Maddie Ziegler Is Picking Her Battles Carefully Post 'Dance Moms'

When Maddie Ziegler became a cast of Dance Moms, she was just a little girl who loved to dance and whose mom was determined to help her achieve her dreams. She, her family, and the world had no idea how famous and successful he would come and how the show would forever change their lives.

Dance Moms was initially meant to be a short series with only a handful of episodes. However, it quickly became so popular and successful that the showrunner, Lifetime, realized they had struck gold and expanded it into a much longer series. 

By the time Dance Moms finally drew to a close, it had spanned eight seasons and propelled some of its cast into the spotlight, like Ziegler. Now, post the show, the famous dancer spoke about the show's impact on her and revealed that she is picking her battles and being careful about her private life. Here is all she had to say.

Ziegler and her sister, Mackenzie, left Dance Moms midway through season 6 of the show, and it was an exit that shocked many fans of the sisters and the show. Their mother, Melissa Gisoni, made the announcement on their behalf and didn't really explain why they were leaving so suddenly.

However, in a subsequent interview with Entertainment Tonight, she explained why they left and said, "We left in season six because my girls said they didn't want to do it anymore and I said 'OK then we'll leave."

When Ziegler left, she was easily the most popular cast member and the one whose life the show had had the most impact on. Her talent and passion for dancing had caught the eye of Sia, and the two had begun their long-standing performance collaboration. 

Her work with Sia had also exposed Ziegler to an interest in acting. Many of her fans agreed that with her fame and exposure, her exit from the show was imminent as she had simply outgrown the show.

Ziegler spoke about life after leaving Dance Moms in an interview with Margaret Gardiner. She explained that growing up as a star on a reality show, much of her life was displayed on TV, and it was a lot for her to handle. She also shared that it taught her how to handle her private life after leaving the show.

Ziegler said, "And I think now, as I've gotten older, I've learned to keep my privacy to myself and learned to only share special moments with the world. So it's kind of like picking my battles and deciding what and what not I want to share."

This is very understandable to her fans as it certainly wasn't easy for Ziegler to have millions of people watching her life for over 11 years. The dance star also said, "You know I instantly had to grow up and work. And I wouldn't change it because now I'm in an amazing place and it's everything I've dreamed of, but you know, it's a lot of pressure."

Like all reality shows, Dance Moms wasn't perfect; it also had its downsides and after effects, some of which affected Ziegler. Many of its viewers criticized the excessive pressure and stress on the show's young dancers, especially Ziegler. 

In her interview with Gardiner, Ziegler spoke about how the show affected her and said, "There's been so many times where I've wanted to be home and hide and just like, you know, not be seen by the world." Thankfully, she shared that she found her own way to cope, which is being very strict about keeping her personal life very private.

Ziegler's days as a young dance star seem to have finally ended. The former reality TV star has moved on and seems to be doing very well for herself. She was recently a judge on the dance competition show, So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation. 

She has also ventured into an acting career and recently scored roles in the movie "The Fallout," which starred Jenna Ortega and Shailene Woodley, and Steven Spielberg's film "West Side Story." Many of her fans are excited to see their favorite child dance star on screen.

She spoke about being able to combine her love for dancing and her venture into acting with Vogue and said, "What's cool is I — all the movies I've done, I've been able to dance in them as well. So I'm like, it's the best of both worlds. It's my two favorite things, and I get to do it together."