The Cast ofDance Moms: What the Stars Are Up to Now — And Where They Stand With Abby Lee Miller

Mar. 15, 2025

Cast of Dance Moms arrive at the 2012 Teen Choice Awards.Photo: Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage

Dance Momsaired on Lifetime from 2011 to 2019 and launched the careers of several young dancers, includingMaddie Ziegler,JoJo SiwaandChloé Lukasiak.

The Kids' Choice Award-winning series followed Miller’s dance team through her tough (and often controversial) coaching. Miller became infamous for the “pyramid,” a method she used to rank her dancers in a lengthy and stress-inducing process.

Despite the pressure, some cast members have stayed close to Miller after the series concluded, including JoJo. “I do respect her choreography and I dorespect what she’s done for the world,” she told PEOPLE in 2022. “Whether the dance community wants to admit it or not, she changed the dance world for the better.”

More than a decade after the season 1 premiere, the cast returned to the small screen for a two-hourreunion specialthat premiered in May 2024. Notably absent from the reunion were Maddie and her sisterKenzie Ziegler, along with Miller, who was not invited after some of the cast membersrequested that she not participate, according to what a source told PEOPLE at the time.

The cast of ‘Dance Moms’ at Nickelodeon’s 2016 Kids' Choice Awards.Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty

In honor of the highly anticipated new series, here’s everything to know about where theDance Momsstars are today.

Dance Momsbecame infamous for Miller’s jabs at the moms, including calling Christi’s family “pathetic,“spraying wateron Cathy Nesbitt-Stein — “I thought the witch would melt,” she said — andallegedly bitingKelly Hyland’s finger during a trip to New York City.

Amid the show’s success, Miller faced serious legal troubles. In October 2015, a federal grand jury in Pittsburghindicted her on bankruptcy fraud chargesfor making false claims about her income and hiding more than $755,000 in earnings fromDance Moms-related deals, masterclasses and merchandise. She was charged with bankruptcy fraud, false bankruptcy declarations and concealment of bankruptcy assets.

After initially pleading not guilty in November 2015, she plead guilty in June 2016 and was latersentenced to 366 days in federal prisonand two years of supervised release. Millerreported to prisonin July 2017, and after eight months, she wasreleased and transferred to a halfway houseon March 27, 2018. Two weeks later, theDance Momsalumwent to the emergency roomfor symptoms of a thyroid condition.

She was laterdiagnosed with Burkitt lymphoma, a form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and had emergency spinal surgery. After months of treatment, Miller revealed she was cancer-free in May 2019. In a September appearance onThe Doctors, Millertook her first stepssince she started using a wheelchair in April 2018.

Four years later, Millersold theDance Momsstudiofor $300,000. “I sold my property. I didn’t sell my name. I didn’t sell my brand.I didn’t sell my life’s work,” Miller said in an emotional video in January 2023.

Miller was not included in the official reunion announcement post and a source told PEOPLE she was not invited to participate after some former dancers said they would only join the reunion if Miller was not there. However, she does remain close with some of her former students, with Jojo telling PEOPLE she talks to Miller on “a weekly basis.”

The former dance teacher said her intention wasn’t to “hurt anyone’s feelings” with her criticism of the young dancers, but rather to “get them to be better and to be the best that they can be.”

Maddie Ziegler

Maddie Ziegler on ‘Dance Moms’ then and now.Lifetime ; David Livingston/Getty

As one of the originalDance Momsstars, Maddie was on the show from its debut in 2011 — when she was just 7 years old — until 2016. She was known for her expressive lyrical dances and for being one of Miller’s favorite performers, which often caused tension between the moms on the show.

Maddie shot to mainstream fame after appearing inSia’s"Chandelier” music videoin 2014 — which has since been viewed over 2 billion times. She also appeared in Sia’s videos for “Elastic Heart,” “Cheap Thrills” and “Big Girls Cry,” among others, and performed with the artist during several awards shows and talk show appearances.

After leavingDance Moms,Maddie launched an acting career, appearing in films likeThe Fallout,The Book of Henry, MusicandSteven Spielberg’sWest Side Story. Beyond acting, Maddie became aNew York Timesbest-selling author with her 2017 memoir,The Maddie Diaries,and has modeled for Givenchy,Kate SpadeandFendi, among other luxury brands.

In March 2020, Maddie waslinked to musician Eddie Benjamin, but the twobroke upin February 2023.

“I was like, ‘This is not for me. I can’t do this,’ " Maddie said of her departure. As for her relationship with Miller after she left the show? “I haven’t spoken to her since. I feel at peace.”

