More at the top of the pyramid. Abby Lee Miller had a reputation for turning his students into stars on dance momsbut many of his former partners regret what they had to go through to succeed.
“I had more stress [on the show] than I did when I left. I have dissociated myself from that time so much, ” Maddie Zieglerwho starred on the Lifetime reality show from 2011 to 2016, said Cosmopolitan in June 2022. “It’s weird because there were some really amazing times, but there were also a lot of things that were really, really not great for us kids.”
The West Side Story The actress added that it took her a while to stop tying her self-esteem to winning dance competitions. “My dance teacher taught that if you don’t get the trophy, if you don’t get the crown, you’re less than, which is the worst way to coach a kid. It carries in other life lessons. We were also not allowed to look at our competitors or be friends with them. I had to unlearn a lot of those things,” she explained.
She continued, “I watched a little episode from the very beginning to show my boyfriend [Eddie Benjamin] … And we were both like, ‘This is sad. We need to disable this. “
Miller hit back at Ziegler’s claims the next day, saying the former So you think you can dance the judge felt “at home” in her studio. “I was fighting for everything, for these kids to be the best they could be on television,” the dance teacher said in the video, adding that she was responsible for all of Ziegler’s success. “I know what I did for Maddie, with Maddie, helped her succeed.”
While Miller has defended her controversial teaching methods, often pointing the finger at Abby Lee Dance Company alumni who have become professional dancers, others have alleged that she has done more harm than good.
In October 2014, a lawsuit was filed on behalf of a former student paige hyland (who was 13 at the time) who claimed to have been psychologically abused during his stay at the ALDC. The lawsuit also alleged that Miller pinched students until they bled and “insulted and abused Paige on an almost daily basis, including cruel insults, insults about Paige’s physical appearance, and false and defamatory accusations.” offensive. [sic] about Paige’s family. The lawsuit was dismissed in July 2015.
When Dancing with the stars pro Cheryl Burk replaced Miller in season 8 of dance moms, she claimed the girls were “traumatized” by their experiences working with their former teacher. “The girls are so precious, and I feel like they’re traumatized by what happened with Abby, and it’s important for me to stay strict and do what I do,” said the ballroom dancer. We Weekly in May 2017. “I expect nothing but the best from girls, but it’s also important to me that they feel confident because they are all beautiful and talented.”
Keep scrolling to see everything the cast of Dance Moms has said about Miller over the years:
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