"Dance Moms" Is Officially 12 Years Old — Here's What The Cast Looks Like Now

    They're ~livin' on the dance floor.~

    Lauren Garafano
    by Lauren Garafano

    BuzzFeed Staff

    It's only been four years since Dance Moms aired its last episode, but it's been a whopping 12 years since the show first premiered in 2011. Here's what the cast is up to these days:

    1. Abby Lee Miller

    Lifetime / @therealabbylee / instagram.com

    Then: The founder and head choreographer at the Abby Lee Dance Company.

    Now: She appeared in the Dance Moms spinoff series, Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition and Dance Moms: Abby's Studio Rescue. Abby first left the original series in 2017 and went to jail for felony bankruptcy fraud. She was also diagnosed with Burkitt lymphoma, and in 2019 announced she was finally cancer-free. She returned to Dance Moms and continued her role as choreographer. In 2020, Abby Lee officially left the series. 

    Follow her on IG here. 

    2. Maddie Ziegler

    Lifetime / @maddieziegler / instagram.com

    Then: An 8-year-old dancer at ALDC and Abby's absolute favorite student.

    Now: She became Sia's musical muse and appeared in a number of music videos like "Chandelier," "Elastic Heart," "Cheap Thrills," and "The Greatest." Maddie also starred in Sia's controversial film Music. She's also appeared in To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You, Austin & Ally, Pretty Little Liars, and plays Velma in Steven Spielberg's West Side Story remake, out in December. She's also had a number of other successful projects like a memoir called The Maddie Diaries, a Morphe makeup palette, and a Fabletics line. 

    Follow her on IG here. 

    3. Mackenzie Ziegler

    Lifetime / @kenzie / instagram.com

    Then: A 6-year-old dancer at ALDC, best known for wishing she didn't have to dance and could stay home and eat chips instead.

    Now: Kenzie has started acting and singing. She released her first album, Phases, in 2018 and has since collaborated with Sia on a song called "Exhale." She starred in the Brat TV series Total Eclipse and competed on The Masked Dancer.

    4. Melissa Gisoni

    Lifetime / @melissagisoni / instagram.com

    Then: Maddie and Mackenzie's mom, who saw herself as a second mom to all the ALDC girls.

    Now: She's still Maddie and Mackenzie's mom (lol), and she currently hosts a podcast called Because Mom Said So with fellow dance moms Holly Hatcher-Frazier, Kelly Hyland, and Jill Vertes. 

    Follow her on IG here. 

    5. Chloé Lukasiak

    Lifetime / @chloelukasiak / instagram.com

    Then: A 9-year-old dancer at ALDC who was portrayed as Maddie's biggest competition in the group. 

    Now: Chloé left the series after Season 4 and continued dancing at Studio 19 Dance Complex. She also appeared in a few episodes of Season 7 as a guest star when she joined The Irreplaceables team. She started a successful YouTube channel, wrote a book, created a book club, acted in a few movies like The Message and Loophole, and started college at Pepperdine. 

    Follow her on IG here.

    6. Christi Lukasiak

    Lifetime / @christilukasiak / instagram.com

    Then: Chloé's mom, who constantly fought with Abby over her favoritism of Maddie.

    Now: Along with Chloé, Christi left Dance Moms after Season 4. She has since become an influencer and YouTuber. She also hosts a podcast called Christi's Couch and is the founder of Adulting 101, which is a membership with courses focused on "empowering Gen Z women around the world to take control of their lives, leverage their unique talents, and be the independent, fierce, young women they have always dreamed of being." 

    Follow her on IG here. 

    7. Nia Sioux Frazier

    Lifetime / @niasioux / instagram.com

    Then: A 9-year-old dancer at ALDC, best known for the death drop.

    Now: She joined The Irreplaceables team after leaving ALDC. She starred on Brat TV's Sunnyside Up and just started a new series called Dance With Nia. She appeared on The Bold and the Beautiful back in 2018 and released a single called "Slay." She's also a YouTuber and hosts a podcast called Adulting with her close friend Teala Dunn. She currently attends UCLA. 

    Follow her on IG here. 

    8. Holly Hatcher-Frazier

    Lifetime / @dancemomholly / instagram.com

    Then: Nia's "Michelle-Obama-lookalike" mom and the smartest mom of the bunch. 

    Now: She wrote a book called Moments of Clarity: Daily Affirmations from Dr. Holly and appeared on The Bold and the Beautiful alongside Nia. She also co-hosts the Because Mom Said So podcast. 

    Follow her on IG here. 

    9. Brooke Hyland

    Lifetime / @brookehyland / instagram.com

    Then: A 13-year-old dancer at ALDC and an acrobatic queen. 

