The cast of Dance Moms is reuniting for a special two-hour reunion. The teaser trailer for the upcoming special was released on Wednesday, March 6 and featured some former fan favorites, including Chloe Lukasiak and JoJo Siwa. We’re still a ways away from the special but in the meantime, let’s take a look at what we know together. Here’s everything we know about the upcoming reunion.
When Does The Dance Moms Reunion Air?
Dance Moms: The Reunion will air on Lifetime on Wednesday, May 1 at 8 p.m. EST.
The program will be the first time the girls have collectively sat down on camera to discuss their time at the Abby Lee Dance Company (ALDC).
Sadly, not everybody is making a return. But those that do seem ready to leave it all on the dressing room floor, as they unpack some of the most memorable and shocking moments in the show’s history.
Who’s Returning for the Dance Moms Reunion?
ALDC veterans JoJo Siwa, Chloe Lukasiak, Brooke Hyland, Paige Hyland, Kendall Vertes and Kalani Hilliker are all returning for the upcoming special alongside their mothers. The girls’ former dance teacher Abby Lee Miller is not affiliated with the upcoming special and as far as we know, will not make an appearance at the reunion.
Cast members Maddie Ziegler, Mackenzie Ziegler, and their mother Melissa Gisoni will also not be present. Maddie and Mackenzie have made a conscious effort to distance themselves from the show in recent years.
In 2022, Maddie told Cosmopolitan she cut-off communication with her former dance teacher after she left the show in 2016.
“For the longest time, we felt so guilty. She trained me, she helped me, but also, I knew I would be okay without her and I was sick of being in a toxic environment,” she told the outlet.
In addition to the Zieglers, Nia Sioux and her mother, Dr. Holly Frazier, were absent from the trailer.
In the teaser, JoJo threw shade at her former co-stars for skipping out on the reunion.
“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,” she said.
What Will They Talk About?
The cast will likely touch on a number of topics in the reunion but one topic that seemed to be a focal point is their relationship with Abby.
In the past, Abby has received criticism for how she treated her young dancers. She used unconventional teaching styles, which often included pinning the girls against each other by ranking them on a pyramid and verbally attacking them.
In the trailer, the girls opened up about life under Abby’s thumb.
“I thought I wasn’t enough. In every single way,” Chloe said.
Paige also shared her thoughts on her Abby, stating, “It’s hard to say I forgive her when she did so many nasty things to me.”
In 2014, Paige sued her former dance teacher. According to court documents obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, the lawsuit claimed Abby once threw a chair at Paige while filming. A judge dismissed the case in July 2015 after concluding their wasn’t sufficient evidence.
Is Dance Moms Making a Comeback?
Dance Moms has only grown in popularity since it premiered in 2011. The show is available on streaming sites like Hulu and Disney Plus. Those streamers have introduced a new generation to the controversial series.
Given the success, we wouldn’t be surprised if there was a Dance Moms reboot in the works. Unfortunately, it would have to take place in a different location. According to the New York Post, Abby sold her famous dance studio, located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for $300,000 in 2022.
Abby confirmed the news in a January 2023 Instagram video, telling fans that selling the studio was “bittersweet.”
“I’m not in Pittsburgh teaching,” she said. “I’m all over the world teaching. It was time and I’m very proud to say that my studio, my building … is going to a very great business. It’s going to somebody that needed it, somebody that wanted it.”
Abby’s dance studio may be gone, but the love for Dance Moms is still very much alive. We could see the franchise returning, even if it’s not based in the infamous studio.
However, Lifetime is set to debut the new compilation show, Dance Moms: Epic Showdowns. Each half-hour episode is hosted by Christi Lukasiak, and takes a look back at the series’ most historic moments. It all begins May 1 at 10p/9c, before moving to Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
TELL US – ARE YOU PLANNING TO WATCH DANCE MOMS: THE REUNION? WHO DO YOU WANT TO HEAR FROM THE MOST AT THE REUNION?
