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U Vic | Culture > Entertainment

Everything You Need to Know About the Dance Moms Reunion

Jess Bayda Student Contributor, University of Victoria
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Vic chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

For those that don’t know, Dance Moms was a reality TV show that ran for eight seasons on the Lifetime TV channel between 2011 and 2019. The show starred Abby Lee Miller, head coach at Abby Lee Dance Company, as she trained her Junior Elite Competition Team to compete in new dances at weekly dance competitions. The appeal that the show had came from Abby’s unconventional teaching methods and the consistent fights and drama between the mothers of the team members. 

On November 1, the official Dance Moms Instagram (@dancemomstv) posted a photo showing dancers, Chloe Lukasiak, Paige Hyland, Brooke Hyland, Kendall Vertes, Kalani Hilliker, and Jojo Siwa with a caption announcing that a televised reunion is coming in 2024. 

This announcement is not to be confused with other photos that have been virally circulating from Paige’s 23rd birthday party. Paige Hyland, Brooke Hyland, Maddie Ziegler, Mackenzie Ziegler, Chloe Lukasiak, Nia Sioux, and Kendall Vertes, as well as their mothers, pose for a few cute pictures memorializing one of the first times the original team (plus Kendall) have gotten together since they left Dance Moms. 

Much like myself, some of you may be asking, ‘Where’s the rest of the original cast in this aired reunion?’. A question that was quickly answered by a comment posted on the pic by Jojo Siwa stating that all of the girls had received invites, but not all chose to be involved. 

We are also still in the dark as to whether the team members’ mothers will be involved, though I would bet my money on it because it can’t be Dance Moms without the moms.

For avid fans of both the girls and the show, it probably comes as no surprise that Maddy and Mackenzie Ziegler chose not to be involved with the 2024 televised reunion, as they severed ties pretty cleanly after they left the show in 2016 (Season 6). However, the absence of Nia Sioux was a bit more shocking to me. Unlike the Zieglers, since leaving the show in Season 7, Nia has continued to occasionally speak about Dance Moms on social media and keep up with some of the other girls from the show. However, Nia has spoken out about distancing herself from Abby Lee Miller. 

Most of the previous cast members have distanced themselves from Abby Lee Miller as well, with the exception of Jojo and Kalani. Many of them also spoke out about the stress and abuse they endured while filming due to Miller’s teaching style. So, will Abby be involved in the reunion? I highly doubt it. With the intense fallingouts that the majority of the girls had with former coach Miller, I don’t think they would agree to film if she was in attendance. 

More specific dates and further information will surely come either in late 2023 or early 2024. But as a long-time fan, I wait anxiously to see the cast back together again and which (of the many) drama-filled topics they will choose to speak on.

Jess Bayda

U Vic '27

Jess is the President and Campus Correspondent of the University of Victoria’s Her Campus chapter. In this position, she plays a key role in both the writing and editing processes, as well as managing the logistics and operations of the club. Ever since Jess joined Her Campus in September of 2023, she has been dedicated to continually helping the chapter grow and thrive.

As a third-year social work major at the University of Victoria, Jess is committed to creating positive social change through her writing, academics, volunteer, and work. Her experience in community-based settings have given her valuable skills that she uses in managing the club including empathy, leadership, communication, and collaboration.

When she is not immersed in her studies or other Her Campus activities, Jess enjoys spending her time hanging out with friends, reading, going on cold-dips in the ocean, or rewatching her favourite television shows.