Dance Moms "highlights the highs and lows of the competitive dance season as the dancers pursue the ultimate National Dance title." Abby Lee Miller runs the Abby Lee Dance Academy and is a very demanding instructor, however, she has more competition in that area-- her students' mothers.
Two of the most famous dancers to come out of that show were Maddie and Kenzie Ziegler. Kenzie appeared for six seasons on the show while Maddie was on the show from 2011 to 2016.
Since then, the sisters have had a pretty successful career, with Maddie starring in numerous music videos and cameos in films. Kenzie has released music and starred in music videos and on The Masked Dancer. Together, they have toured with each other and other artists and continue to have successful careers.
Are the two still close? Here is an inside look into the sisters' relationship.
7 Their Relationship As Kids
Like any good sibling relationship, the Zieglers had their fights and arguments as kids. Even though they are joined at the hip now, as young children, they did not get along and part of that is due to the rivalry of Dance Moms. When they started on the show, Maddie was eight and Mackenzie was six, and they felt like they missed out on being real kids.
As kids on a dance competition show, they didn't have time to balance school and dance, so their mom hired a tutor to home-school them. Being together all day with no other friends made the sisters resent each other.
6 How 'Dance Moms' Affected Their Relationship
Maddie was one of Miller's favorite students of all-time, and that put a lot of pressure on the other students, especially Mackenzie. It took a toll on her self-esteem. Being around each other constantly only made them argue more and cause them to not really be close. Putting that much pressure on little girls can dramatically affect them. However, looking back at it, they were glad they had each other when going through that time of their life, Maddie recalled in her book, The Maddie Diaries.
5 Leaving Dance Moms And Pursuing Other Aspects
The sisters left the show in 2016 to pursue other career adventures. While they still love dancing, Maddie and Kenzie wanted to branch out. Maddie wanted to pursue acting, while Kenzie was focused on her singing career. Despite going in different directions, the sisters have always been supportive of each other, even more so after leaving the show.
Maddie plugged Kenzie's book and album on her Instagram in 2018, and Kenzie has spoke fondly of her sister. "She's a big inspiration to me and I look up to her. She's just an amazing dancer," Kenzie told Hollywood Wire in 2016. Seems like these young women always have each other's backs.
4 2019 Dance Tour
Despite going separate ways in their careers, the sisters teamed up once again in 2019. Maddie and Kenzie reunited for a quick dance master class tour around the UK in 2019.
They offered dance sessions, Q&A's and meet and greets for their fans. It was for experienced and non-experienced dancers. This tour only solidified their relationship more. Maddie posted behind the scenes footage on her Instagram, which showed them bickering like siblings do but also laughing and goofing around.
3 Typical Sister Relationship
Who doesn't argue with their siblings from time to time? Maddie and Kenzie may fight and annoy each other like siblings do, but they are always there for each other and supporting each other professionally and personally. They go live on Instagram together, play fight, steal each other's clothes and are truly best friends!
2 Kenzie Credits Maddie As Her Inspiration
"She's given me so much good advice and is such a big inspiration to me. And she's doing amazing things," Kenzie told People Magazine. "I'm very glad that I have a sister that's so talented that I can look up to and learn from as well." It's nice to have a big sister to look up to and learn from, especially when they are both navigating the entertainment industry.
1 'Take 20 With Maddie And Kenzie'
Now that they are best friends and love spending time together, the sisters developed a podcast called Take 20 With Maddie and Kenzie. The iHeartRadio podcast is about two sisters spending 45 minutes together talking about everything and anything from their family life, relationships, mental health and random topics. When speaking to E! News, Kenzie admitted that they have to cut a lot because the sisters just start randomly laughing at times.