‘Dance Moms’ Nia Sioux Feels She Was ‘Never Wanted from Day One’
When Nia Sioux Frazier first begged her mom, Dr. Holly Hatcher-Frazier to let her audition for the docuseries that would eventually become Dance Moms, her mom agreed with one caveat. Holly explained that they could try out for the show, but declared that they would never be chosen because they were “too boring.” But Holly’s prediction ended up being incorrect and Nia and her mom would eventually become the longest-running cast members on the hit Lifetime reality TV show.
Nia was an official member of the Abby Lee Dance Company Junior Elite Competition Team from season 1 through season 7. While it was clear that Nia was a hard worker and had a knack for performing, her experience on Dance Moms was far from ideal. Nia was often critiqued for her technique, got subpar choreography, and spent most of her time on the show at the bottom of the infamous pyramid.
Nia Sioux had a difficult experience on ‘Dance Moms’
When Nia was given opportunities, she and Holly often had to fight tooth and nail to get roles where she wasn’t being typecast or pigeonholed. Though Nia proved herself a great featured performer in group dances, her opportunities were few and far between. And, when Nia began pursuing other opportunities outside of Dance Moms, she often didn’t have the full support of her teammates and their mothers.
As Nia was the only Black team member on the show until season 7, she also had to deal with being othered and excluded as well. Her dance teacher, Abby Lee Miller, was no stranger to making comments that were offensive. And the Dance Moms producers always found a way to ham up those moments for the show. Overall, Nia’s experience on the reality TV show was less than stellar. So why did she stick it out for so long? In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, the actor got candid about why.
Why the ‘Star in Your Own Life’ singer never quit the show
“On the show, I felt like I was never wanted from day one — never wanted,” Nia shared about her Dance Moms experience. “But me, being the person that I am, I don’t let people see me fail or like get the best of me, you know. Like I’m like just because someone doesn’t — just because people or someone doesn’t want me here that makes me want to stay even more. So honestly, that was the incentive. Like I didn’t want anyone making me out to be inferior because I’m not.”
Nia gets real about being the only Black girl in the ‘Dance Moms’ cast
Continuing on, Nia shared that it was important for her to stick out her Dance Moms experience because of her race. “Also because I was the only Black girl on the show, I wasn’t about to like quit and you know somebody say ‘Oh you know like the only Black girl on the show wasn’t good or anything, no,” the singer shared. “Like I’m gonna stay. Like I deserve to be here just as much as everyone else. At times, like it did like — I got knocked down like really, really, badly. And, you know, sometimes I would consider like ‘Do I really want to do this?’ and then I think about it I’m like no like I’ve made it this far, like why would I stop now?”
The amount of resilience that Nia displayed during her time on Dance Moms is impressive. Certainly, she’ll be able to use that as she continues to pursue a career in entertainment.
