Dance Moms, starring Abby Lee Miller and her favorite student Maddie Ziegler, premiered
back in 2011, and one of the most controversial aspects of the show was how blatantly Miller
appeared to favor the dancer. But, to be fair, there were plenty of reasons why Maddie Ziegler
was the favorite.
The moms on the show had a hard time dealing with the obvious favoritism, and it wasn't
long before the fans caught on, as well as the dancers themselves. But it wasn't really
that hard to understand part of the reason why Miller gave Ziegler so much extra attention.
As she mentioned on the show, Miller had known Ziegler and her family for a while before
the dancer joined the Abby Lee Dance Company, long before the show started airing. In fact,
in a Q&A session with Lifetime, Miller explained that she had gone to high school with Ziegler's
father and that Ziegler had been dancing at her studio since she was just 4 years old.
She said,
"When it was time to put both of his daughters into dance class, he brought them to me."
"She was just this cupcake, this tiny little body and this big head and these gorgeous
big eyes and you just wanted to eat her up."
While Ziegler had already known Miller for years before Dance Moms started airing, she
had more than one "in" with the studio mogul. For the first few seasons of the show, Ziegler's
mom, Melissa, worked at the front desk of the Abby Lee Dance Company, presumably to
help cover the costs of her daughters' numerous dance-related expenses. With her mother working
for Miller, Ziegler likely got to spend more time at the studio and grow closer with her
dance teacher.
The fact that Melissa worked the front desk, in addition to the fact the Ziegler family
knew Miller well, already gave young Ziegler a head start at the dance company. But it
wasn't just nepotism that helped Miller favor the dancer. Miller saw something very special
in Ziegler and knew that she was going to be hugely successful one day.
On top of her family connections, Ziegler had some characteristics that helped make
her Miller's favorite on the reality show. From the start, it was obvious that Ziegler
was a fast learner. Of course, all of the girls who were a part of the dance company
were fast learners, but Ziegler was different, and Miller complimented her ability to learn
routines quickly many times on Dance Moms. Ziegler was even able to learn an entire routine
with the Radio City Rockettes in just one hour, according to Teen Vogue. Additionally,
as Vulture reported, she was able to learn the choreography for the "Chandelier" music
video in just two hours.
On most episodes of Dance Moms where the girls were performing at a competition, Ziegler
would get to perform solos to lyrical routines, and they were absolutely stunning. It didn't
take long for a lot of the moms, and fans, to complain that Ziegler's choreography seemed
better than that of the other dancers. However, Miller refuted those claims, and, in an interview
with Lifetime, she said Ziegler's performances were better than her peers' because of what
the dancer did with the choreography, not because she received preferential treatment.
"People are given a step by their dance teacher, we choreograph a routine. It's what they do
with it, it's what they make the choreography look like when they step on stage."
Miller went on to call Ziegler and her young sister, Mackenzie, "great, hard working kids."
Still, the way Miller constantly defended herself against accusations of favoritism
was a constant source of drama on the show. And despite the moms saying that Ziegler got
better choreography, no one could deny that she was extremely talented.
While Ziegler's talent took her far, her experience with dance took her even farther. Even though
she was 8 years old when she started on Dance Moms, Ziegler probably worked harder than
some people two or three times her age. On top of giving it her all in class, she would
often take extra lessons to ensure that she gave a flawless performance.
In fact, in Season 5 of Dance Moms, there were a few episodes in which Ziegler didn't
place first in her age group at the competitions, or even place at all. It was rough on Ziegler,
as she was used to winning. But she worked extremely hard before the Sheer Talent Competition
and ended up taking home that first place trophy. Even though she didn't always win,
Ziegler worked hard and dedicated herself to dance so that she would come out on top
as much as possible, which definitely contributed to Ziegler position as Miller's favorite young
pupil, not to mention her success outside of Dance Moms.
As any fan of the show knows, all former Abby Lee Dance Company dancers were adorable when
they were kids and have grown up to be gorgeous! But according to Miller, there was something
about Ziegler that made her especially charming and charismatic, so it's no wonder she was
quick to take a liking to her. In her interview with Lifetime, Miller explained that Ziegler's
charm won her over when she first met her. She said that the young Ziegler came up and
told her matter-of-factly that she wanted to take hip hop and tap dance lessons, and
Miller couldn't get over the fact that Ziegler spoke for herself. With that kind of charm
and cute factor, it's no wonder the star dancer went so far with Miller by her side.
While Ziegler might be extremely talented, that doesn't mean she's perfect. And one reason
why Miller adored Ziegler on Dance Moms is that, when Ziegler messed up on her routines,
she was willing to work to make corrections. A lot of the drama of Dance Moms relied on
the mothers going to bat for their daughters and defending them when they messed up or
didn't place in competitions.
"She danced fabulous, she was amazing, her choreography didn't allow her to win!"
