Dance Moms' Most Memorable Stars: Where Are They Now?
Who’s at the top of the pyramid? JoJo Siwa, Maddie Ziegler and more stole the spotlight on Dance Moms — and their parents weren’t afraid to bring the drama.
The Lifetime reality series premiered in 2011 and followed the Abby Lee Dance Company’s junior elite competition team as they rehearsed and performed rigorous new routines each week. Originally, the team consisted of Maddie, Mackenzie Ziegler, Nia Sioux, Chloe Lukasiak, Brooke Hyland and Paige Hyland. While the talented tots put their moves to the test, their mothers bickered about how to get their child to become a star.
Dance Moms originally ran for seven seasons through February 2017 and inspired several spin-offs, including Dance Moms: Miami and Abby’s Ultimate Dance Competition. In March 2017, studio owner Abby Lee Miller announced that she was leaving the series amid ongoing legal troubles. Two months later, she was sentenced to one year and a day in prison, followed by two years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to fraud charges.
Abby’s ups and downs didn’t end there. In April 2018, she was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer and was ultimately left wheelchair-bound after several surgeries. However, the longtime dance instructor took her own advice and “saved her tears for her pillow,” making a triumphant return to an additional eighth season of Dance Moms in June 2019.
Before new students swarmed the Pennsylvania-based dance studio for season 8, original dancers Maddie and Mackenzie were ALDC favorites. Us Weekly confirmed in December 2015 that Maddie was leaving the series — and the dance studio she grew up in — as her career took off.
“Acting is something she’s really excited to pursue and [Maddie] is in high demand,” a source explained at the time following the young dancer’s impressive collaborations with Grammy-nominated artist Sia.
The Music star’s younger sister and their mom, Melissa Gisoni, departed the Lifetime show soon after. In a candid personal essay for Cosmopolitan published in June 2016, the mother of two opened up about the unexpected challenges that came with raising her kids in the spotlight. Though it was hard to leave the studio they loved behind, Melissa knew it was time to say goodbye.
“Dance Moms was really a great platform for my kids, but they were pretty much done with it,” she wrote at the time. “It’s the same thing over and over, week after week. 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. … My kids are very happy. They miss the girls but they don’t miss the drama.”
Scroll down to learn what your favorite Dance Moms stars are up to now:
The Abby Lee Dance Company founder appeared on Dance Moms for eight seasons before inspiring spin-off series Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition, Dance Moms: Miami and Dance Moms: Abby's Studio Rescue. In 2016, Abby pleaded guilty to felony bankruptcy fraud and was later sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison, but was released early. The Pennsylvania native was diagnosed with Burkitt lymphoma in 2018. After 10 rounds of chemo and several surgeries, which left her wheelchair-bound, Abby announced in May 2019 that she was cancer-free. TM/Bauergriffin.com/MEGA; YouTube
Us confirmed in December 2015 that Maddie — who was Miller’s star student — would be leaving the reality show after its sixth season. By that point in her career, she had appeared in Sia’s “Chandelier” and “Elastic Heart” music videos and had performed on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Dancing With the Stars and Saturday Night Live. After her Dance Moms exit, Maddie became a judge on Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation and wrote a trilogy of YA novels. In 2021, she starred in Sia’s controversial film, Music, and in Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of West Side Story. YouTube; Shutterstock
The Teen Choice Award winner, like her older sister, left the Lifetime show in 2016 after six seasons to pursue other projects. Prior to making her Dance Moms exit permanent, she recorded a hit album, Mack Z, and made her acting debut on Nickelodeon’s Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn. Mackenzie continued to reach for pop stardom in 2017 when she joined singer Johnny Orlando on tour throughout the U.S. and U.K. From 2018 to 2020, the “Girl Party” artist starred in high school drama series Total Eclipse on Brat TV. She returned to reality TV in 2021 when she competed as the Tulip on Fox’s The Masked Dancer, finishing in third place overall. Shutterstock; YouTube
Maddie and Mackenzie’s mom admitted in a June 2016 Cosmopolitan essay that she “never wanted to be on TV” — and never wants to return, even though Dance Moms was “really a great platform” for her kids. Though she’s grown more “protective” over her daughters since their time on the show, she doesn’t consider herself a traditional “stage mom.” In 2020, Melissa reunited with fellow Dance Moms alums Kelly, Holly and Jill to launch the “Because Mom Said So” podcast. Courtesy Melissa Gisoni/Instagram; YouTube
The former ALDC member was constantly pitted against Maddie for competition glory and eventually couldn’t handle the pressure. Chloe left Dance Moms in 2014 after four seasons, but she and her mom briefly returned for guest roles in season 7. In 2016, she starred in Lifetime’s TV movie Center Stage: On Pointe and made a cameo on NBC’s Superstore. Her first book, Girl on Pointe: Chloe's Guide to Taking on the World, was released in January 2018. The Pepperdine University student now has a successful YouTube channel with more than 2.2 million subscribers. YouTube; Shutterstock