In March 2024, Maddie spoke withTeen Vogueabout her lead role in the dramedyFitting Inand her journey healing from her childhood experiences.

“I’m growing up, and it is liberating to know that I can speak up for myself,” she said. “When I was younger and teachers would say, ‘You need to be more like Maddie,’ I felt myself trying to dumb myself down because I hated it. I don’t want anyone else to feel less than.”

Kenzie Ziegler

Mackenzie Ziegler from ‘Dance Moms’ then and now.Lifetime ; Phillip Faraone/Getty

Mackenzie “Kenzie” Ziegleris Maddie’s younger sister and was one of the youngest dancers onDance Moms.She dancedfrom season 1 to season 6 before leaving the show with Maddie.

Despite the occasional comparisons between Maddie and Kenzie, the sisters have a strong relationship. “She’s given me so much good adviceand is such a big inspiration to me,” Kenzie told PEOPLE of her sister in 2019. “She’s doing amazing things. I’m very glad that I have a sister that’s so talented that I can look up to and learn from as well.”

They even had a podcast in 2022 calledTake 20 with Maddie and Kenzie Ziegler.“We definitely feel like people needed to see a more personal, real side of us,” Maddiesaid to E! Newswhile describing their show.

Like her big sister, Kenzie is also an actor — she has starred in a web series calledTotal Eclipseand the filmLet Us In.Kenzie has alsoreleased two albums, which included the popular songs “paper” and “100 degrees.”

Like her sister Maddie, Kenzie didn’t participate in the 2024Dance Momsreunion. However, she assured fans on TikTok Live days after the announcement that all was well with her and the rest of the cast. “It had nothing to do with the girls or anything,” Kenzie said. “We just didn’t want to go back in time, to that era.”

Melissa Gisoni

Melissa Gisoni from ‘Dance Moms’ then and now.Mike Coppola/Getty ; Michael Tullberg/Getty

OnDance Moms, Maddie and Kenzie’s mom, Melissa Gisoni, often bragged about her older daughter being the best. She also had a flair for the dramatic — occasionally being accused ofcurrying favor with Millerto get her kids ahead.

Gisoni and her daughters leftDance Momsafter season 6. ‘When my kids aren’t happy anymore, I don’t care about anything else,” sheexplained in a June 2016 essay forCosmopolitan.“It was also holding the kids back. ​​Maddie couldn’t do jobs because of her contract withDance Moms.”

Gisoni has an active online presence, with nearly 4 millionInstagramfollowers and more than 60,000YouTubesubscribers. In a 2022 video on her channel, she opened up aboutlife since leavingDance Moms, explaining that it had become “not so stressful” and “much fuller.”

She also has a podcast with the other original dance moms — Holly Hatcher-Frazier, Kelly Hyland and Jill Vertes — calledBecause Mom Said So.

JoJo Siwa

Jojo Siwa on ‘Dance Moms’ then and now.Lifetime ; Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty

Joelle Joanie “JoJo” Siwa is one of the mostfamous dancersto come fromDance Moms,despite only being a main character on seasons 5 and 6. She was known for her large hair bows — she even had aGeneral Mills cerealdesigned after them — which her mom Jessalynn “Jess” Siwa often made for her.

JoJo and Jess left the show during season 6 after she was assigned a ballet dance duet with Kendall Vertes. Though many assumed that JoJo left because of the duet, she clarified in a since-deleted YouTube video that she actually left because she had signed a deal with Nickelodeon.

Since leavingDance Moms, JoJo has become a celebrity in her own right. In 2016, she released her first single, “Boomerang,” which had amassed over 21 million views after a month. She started selling her brandJoJo’s Bowsat Claire’s the same year,tellingTodayin 2019 that she had sold 60 million bows that year.

JoJo wasnamed one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People of 2020, which came with high praise fromKim Kardashian, who wrote that the dancer was “a ray of sunshine.”

In January 2021, then-17-year-old JoJocame outas a member of the LGBTQ+ community. “I still don’t know what I am. It’s like, I want to figure it out,” she told PEOPLE that year. “But like, I don’t know, bisexual, pansexual, queer, lesbian, gay, straight. I always just say gay because it just kind of covers it, or queer because I think the keyword is cool.”

Since coming out, JoJo has had several public partners, including her former relationships with girlfriendsAvery CyrusandKylie Prew.

