ALDC No More: Why Did 'Dance Moms' Come to An End on Lifetime?

In 2011, viewers were introduced to the world of children's competitive dance through the lens of a small yet well-regarded dance studio in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Dance Moms followed the Abby Lee Dance Company, formed and headed by Abby Lee Miller. The idea behind it was more so meant to focus on the difficult relationships between the mothers themselves, in addition to their ups and downs with Abby. However, over time, things shifted as viewers began to see how big Abby's personality was.

The series quickly became known for Abby's brash behavior. She yelled almost indiscriminently, save for the students who she showed obvious favoritism towards. This favoritism, combined with the devaluing of a few of the other girls on the team, created more friction between the mothers. With an unending wealth of drama to pull from, it seemed like this series was one that could last forever, but alas, things did not turn out that way. Why did Dance Moms end after eight seasons on Lifetime?

Dance Moms, as a series, faced plenty of controversy throughout the series run. During Season 2, there was an episode that was completely shelved after airing, which featured a dance in which the girls used feathered fans to create the illusion of nudity, something both their own mothers and the fans had major, yet very reasonable, issues with. This, in addition to multiple other examples of Abby's behavior, both on and offscreen, is what led to the series' demise. Abby Lee Miller was her own worst enemy.

Many of the young women who started out in the original series have since spoken out about the toxic environment Abby Lee Miller created at her dance studio. Her racial bias came out clearly when it came to her Black dancers, as Nia Soux's solo dances were almost always either jungle-themed or something associated with the stereotypes that surround Black Americans. After doing jail time for bankruptcy fraud, Abby attempted to make a comeback, but it was canceled before it ever got to air.

Abby made an attempt to revive her own Dance Moms series in 2020, but accusations of racism from one of the Black dancers on the team ultimately led to the show being shelved. Now, four years later, fans have the opportunity to watch a newer and hopefully improved iteration of the series. Hulu's Dance Moms: A New Era follows Gloria "Glo" Hampton, who holds the reins as studio head and choreographer for Studio Bleu, where she trains and guides young dancers in the world of competitive dance.