreplaceable.
"I firmly believe that all the world's a stage and we are merely the players."
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