But that wasn't really an issue with Ziegler, she always wanted to improve on her own. In
fact, in one episode of Season 2, Ziegler forgot the choreography to her solo dance,
and she ran off the stage. Immediately after she messed up, she asked the stage manager
if she could try again because she didn't want to upset Miller. She knew what she did
wrong, and she was willing to try again to get it right. That kind of dedication no doubt
went into helping Ziegler become Miller's favorite student.
Ziegler's mother, Melissa, was not one for drama on Dance Moms. Of course, she got into
the occasional tiff with the other mothers while defending her daughter, but, for the
most part, she tried to stay out of things. The fact that Ziegler's mom didn't press Miller's
buttons as much as the other moms did likely helped Ziegler become Miller's favorite dancer.
But that isn't to say that Melissa didn't get into it with Miller from time to time,
because she definitely did. In Season 6, for instance, Melissa rushed to defend her younger
daughter, Mackenzie, after Miller harshly criticized her. But overall, Melissa and Miller
got along.
Even when Ziegler messed up her performance in Season 2 and had a bit of a backstage meltdown,
Melissa remained calm, cool, and collected. The other moms were upset that Ziegler appeared
to be getting preferential treatment from Miller.
"Our plan is to prove what we have known all along, that Maddie gets extra private time."
But Melissa didn't engage, and just focused on supporting her daughter. Melissa's tendency
to avoid picking fights with Miller probably helped Ziegler remain Miller's favorite student.
One of Ziegler's most recognizable traits are her huge eyes, which she uses to express
a wide range of emotions while she performs. On Dance Moms, most of Ziegler's solo performances
were intense lyrical routines, and her facial expressions only made those performances that
much more amazing.
When speaking with Lifetime, Ziegler was asked about her trademark "Maddie Face" that she
perfected in Season 2 and that fans have come to know and love.
"Has to be like…"
Miller probably loved Ziegler's ability to act while dancing and put her whole self into
the routine. "The Maddie Face" certainly became iconic during her time on the show. Ziegler,
for her part, said in the interview that she thought she just looked "constipated" while
making "The Maddie Face", but obviously the judges and her fans disagreed.
Ziegler started dancing at the Abby Lee Dance Company when she was only 4 years old, so
it would have been understandable if she had needed some time to catch on to the routines
and the technical aspects of dancing. But according to their Lifetime interview, that's
not what happened. Ziegler's first class was apparently a hip-hop class, and Miller was
sure Ziegler wouldn't do well in it, given her age. But after the class was over, the
hip-hop instructor came up to Miller and told her that Ziegler was the best one in the class,
despite it being her first day.
Naturally, Miller realized she may have found a superstar. It was only a few years later
that Dance Moms began filming, and Ziegler's star quality became even more apparent. Since
Miller already thought of her as a star, Ziegler would naturally become Miller's favorite student,
even when compared to the talent of the other dancers.
It was only a matter of time before Ziegler got discovered. So when artist Sia reached
out to the young dancer on Twitter, asking her to be in her music video for her song
"Chandelier," hardly anyone was surprised. Still, once the video went viral, when Ziegler
was only 11 years old, Miller's favoritism towards Ziegler only grew. How could it not,
when Ziegler would go on to perform on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and star in other Sia
music videos?
Of course, Miller couldn't help but brag about Ziegler after the release of "Chandelier"
and all of Ziegler's subsequent performances that came with starring in the video. In one
episode of Dance Moms, Miller called all the girls and their moms into the studio to congratulate
Ziegler, and it was obvious Ziegler had a spot as Miller's favorite student for the
foreseeable future.
While Ziegler was once Miller's favorite dance student, the two have come a long way since
their time on the reality show. After Ziegler found worldwide success with her dancing and
acting skills, Miller ended up being sentenced to prison for one year for 20 counts of fraud,
as Deadline reported. Still, despite Miller's legal troubles, Miller discussed her relationship
with Ziegler in the special Dance Moms: Abby Tells All Exclusive in 2017, just before she
went to prison, and basically took credit for the dancer's success, saying,
"I look at what she has done, the other jobs and the other opportunities besides Dance
Moms, they all involve dancing. I don't think, had she not been in my studio, she would be
where she is today."
While it's true that appearing on Dance Moms helped Ziegler make her mark on the world,
her natural talent definitely helped her stand out.
After Ziegler left Dance Moms at the end of Season 6, it appeared as though she and Miller
were on good terms. But in actuality, Miller's one-time favorite student is reportedly no
longer in contact with the dance studio owner. Speaking with Us Weekly in 2018, Ziegler was
asked about her relationship status with Miller, and she revealed they were no longer in touch,
saying,
"We don't keep in contact. But I wish her the best."
"You're not sad?"
"Sad, no."
"Disappointed?"
"Absolutely, because that's not the kid I raised."
Even though the two Dance Moms stars are no longer in touch, there's no denying the fact
that Ziegler and Miller once had a strong bond and that both have come a long way since
their time on the popular reality TV series. Ziegler has maintained her talent, securing
plenty of jobs, and has basically become a star in her own right. And Miller, now out
of prison and back as a star on the rebooted Dance Moms, seems like her creative, and critical,
old self.
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