It’s no secret that over the years, Dance Moms has become one of the most iconic reality shows on TV. Not only did it provide some serious entertainment, but even launched the careers of some pretty major stars!
For those who forgot, the show first premiered back in 2011 and followed the Abby Lee Dance Company’s Junior Elite Competition Team. Aside from starring choreographer and studio owner, Abby Lee Miller, the show also followed the lives of the young dancers and their moms.
From some pretty epic dances to major drama both on-and-off screen, this show was seriously one to remember. But as they got older, some dancers left the studio and the show to launch their own careers.
Maddie Ziegler, for example, became a total superstar. “It’s super scary,” she told Wonderland magazine about growing up in the spotlight.
“I have literally gone through puberty on screen and I’m bound to make mistakes. I try to keep that in the back of my mind: ‘It’s OK if you slip up, Maddie, you’re only human’. It’s a learning process, and I just hope people can understand that.”
In 2021, the actress made her acting debut, but she never set out to be an actress! “I definitely found acting through dance,” Maddie also explained to the magazine. “That was never my goal, I was just set on becoming a professional dancer.” Now she’s a household name!
Similarly her sister, Mackenzie Ziegler, is another Dance Moms success story. She’s since launched a successful music career since her days on the reality show. “I go into a writing session and I just vent,” she told Elite Daily in August 2019 about the difference between her music and dance careers. “With dance, you have to be prepared. If you don’t know a dance, you’re cut. But with singing, you can literally say whatever. It’s really cool.”
During a separate interview with Elite Daily in May 2021, the duo opened up about their “unusual” childhood.
“We got pulled out of school every day to go to dance and film a TV show, so that was not normal at all,” Kenzie explained. “And then once we started traveling, people started recognizing us. I remember we were in an ice cream store and someone called our names, and we were so freaked out. Like, how did these people know us? And then we realized, “Oh, there’s a lot of attention around our show.’”
Aside from Maddie and Kenzie, Nia Sioux, JoJo Siwa, Chloe Lukasiak, Kendall Vertes, Kalani Hilliker and Brooke Hyland are also known as breakout stars from the series. But what are they all up to now? Scroll through our gallery to find out.
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