    Now: After losing interest in dance, Brooke left the show when she was 16 and went back to high school to get the experience she always wanted. Right now she runs a food blog on Instagram. She also graduated from Ohio State in 2019 and moved to Austin, Texas.  

    Follow her on IG here. 

    10. Paige Hyland

    Lifetime / @paigehyland1 / instagram.com

    Then: A 10-year-old dancer at ALDC who never fully got the spotlight she deserved. 

    Now: After the show, she distanced herself from ALDC and dancing, but she remains friendly with the rest of the girls. She's currently a college student at West Virginia University. 

    Follow her on IG here.

    11. Kelly Hyland

    Lifetime / @kellylhyland / instagram.com

    Then: Brooke and Paige's mom, who was one of Abby's former students. 

    Now: Kelly also distanced herself from the ALDC world and was involved with a few legal battles against Abby and the show's producers. She also co-hosts the Because Mom Said So podcast. 

    Follow her on IG here. 

    12. JoJo Siwa

    Lifetime / @itsjojosiwa / instagram.com

    Then: A 9-year-old dancer at ALDC best known for her iconic bows. 

    Now: After Dance Moms, JoJo's career soared. She started singing, acting, and vlogging, which gained her over 12 million YouTube subscribers. She also has a number of JoJo-themed products like bows, dolls, bedding, board games, makeup, and even ice cream. She's written several books and appeared on many TV shows, including The Masked Singer, where she was revealed to be T. rex. She even has an upcoming Peacock show called The Siwa Dance Pop Revolution. In 2020, JoJo was named one of Time's Most Influential People. 

    Follow her on IG here. 

    13. Jessalynn Siwa

    Lifetime / @jessalynnsiwa / instagram.com

    Then: JoJo's mom and former dance studio owner and instructor. 

    Now: After the series, Jessalynn joined JoJo on tour and continued to support her thriving career. She hosts a podcast called Success With Jess, where JoJo and her other children are frequent guests, and has a rhinestone line called Bling Bitz. She and JoJo are also set to star in The Siwa Dance Pop Revolution, a new Peacock series where they find the "next big music group." 

    Follow her on IG here.

    14. Kendall Vertes

    Lifetime / @kendallvertes / instagram.com

    Then: A 9-year-old dancer at ALDC who joined the team later on in Season 2 to replace Vivi-Anne.

    Now: Kendall has pivoted to acting and singing after leaving the show. She was also a member of The Irreplaceables team after leaving ALDC and toured with the group. She's appeared in Rapunzel: A Princess Frozen in Time, Santa in Training, and a live-action remake of Anastasia. She's also released several singles and an EP under the name Kendall K. 

    Follow her on IG here. 

    15. Jill Vertes

    Lifetime / @jillvertes / instagram.com

    Then: Kendall's mom, who originally never got along with the rest of the moms but slowly became a true ride-or-die friend. 

    Now: Since the series, Jill appeared in The Irreplaceables: Dance Movie along with her daughter Kendall. She's taken a step back from the spotlight but still co-hosts the Because Mom Said So podcast. 

    Follow her on IG here. 

    16. Vivi-Anne Stein

    Lifetime / @internetviv_ / instagram.com

    Then: A 6-year-old dancer at ALDC, the youngest on the competition team.

    Now: Vivi is still dancing and competing but not as intensely as she did at ALDC.

    Follow her on IG here.

    17. Cathy Nesbitt-Stein

    Lifetime / @cathynesbittsteinofficial / instagram.com

    Then: Vivi's mom and Candy Apples Dance Center owner/instructor — also Abby's nemesis.

    Now: Cathy is still a dance instructor at Candy Apples Dance Center. She also has a YouTube channel called "The Cathy Show," where she makes vlogs and participates in various internet challenges. 

    Follow her on IG here. 

    18. Kalani Hilliker

    Lifetime / @kalanihilliker / instagram.com

    Then: A 13-year-old dancer at ALDC who joined the team after competing on Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition.

    Now: After the series, Kalani continued dancing. She began modeling and acting as well, starring in the Brat TV show Dirt. She was also a touring member of The Irreplaceables team. Kalani has a sock line at Claire's and a prom dress line, which she helped design with PromGirl. 

    Follow her on IG here. 

    19. Kira Girard

    Lifetime / @kiragirard / instagram.com

    Then: Kalani's mom, who desperately wanted to spend more time with her family instead of spending all day at the studio. 

    Now: After the series, Kira stepped away from the dance world to spend more time with her family. She frequently posts about fashion and fitness on her Instagram.  

    Follow her on IG here.