One of the OG cast members, Christi’s rocky relationship with the ALDC founder was at the center of her Dance Moms story line. Before ultimately deciding she and Chloe were done with the show in 2014, Christi frequently called out favoritism toward Maddie in the studio. She has since turned toward charity work, signing on with mental health advocacy organization YourMomCares in 2019. Reality TV fans have also found Christi on TikTok, where she shares her best “Adulting 101” tips. Shutterstock; Courtesy Christi Lukasiak/Instagram
JoJo’s mom owned her own dance studio in Nebraska before the mother-daughter duo moved to Pennsylvania to join the ALDC. She now hosts her own podcast, “Success With Jess,” and sells rhinestones to make competitive dancers’ costumes pop on stage. Shutterstock; Courtesy Jessalynn Siwa/Instagram
The UCLA student was one of the original members of the ALDC and remained on the team until the seventh season of Dance Moms, making her the longest-tenured dancer on the reality series. She has since kept fans hooked on her YouTube channel and has released her own music. In 2016, Nia made her Off-Broadway debut in Trip of Love and later joined the cast of CBS soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful. In September 2021, she returned to Lifetime for the film Imperfect High. She played a teen drug addict opposite Sherri Shepherd. Shutterstock (2)
The former school administrator was one of the most vocal parents on Dance Moms, often calling out favoritism and typecasting in the ALDC studio. She and her daughter, Nia, remained with the company until the show’s seventh season. Known to fans as Dr. Holly, the Carnegie Mellon alum cohosts the “Because Mom Said So” podcast with several of her fellow Dance Moms alums. Shutterstock (2)
After joining the ALDC in season 2 of the Lifetime series, Kendall had a rocky road to the top of the pyramid. She was put on probation several times throughout her time on the competition team and briefly performed with Candy Apples Dance Center, the ALDC’s rival. Like many of her fellow Dance Moms alums, Kendall turned to vlogging after the show ended in 2019 Shutterstock (2)
The former pharmaceutical sales rep made a strong impression when she and Kendall joined the Dance Moms family. Jill was known for wanting to get her daughter to the top — no matter what — and frequently disagreed with the other moms. After her time as a reality TV star came to an end, Jill joined Kelly, Holly and Melissa in launching the “Because Mom Said So” podcast. Shutterstock (2)
Once the eldest member of the ALDC elite team, Brooke and her sister, Paige, were dismissed from the show after season 4 in 2014. The “I Hurt” singer struggled with back injuries throughout her dance career due to her acrobatic routines. After leaving Dance Moms, Brooke pursued a business degree at Ohio University and graduated in 2019. Courtesy Brooke Hyland/Instagram
Like her older sister, Paige experienced plenty of ups and downs with her dance teacher before being kicked off of the competition team in 2014. She graduated high school in 2019 and enrolled at West Virginia University. Shutterstock; Courtesy Paige Hyland/Instagram
A former ALDC student herself, Kelly’s long history with Abby often caused tension between them. Her explosive behavior led to an alleged physical altercation between her and the studio owner, causing Kelly and her daughters to exit the show. In 2014, a lawsuit was filed against Abby on behalf of Kelly’s daughter Paige, alleging emotional distress. The case was dismissed one year later. Amid her drama with the ALDC, Kelly tweeted that she would be writing a book about her experience at the studio. In 2020, she started cohosting the “Because Mom Said So” podcast with former Dance Moms castmates. Shutterstock; Courtesy Kelly Hyland/Instagram
The Arizona native made her Dance Moms debut in 2013 and was quickly promoted to a regular cast member once she earned a permanent place on the ALDC elite team. She previously competed on season 2 of Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition and had a small role on ABC Family’s Bunheads. Kalani began to put more focus on acting in 2018 when she starred alongside Noah Centineo in Swiped, a coming-of-age romantic-comedy. The Dirt actress sparked controversy in 2020 when she was pictured with a Blue Lives Matter flag and later revealed that she was voting for former president Donald Trump when he ran for re-election. YouTube; Shutterstock
Kalani’s mom ran her own dance studio in Arizona before they made the move to the East coast to join the ALDC team. Kira is also the mother of two sons: Jax, born in 2007, and Jett, born in 2015. She’s engaged to Arizona real estate mogul David Newman. Shutterstock; Courtesy Kira Girard/Instagram
The choreographer was a constant presence in the ALDC studio throughout all eight seasons of the Lifetime series. She continued working with Abby, her former instructor, when the Los Angeles-based studio had its grand opening in 2015. During an emotional Lifetime special before season 8 of Dance Moms aired in 2019, Abby admitted that Gianna was her greatest “legacy.” Shutterstock; Courtesy Gianna Martello/Instagram
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