‘Dance Moms’: 1 Original Dancer Wanted to Quit Before the Show Started
To say that the success of Dance Moms was unexpected is a definite understatement. The wildly popular reality TV show was originally supposed to be a docuseries. However, when Lifetime executives saw the initial footage, they encouraged the cast and crew to film more than the agreed-upon six episodes. Ultimately, the show became a huge success.
The ‘Dance Moms’ cast became overnight celebrities because of the show
Naturally, the popularity of Dance Moms had a huge effect on the original cast. They went from being ordinary moms and dancers to public figures. It wasn’t long before they had scores of fans greeting them at dance competitions. And some of them were even being recognized in their day-to-day lives.
Part of what made Dance Moms so entertaining (aside from the drama) were the dancers themselves. The six original members of the Abby Lee Dance Company Junior Elite Competition Team all had a passion and talent for dance. However, for one dancer, that passion was dwindling before the show even began filming.
Brooke Hyland wanted to quit dance before the show even started filming
In a recent TikTok video, Brooke Hyland revealed that she wanted to leave dance behind before she was cast on Dance Moms. As the oldest original dancer on the show, she’d already committed over a decade of her life to the ALDC before the show premiered.
“I started dancing when I was 2 and quit when I was like 16, I want to say,” Hyland explained to Dance Moms fans. “And I was dancing so much. Even before the show I was dancing a lot and was already like: ‘Nah I don’t wanna do this, I wanna do cheerleading.'” Continuing on, Hyland shared that her passion for dance continued to dwindle once she started filming the show.
Hyland just wanted to be a regular teenager
“And then when the show started, it was dancing even more all the time,” the Dance Moms alum recalled. “We were leaving school early to go film and we were traveling every weekend. And I was missing out on childhood things, like going out to football games, hanging out with my friends. I was sad. I wanted to do those things. So essentially dance, I loved it at one point, but it no longer was a passion by the end. It was more so a job.”
Mackenzie Ziegler wanted to quit ‘Dance Moms’ to play soccer
Fortunately, Hyland was able to have more normalcy after she exited Dance Moms in season 4. And Hyland was hardly the only dancer who wanted to quit dance at some point. Mackenzie Ziegler, who was the youngest original member of the ALDC team, also wanted to throw in the towel. On an episode of Pretty Basic with Alisha Marie and Remi Cruz, the “Donuts” singer revealed that she wanted to quit the show in favor of another hobby.
“I literally tried getting out of it to play soccer and I couldn’t they wouldn’t let me,” Ziegler shared. Like Hyland, Ziegler also exited Dance Moms in Season 6. But unlike Hyland, Ziegler hasn’t given up dance altogether and still enjoys it recreationally on occasion.
