'Lots of trauma': What all the kids from Dance Moms have said since appearing on the show.

Dance Moms is the show that either made us glad we were never pushed to attend ballet lessons past the age of five or salty we didn’t stick with it.

There’s no doubt about it: the sheer intensity of the US junior competitive dance scene uncovered in Dance Moms  made for an addictive watch.

Were we sometimes jealous of the talents of children a fraction of our age? Absolutely. But did we want to be subjected to the wrath of terrifying dance coach Abby Lee Miller if our pirouettes were slightly off? Hell no.

Take a walk down memory lane and watch the trailer for Dance Moms Season One here. Story continues after video. 

Since the program first premiered in 2011, some of the show's young dancers have been catapulted into the spotlight, while others have kicked off their dancing shoes to take on a different path.

And now with Dance Moms: The Reunion set to air on May 1 in the US (sorry, there's no Australian date as of yet), the girls are all grown up and opening up about their experience on the show. 

From JoJo Siwa defending Abby's controversial teaching methods to Chloé Luasiak admitting that she "should probably go to therapy", here's what the kids from Dance Moms are doing now, and what they've said about the show since appearing on it.

Where is Maddie Ziegler in 2024?

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By far the most recognisable name that came out of Dance Moms, the now 21-year-old Maddie Ziegler skyrocketed into Hollywood when Australian musician Sia cast her—complete with blunt bob wig—in her music videos for 'Chandelier' and 'Elastic Heart'. 

Maddie and her sister Mackenzie Ziegler were noticeably absent from the Dance Moms: The Reunion trailer, resulting in JoJo Siwa and Kendall Vertes calling them out. 

"We would not be here without Dance Moms. It was literally the stepping stone into who we are today," Kendall says to the group of girls.

With JoJo adding: "Them not being here is kind of like, 'Let me erase my past, pretend it never happened, shove it down the drain.' When it’s like—that’s why you are who you are."

Since exiting Dance Moms, Ziegler has acted in Pretty Little Liars, Austin And Ally and The Book of Henry. In 2021, she took on her biggest role yet, alongside Wednesday star Jenny Ortega in The Fallout. That same year, she also played Velma in Steven Spielberg's West Side Story. 

In 2022, she became a property owner in Los Angeles after buying a 1950s cottage in the Nichols Canyon region of Hollywood Hills for a steep AUD$3.4 million. Maddie has been dating Australian musician Eddie Benjamin since 2019. 

"We feed off of each other so much. I think it's so cool that we push each other every day," she told Entertainment Tonight in 2022. "It's cool that we can give each other advice. He's just been so supportive."

Last year, Maddie sat down on High Low with EmRata, where she revealed her mother, Melissa Ziegler-Gisoni, apologised to her for her time on Dance Moms.

"Last year, I was having a really bad panic attack and I called my mum and things were coming up from the past, and she apologised to me," the dancer said.

"She was like, 'I'm so sorry I put you through that.' It's so sad because she would never want to hurt us, but none of us knew how crazy it would get," Ziegler added.

Where is Mackenzie Ziegler in 2024?

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At 19 years old, Maddie's younger sister has carved out her own niche in the entertainment industry as a singer. 

She has since released two albums and performed across several tours. Her latest single, 'Word Vomit' came out last month and the music video has already been viewed over a million times.

She hasn’t turned her back on dancing, though. Since leaving Dance Moms, she appeared on Dancing With The Stars: Juniors and made it to the finals. 

Mackenzie also released her own book in 2019 called Kenzie's Rules for Life: How to Be Happy, Healthy, and Dance to Your Own Beat. Since August 2020, she has been dating American singer Tacoda Dubbs.

Whilst Mackenzie has said little about her relationship, her sister Maddie told the Pretty Basic with Alisha Marie and Remi Cruz podcast in 2021 that they date "a little differently".

"We both have boyfriends," she said. "Me and Kenzie are a little different when it comes to dating. Kenzie’s had so many boyfriends… For me, I’d rather be in a relationship than just dating around. It’s really scary… It’s really hard."

Where is JoJo Siwa in 2024

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JoJo Siwa, 20, appeared on two seasons of Dance Moms, and is now enjoying a successful music career in the US.

Singles 'Boomerang' and 'Kid In A Candy Store' launched JoJo onto the kids' entertainment scene, and made her YouTube channel a hit with over 12 million subscribers. She had an endless range of merchandise items, including clothing, shoes, accessories, dolls, books, and even ice cream, all thanks to a merchandising deal she signed with Nickelodeon. 

Since then, the dancer-turned-singer has somewhat rebranded, releasing an edgy new single 'Karma' in April 2024 to mixed reviews, with some critics claiming the song was originally written for Miley Cyrus. 

Seemingly unphased, Siwa is also busy being a judge on season 18 of So You Think You Can Dance.

In the upcoming reunion, JoJo can be seen defending Abbie's teaching methods, telling the group of girls: "This is going to be a little controversial to say, I think, but, to me, Abby was always right."

"I did interrupt two adults talking. If I was a mess and a beat off, she wasn’t just yelling at me because she wanted to yell at me — I actually was a mess and was a beat off. 

