As a gift for surviving the long year that was March of 2020, Hulu and Lifetime collaborated to give us some seasons of the iconic reality show Dance Moms. Unfortunately the show in its entirety is not available on Hulu (but it can be found on Lifetime). Luckily as a long time lover/hater of the show, I’ve seen it all, so the four seasons are just enough to satisfy my need for trashy reality TV without consuming all my free time.
The girls from Dance Moms have become globally recognizable with Jojo Siwa and Maddie Ziegler being considered the most commercially successful. Others have found success after the show including Nia Sioux.
I am not afraid to say that Nia is my favorite girl and, frankly, someone I look up to. So with nothing else to do right now, allow me to indulge myself and you all in an appreciation article all about the only OG member to last through all seven seasons.
Since her time on the show Nia has been in several stage productions, continued producing new music, and taken her brand to new heights.
During the hiatus between Dance Moms seasons six and seven, Nia joined the cast of Trip of Love, a 1960s inspired off-Broadway dance show. During the holiday season of 2018 Nia played the Princess in the North Carolina Theatre production of Aladdin and His Winter Wish alongside other notable television and film stars. Nis talked a lot on Dance Moms about her hopes and dreams of performing on stage. Seeing her accomplish that made me oddly proud of a girl I don’t know.
Nia has also continued making music, something fans will remember stirring up a lot of drama on Dance Moms. However, Nia also has a passion for her music and has not stopped pursuing that dream despite the criticism she dealt with during the show. She also has capitalized on the identity she created through her music by expanding her social identity. She has modeled extensively and been invited to multiple events including The Lion King and Mulan premieres. Through being seen at events like this she continues to market herself as a mature performer who is able to blend and adapt, something she learned from the different personas she tested and honed through her early music career.
Nia also had a recurring role on the soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful sharing the screen with legendary performer Wayne Brady and stars in Sunnyside Up on Brat TV.
Despite all these amazing and wonderful achievements, I admire Nia simply for who she is. From her first appearance on the ALDC team to her daily Insta posts, Nia just seeps kindness, intelligence, drive, and love. She is constantly seen on the show comforting and supporting other girls as well as spent seven seasons and her current spare time now working on her craft and honing her skills. She lifts others up like through her weekly role model posts and spreads love to her friends, family, and fans in every post. I admire Nia because I have watched her work hard and persevere for years, all with a smile on her face and love in her heart.