In September 2021, she merged her dancing and personal worlds, making history onDancing with the Starsas thefirst female celebritypaired with a female professional dancer. Later, she joined the panel of judges onSo You Think You Can Dance.

JoJo has a huge following on social media, with more than 11 million followers onInstagramand 45 million followers onTikTok. In recent years, the dancer hasditched the bowsin favor of more mature projects, including an appearance onSpecial Forces: World’s Toughest Testand a costarring role in the upcoming horror movieAll My Friends Are Dead,perBillboard.

In early 2024, JoJo announced that she was taking a new direction with her career and moving firmly into adulthood. This includedher song “Karma,“its sultry music video and a more mature aesthetic.

“I’ve seen people before me make this transition, I’ve seen how much I loved it, and I’ve seen also how much the world has criticized us, soI am ready for that,” she told PEOPLE before the single dropped.

Jessalynn Siwa

Jess Siwa on ‘Dance Moms’ then and now.Lifetime

Jessalynn Siwa appeared on two seasons ofDance Momswith her daughter, JoJo, but she was no stranger to the dance world — Jessalynn owned a dance studio in her hometown Omaha, Nebraska.

JoJo’s mom had her momentsgoing head-to-headwith Miller, including in season 5 when Miller ranked JoJo fifth on the pyramid because she refused to watchCarrie.

Since leavingDance Moms, Jessalynn and JoJo have continued to collaborate on projects. The duo created a Peacock competition series calledSiwas Dance Pop Revolution, which launched the girl groupXOMG POP!, and Jessalynn has been her daughter’s biggest supporter amid herDancing with the StarsandSpecial Forcesappearances.

“The best thing about working with my daughter is, honestly,just spending time with you,” she told JoJo during an interview with PEOPLE in 2021.

Chloé Lukasiak

Chloe Lukasiak on ‘Dance Moms’ then and now.Lifetime ; Araya Doheny/FilmMagic

Chloé Lukasiakspent seasons 1 through 4 onDance Momsbefore departing amid her mom’s ongoing feud with Miller. Though she briefly returned in season 7, the dancer has been open about her negative experience on the series.

Chloé talked about her time on the show in a 2019YouTube videothat has received nearly 2 million views. “It was a really hard time for me on the show. Definitely the hardest thing I’ve ever been through,” she said, explaining that she left the studio in part because she and her mom refused to sign a contract, which included restrictions about her appearance.

In addition to maintaining her YouTube presence, where she has more than 2 million subscribers, Chloé has done some acting work, starring in films likeLoopholeandThe Message. She also wrote a memoir calledGirl on Pointe: Chloe’s Guide to Taking on the Worldabout her time onDance Momsand her journey toward self-acceptance.

After filmingDance Moms: The Reunion, Chloé told Entertainment Tonight that Miller’s treatment of her and the competition she fostered between herself and Maddie left a mark.

“It was really hard. It’s something I’m still working on. I think when you’re that young, you’re really vulnerable and you absorb everything people tell you,” she said.

As for her personal life, Chloéwas in a relationship with pro skateboarderand modelBrooklinn Khouryfrom 2020 to 2023.

Christi Lukasiak

Christi Lukasiak on ‘Dance Moms’ then and now.Lifetime ; Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic

Chloé’s mom,Christi Lukasiak, was known for her memorable fights with Miller and the other dance moms on the show, especially Maddie’s mom, Melissa.

Nia Sioux

Nia Sioux on ‘Dance Moms’ then and now.Lifetime ; Alberto Rodriguez/Variety/Getty

Nia Siouxappeared in the first seven seasons ofDance Moms,making her the longest-running dancer on the show.

After leaving the series, Sioux made her off-Broadway debut inTrip of Love, appeared in the filmI Am Mortaland played Emma Barber onThe Bold and the Beautifulfor over a year. She has also released music, including the songs “Star in Your Own Life” and “Slay.” Sioux also had her own Facebook Watch series calledDance with Niaand hasamassed nearly 6 million followers onInstagram.

Sioux is currently a student at UCLA, where she’s studying American literature and culture and hopes to be an author, pertheDaily Bruin. As for her personal life, Nia celebrated hersecond anniversarywith her boyfriendGabriel Hawkinsin February 2024.

Though she’s moved on from the show, Sioux hasn’t forgotten where she got her start. In June 2021, shetoldEntertainment Tonightthat starring inDance Momschanged her life immensely.

“I grew up so fast,” she said. “I learned so many lessons fromDance Moms. Even though it still does have a negative kind of effect on me, I would never change anything because it’s made me the person who I am today.”

