The Dark Side of Dance Moms

In the summer of 2011, Lifetime released Dance Moms, a perfect cocktail of reality TV gold starring spoiled children, their overbearing mothers, and a ruthless dance instructor. For eight seasons, the highly adored show brought fans a boatload of entertainment through iconic one-liners, dramatic fights, and rising young stars. But behind the curtains, the young dancers were left with emotional scars at the hands of the infamous Abby Lee Miller and producers eager to sacrifice them for ratings. As a dancer of 16 years, I watched the show with an uncomfortable sense of familiarity, noticing the toxicity of the dance community displayed on screen. Ruthless competition, body image struggles, and petty jealousy were not just storylines for the show– they’re raw experiences many young dancers go through. However, for a select few, these struggles were broadcast to millions of spectators.

Image Courtesy: International Business Times

Earlier this year, some original cast members reunited to reveal the horrors they endured during their time on Dance Moms. One moment stood out when Chloe Lukasiak, an original dancer who was only ten years old at the start of the show, broke down in tears as she recounted how Abby Lee Miller had ridiculed her for her eye. The dancer had been struggling with a medical condition called Silent Sinus Syndrome, which caused her orbital floor to collapse. Already feeling insecure and scrutinized by the vain dance world, Miller’s comments had pushed her over the edge.

But the abuse didn’t stop there– Miller continuously manipulated the girls, pitting them against each other and using her power to remind them of her control. In one episode she tells a mother, “Your daughter is holding a national title, and I will take it away in a minute.” The entire premise of the weekly “pyramid” where Miller ranked each dancer based on their performance from the previous week, was an overt display of power. It instilled fear and insecurity in each young girl, driving them to push harder in a desperate attempt to please her. Even the supposed “favorite,” Maddie Ziegler, was used as a tool of manipulation and abuse. Miller constantly compared the other girls to her, saying, “Why can’t you be more like Maddie?” At just eight years old, Ziegler recalls feeling anxious and obsessed with perfection, a pressure that followed her into adulthood.

It wasn’t just Miller’s abuse that left lasting damage on the dancers– the nature of competitive dance itself is inherently toxic. Physical appearance plays a huge role in dance, where dancers are scrutinized and expected to meet unrealistic body standards. Former cast member Kalani Hilliker opened up at the reunion about how this standard affected her self-image, “We all know what a 'ballerina' is supposed to look like, and I just never fit that. And I could eat nothing for the rest of my life and I still just can’t get to that body type.” Dance Moms facilitated this toxic environment as weight and appearance were constantly discussed by the children, the mothers, and of course, Abby Lee Miller.

Miller claimed that she only had her students’ best interests at heart, but throwing a chair at a child, saying they aren’t good enough, and yelling at the top of her lungs is not “tough love”– it's abuse, plain and simple. Abby Lee Miller is portrayed on the show as a strict teacher whose methods pushed her students into stardom. In reality, Miller was a bully enabled by thousands of fans who tuned in for entertainment. The real damage was done to the children on the show, whose emotional scars were deepened by the public spectacle of their exploitation. If you pulled the curtain back on the extravagance of the show, you'd find vulnerable children who needed support, not exposure.

Strike Out,

Writer: Isabella Santiago

Editor: Grace Groover

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