Entertainment
Cast of dance moms talk about Abby Lee Miller’s controversial teaching methods
The Dance mothers cast has mixed feelings about how their former dance teacher, Abby Lee Millershe covered in the series.
“I think there are a lot of things I don’t agree with that Abby did as a dance teacher,” Kalani Hilikerwho is now a dance teacher himself, exclusively told We weekly prior to the Lifetime reunion special. “So I’m doing the opposite in a way.”
Dance mothers followed a group of dancers – and their mothers – as they joined Abby’s eponymous dance company. After the show premiered in 2011, Abby, 58, rose to fame for controversial coaching techniques and became a reality TV villain. Throughout the series, Abby pushed her dancers to their limits as she developed their talent and pushed them to win competitions.
Kalani, 23, explained that after finishing the show in 2017, she lost her “love for dance” due to burnout. However, being able to teach a new generation of talent helped her reignite her childhood passion.
“I know how special my childhood was because of dance,” she said Us. “So I enjoy helping these kids have a great childhood with dance, and I love it as much as I do.”
Kendall Verteswho currently dances for her college team, acknowledged that dance has taught her “a lot of discipline” that she uses in her daily life.
“I’ve learned so many life lessons outside of the dance studio,” Kendall, 21, said. Us. “Obviously the comments went too far at times, but I mean, we had no control over that, so we just kept doing what we were told.”
While sisters Paige And Brooke Hyland had their ups and downs with Abby during the show, admitting they believed in their teacher’s dancing expertise.
“I usually trusted Abby when push came to shove,” says Brooke, 26. “She knew what she was doing when it came to storyline, choreography and costume. She knew how to tell a story on stage.”
Brooke added that Abbly gave her and the rest of the young cast members more than just dance lessons.
“We always say this, but Abby taught us a lot more than just dancing,” she explained. “So many life lessons have been learned. Frequently…I think, Oh, Abby, I imagine her poking me in the back and improving my posture.”
Kalani, Kendall, Brooke and Paige reunite with coworkers Dance mothers alums Jojo Siwa And Chloe Lukasiak to revisit their time on the series and their experience with Abby. (Nia Sioux, Maddie Ziegler And Mackenzie Ziegler ultimately decided not to participate.)
According to Kalani and Kendall, Lifetime contacted them asking if they were interested in a reunion, which the group agreed to.
Lifetime/YouTube The Dance Moms girls and their moms are about to hit the dance floor again in Dance Moms: The Reunion. Lifetime confirmed in November 2023 that the OG dancers and their mothers would reunite for a new TV special. The network announced new details on Wednesday, March 6. “Dance Moms: […]
And I feel like this is a good time because we’re all a lot older and we’re all adults and we can all have adult conversations,” Kendall said. “So I think if it wasn’t now, it probably never would have happened, just because our lives just keep getting busier, and luckily it worked out.”
Dance Mothers: the reunion premieres on Lifetime Wednesday, May 1 at 8pm ET.
With reporting by Aileen Bergin