Despite not regretting her time on the show, Sioux was noticeably absent from the reunion announcement. Sheexplained her absencein a candidTikTok videoahead of the special: “Hate to break it to you guys, but the reason is quite simple. I just really didn’t want to do it.”

Holly Hatcher-Frazier

Holly Hatcher-Frazier on ‘Dance Moms’ then and now.Lifetime ; Holly Hatcher-Frazier Instagram

Sioux’s mom, Holly Hatcher-Frazier, was known for her overall calm demeanor in the series. Like the other moms, she fought with Miller over the years, especially concerning how her daughter was treated as one of the few Black girls in the company.

In October 2021, several years after leavingDance Moms, Hatcher-Frazierspoke toThe Washington Postabout her and Sioux’s time on the show. She recalled one instance when Miller assigned Sioux her first solo dance — but she was asked to wear an afro for a jungle-themed routine.

“People were like ‘You’re just being too sensitive. You ask for your kid to have a solo, she finally got a solo. You’re never satisfied,’ " Hatcher-Frazier recalled. “No, it’s not a life-or-death issue, but it still has a profound effect on a child’s development … It was the idea that someone else had the power and audacity to tell me this is what Black women — what Black girls — look like.”

Now, she co-hosts the podcastBecause Mom Said Sowith fellow dance moms Gisoni, Kelly and Jill. In 2014, the Ivy League grad published the bookMoments of Clarity: Daily Affirmations from Dr. Holly.

Brooke Hyland

Brooke Hyland on ‘Dance Moms’ then and now.Lifetime ; Rick Kern/Getty

Brooke Hyland danced with her sister Paige Hyland on seasons 1 through the middle of season 4 ofDance Moms.Brooke was the oldest permanent dancer on the team, and she often complained about missing out on time with her friends.

“I started dancing when I was 2 years old, and I absolutely loved it, I think, up until … right before the show started,” Brookesaid in a 2021 YouTube videoposted to her channel. “I was just burnt out. I was dancing every day of my life and I just wanted to be normal.”

In 2013, she released a self-titled album featuring songs like “Summer Love Song” and “I Hurt.” Brooke graduated from Ohio University in 2019 with a degree in marketing, management information systems and business analytics. These days, she’s a social media influencer with 4 million followers onInstagram.

More recently, Brooke got engaged to longtime boyfriend Brian Thalman in May 2024 when he surprised her with a proposal in a park in her hometown of Pittsburgh. Thalman told PEOPLE that the couple first met in December 2021, when Brooke was home for the holidays.

“At the time, she wasliving in Austin, Texas,” he said. “Her cousin, who is my close friend, introduced us to one another. We did long distance for a few months before Brooke moved back to Pittsburgh.”

Brooke shared photos from Thalman’s proposalon Instagram, writing, “Learned that he’s almost as tall as me on one knee — here’s to today, tomorrow, & forever after that 💍.”

Paige Hyland

Paige Hyland on ‘Dance Moms’ then and now.Lifetime ; Paige Hyland Instagram

Paige Hyland is Brooke’s younger sister and also danced from seasons 1 through 4 onDance Moms.

AfterDance Moms, Paige studied at West Virginia University, where she graduated from in 2023 with a degree in business administration. Like most of theDance Momsalums, she has an active social media presence with nearly 4 million followers onInstagram. She’s been in a long-term relationship with former college football playerJayvon Thriftfor several years.

Kelly Hyland

Kelly Hyland on ‘Dance Moms’ then and now.Lifetime ; Kelly Hyland Instagram

Brooke and Paige’s mom Kelly Hyland goes way back with Miller, as she herself was one of Miller’s students when she was a kid.

She leftDance Momsat the same time as her daughters and sued Miller in 2014 after a physical altercation between the two. Kelly was later charged with assault for the same incident, but both cases were later dismissed, perEntertainment Tonight.

After filmingDance Moms: The Reunion, the Hyland sisters opened up toEntertainment Tonightabout the intense moment that spurred the lawsuits. “I think we both wanted to get off the show, so I think we feel bad that our mom is holding that guilt,” Paige said. “We look at her as an amazing mom who was fighting to do what we wanted.”

“Actually, it’s like we want to thank her,” Brooke added.

Kendall Vertes

Kendall Vertes on ‘Dance Moms’ then and now.Lifetime ; Kendall Vertes Instagram

Kendall VertesjoinedDance Momsin season 2 and remained on the series through season 7 — though she temporarily left the ALDC to join the rival Candy Apples dance group during her first season.