"One thing that I’ve learned really working insane in Hollywood is that that’s normal. And it’s scary that that’s normal, but it taught me how it survive in this industry. It truly is so tough."

In early 2021, JoJo came out as queer, and later added she prefers the term pansexual.

"I never wanted [my coming out] to be a big deal. I’ve known since I was little," she explained to People in April 2021. "Technically, I would say that I am pansexual because that’s how I have always been my whole life is just like, my human is my human."

Where is Chloe Lukasiak in 2024?

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Chloe Lukasiak left Dance Moms in 2014 after her mum had an argument with Abby Lee Miller.

Speaking to People after filming the reunion, Chloe said she realised she "should probably go to therapy" after unpacking everything that happened to her on the show.

"I got things I need to heal from, but it was good to look back and just appreciate. I didn’t expect it at all when they brought up the idea of a reunion. I was just like, 'Yeah, that sounds good.',"

"I think immediately after the show, we all needed our space in some way.

"I think after an emotionally charged environment like that, I think you need to step away, heal, just take time for yourself."

Since exiting the show, the 22-year-old has become a social media influencer, boasting over eight million Instagram followers and a popular YouTube channel.

She has also released her own book, Girl On Pointe: Chloe's Guide to Taking On The World, and she has a budding acting career, scoring a role in the TV movie, Center Stage: On Pointe. In 2018, she also had a role in the popular kid's film, F.R.E.D.I.

The 22-year-old is currently studying marketing and creative writing at Pepperdine University.

In 2022, Chloe went public with her relationship with professional skateboarder and model Brooklinn Khoury. 

"It feels so good for people to just sort of know," she told People. "All of my family and friends have known for quite a while, but to take away that last layer hiding was so freeing."

In November 2020, Brooklinn was involved in a life-altering incident where a family member's dog attacked her. As a result, her "whole top lip and edges of my nose are completely ripped off," she shared in an Instagram post at the time.

Brooklinn now posts about her recovery journey on social media.

Where is Nia Sioux in 2024?

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Nia, 22, was on Dance Moms until the show went on hiatus in 2016.

Since 2018, the 22-year-old has kept herself busy by starring on The Bold and the Beautiful. The budding actress is also working on a few film roles and released a children's book Today I Dance as well as two singles.

Now she studies American Literature at UCLA and also shares her life online to her six million followers.

Nia shared in 2022 that while she keeps herself busy, she's intent on expressing herself online the way she intends to.

"Everything comes with time, and I'm not in a rush to get loads of things done at once," she said, according to Insider.

"I enjoy being confident in my own skin. It took me a really long time to get here, and I'm not gonna let a few comments tear me down, because I'm out here doing what I've always dreamed of doing."

Where is Kalani Hilliker in 2024?

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Kalani was part of Dance Moms for its fourth season when she was 12 years old and later was in Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition in 2013. 

The 23-year-old now runs her own business, Kare By Kalani, where she sells lifestyle, wellness and personal care products. 

In an interview, Kalani shared what it was like being part of the reality show. 

"We never were really allowed to vocalise how we felt," she recalled to E News. "And I definitely held a lot in of how I was feeling and what was going on just because I obviously wanted to be the best."

The dancer, who stepped away from reality TV in 2017, confessed she finally felt like she was "able to move out and be by myself."

"I realised a lot of things that happened to me in my childhood carried with me," she shared. 

Kalani admitted she feels "grateful" following the experience, despite developing anxiety following the show. 

"Obviously, it brought lots of trauma. And we all definitely went through some hard times. And I can't speak for any of them, because we all have our own experiences," she said. 

"But for me, it was really, really hard. And I obviously have anxiety and other things probably stemming from being on the show. But at the end of the day, I'm so grateful for it because I wouldn't be able to advocate for things like mental health or teach dance on the level that I do."

Where is Brooke Hyland in 2024?

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Brooke Hyland, 26, was the 'older' original member of Dance Moms, but left in 2014 following a major fight between her mum and Abby Lee Miller. 

Now, she’s sashayed away from dance altogether.

The 26-year-old attended Ohio University, where she collected degrees in marketing, management information systems and business analytics.

Since graduating, the former reality TV star travelled the world before relocating to California, where she now works as a social media influencer.

Brooke also runs a popular food blog, which she maintains alongside her personal Instagram account.

Where is Paige Hyland in 2024?

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Brooke Hyland's 22-year-old sister Paige doesn’t seem to be dancing anymore, either.

While on Dance Moms, Abby Lee Miller threw a chair at Paige. The 23-year-old later sued her former dance teacher for emotional distress. However, the lawsuit was dismissed.

Since leaving the show, she has turned her career sights to Instagram modelling.

Now working as an influencer, Paige is studying at West Virginia University. 

Can I watch the trailer for Dance Moms: The Reunion

The official trailer for Dance Moms: The Reunion has been officially released by Lifetime. Watch it here, story continues after video. 

When will Dance Moms: The Reunion Be Released? 

The reunion episode will air on May 1, 2024 in the US, but at this stage there is no confirmed Australian release date. 

In the meantime you can catch up with all the old Dance Moms episodes on 9Now. 

This post was originally published on June 5, 2019, and has since been updated with new information.

Feature Image: Instagram @chloelukasiak.