Dance Moms, the notoriously drama-filled show starring Abby Lee Miller, her competition teams, and their moms on their journey each season aired from 2011-2019 and held 8 seasons; all of which have ingrained moments into viewers’ minds and together Dance Moms has become an essential part of pop culture even in 2024, 5 years after the last season aired.
The original competition team changed throughout the 8 seasons, as girls grew or left due to drama and new girls were added. In season 8, a ‘mini team’ as Abby called them was also introduced, adding a new age bracket of Dance Moms girls for fans to adore.
Abby’s goal for her girls was always fame, and many achieved that during their endeavors during and after the show. Many were/ are involved in commercial making, music, acting, and brand owning; Jojo Siwa is a great example of what Abby wanted for the girls.
With Karma just being released; go check out Sidney Wiles’s review of Karma for a more in-depth analysis of the song Karma Bites Back, all eyes were on the girl’s interactions with their former teammate.
The reunion gained traction the minute it was announced, as it curiously dropped very soon after Christi Lukasiak, former dance mom, held her own reunion. It was announced that Brooke and Paige Hyland, along with their mom, Kelly (Seasons 1-4), Kalani Hiliker and her mom, Kira (Seasons 4-8), Kendall Vertes and her mom Jill (Seasons 2-7) and lastly, but most certainly not least, Jojo Siwa and her mom, Jessalyn (Season 4-6 and Jojo appearing in Season 8).
But arguably what’s more interesting is who’s missing from this list: Maddie, Mackenzie, and Melissa Ziegler; the Dance Moms Essentials and Abby’s prized girl, and Chloe and Christi Lukasiak, who were the ones to host the original reunion.
And the biggest surprise, Abby Lee Miller won’t be attending. I guess everybody really is replaceable.
Jojo Siwa was quoted criticizing the cast members not appearing, saying “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.”
Even more controversial than this criticism was one of her later statements in the show, when Siwa stated, “At least for me, Abby was always right.”
She also went on to desrcibe how grateful she was for Abby’s teaching style, accrediting her successes to the tough skin Abby gave her.
The pre-reunion controversy didn’t stop there; as fans saw the girl’s outfit choices, tensions seemed to be brewing when Jojo Siwa, second from the right, seemingly violated an assumed dress code of 3 white and 3 black outfits. Siwa chose instead to wear an off-navy and white short with her face blown up in full Karma makeup, has she learned nothing?
With the girls all together again and Jojo making some… interesting choices, the reunion was highly anticipated by all fans.
At long last, the girls sat in the interview room, and the reunion began.
Throughout the reunion, the girls revealed their experiences while looking at them through an adult lens, giving their fans a new outlook on their experiences on the show.
The reunion is split into a 10-episode series airing every Wednesday. Up to now, 9 have been aired. So far, there have been group interviews, a fitting Jojo Siwa feature, laughs, arguments, and crying; all of which create a mirror experience to that of watching Dance Moms.
All around, The Dance Moms Reunion will likely be long-beloved as one of the coolest ways fans have gotten to experience the show and the girls in a new light, together again, and it’s most certainly worth your watch.