During her time on the series, she also launched a singing career, releasing her first single “Wear ‘Em Out” in 2015. After leaving the show, she began studying atJames Madison Universityin Virginia in 2021, where she joined the dance team. In 2024, Kendall and her team won a national championship, and theDance Momsalum celebrated the achievement with a nod to the show. “Top of the pyramid🏆💍,” she captioned an image of her holding up the trophy, referencing Miller’s infamous pyramid rankings.

Outside of dance, Vertes has been dating Clemson baseball playerAndrew Ciufosince 2022.

Like her fellow alums, Kendall has been open about her negative experiences on the series, though she remains close with most of the cast.

“We’ve been through so much together,” she explained toYahoo Entertainmentahead of the reunion. “We’re basically trauma-bonded and that bond will never break. It was another great experience for us to get closure, tie up loose ends, close the book and move on as a whole.”

Jill Vertes

Jill Vertes on ‘Dance Moms’ then and now.Lifetime ; Paul Archuleta/Getty

Kendall’s momJill Verteswas a pharmaceutical sales rep before joining the cast ofDance Moms. On the series, she was known for fiercely championing her daughter and sparring with Miller over Kendall’s placement on the pyramid.

Now, Jill joins Gisoni, Kelly and Hatcher-Frazier in hosting theBecause Mom Said Sopodcast. Jill was also present at reunion, andtold The Daily Itemthat filming the special opened old wounds from the series.

Kalani Hilliker

Kalani Hilliker on ‘Dance Moms’ then and now.Lifetime ; Mike Coppola/Getty

After leaving the series, Hilliker has continued to dance and act, appearing on shows likeShake It Up,BunheadsandAmerica’s Got Talent.She also became a dance teacher herself,tellingThe Listthat she hopes to give her students “a little bit more of a positive outlook on dance than maybe I would’ve had.”

Despite the “trauma” she has fromDance Moms, Hilliker told PEOPLE in September 2023 that she is “forever grateful” for everything Miller did for her.

In August 2024, Hilliker announced herengagement to Nathan Goldman.

“A lifetime of this. I couldn’t be lucky enough or more grateful to get to be your fiancé,” she wrote on Instagram alongside photos from the romantic Italian proposal. “I love you forever Nathan.”

Kira Girard

Kira Girard on ‘Dance Moms’ then and now.Michael Tullberg/Getty ; Kira Girard Instagram

Michael Tullberg/Getty ; Kira Girard Instagram

Although Girard didn’t immediately post about the reunion, she was included in one of her daughter’s photos from the set of the special.

Vivi-Anne Stein

Vivi-Anne Stein on ‘Dance Moms’ then and now.Lifetime ; Cathy Nesbitt-Stein Instagram

Vivi-Anne Stein first appeared on season 1 ofDance Momsalong with her mom Cathy, who owned the rival dance Candy Apple’s Dance Center in Ohio.

Despite her mom’s enthusiasm, Vivi-Anne was seemingly uninterested in dancing during her time on the show, and became a fan favorite for her dead-pan delivery of lines like “I don’t even like dancing. I’m just here because my mom said she would buy me tacos.”

Vivi-Anne eventually started to embrace dance, andcontinued to performafter leaving the show. She was also a cheerleader in high school, and after graduating in 2023, joined thecheer teamat Cleveland State University.

Cathy Nesbitt-Stein

Catthy Nestbitt-Stein on ‘Dance Moms’ then and now.Lifetime ; Cathy Nesbitt-Stein Instagram

In season 5, Cathy surprised fans when she decided not to bring her studio to Los Angeles to compete against Miller’s. ShetoldOK! Magazinethat she didn’t go due to a “scheduling conflict.”

Cathy still owns Candy Apple’s Dance Center and regularly posts aboutspending time with her daughterVivi-Anne.

Gianna “Gia” Martello

Gianna “Gia” Martello on ‘Dance Moms’ then and now.Lifetime ; Gianna Martello Instagram

Gianna “Gia” Martello was a choreographer under Miller during all eight seasons ofDance Moms.She worked at ALDC for over 15 years and continues to teach dance and judge competitions, per her bio atMSA Talent Agency.

Martellogot engagedto production sound mixer Steve Lynch in October 2022.

Two years later, the choreographer shared that she was a part of JoJo’s “Karma” music video. “endless thank yous to @itsjojosiwa, @jessalynnsiwa + @richysquirrel !! you throw the best yacht parties,” she wrote onInstagram, referencing the video’s boat setting.

source: people.com