Although it is a significant loss to the Dance Moms world, Abby Lee Miller's favorite dancer is finally moving on from the show. Along with her mother Melissa Gisoni and her sister Mackenzie Ziegler, Maddie is leaving Dance Moms. As Season 6 of the Lifetime show comes to a close, Maddie, who first joined the TV world in Dance Moms Season 1 at the age of 8, has become a bonafide star in her own right. So it's more than time for this 13-year-old dancing diva to make an exit from the drama-filled world of Dance Moms and move on to Hollywood. It's even possible that Hollywood will be a less toxic environment than Dance Moms for the dancer, but what does that mean about a potential Maddie return to Dance Moms in the future, even just for a cameo?
A return seems mildly unlikely, given the big changes in store on the show. The moms of Dance Moms have been living up to their reputations during Season 6 by being particularly harsh to the moms of the Mini dance team, but in addition to Maddie, one mom is going to be out of the picture next season. Melissa tearfully told Abby on the April 12 episode of Dance Moms that her family would be leaving the Abby Lee Dance Company (ALDC) Junior Elite Competition Team. Although this mom and her two daughters leaving Dance Moms will drastically change the landscape of the show, the biggest loss no doubt comes in the form of Maddie, who is one of the most famous dancers in the entertainment world currently.
Dance Moms made Maddie a household name, but after seven seasons, the dancer is ready to breakout and continue elevating her career to new heights. It's still possible that Maddie could stop by for Season 7 of Dance Moms, but here's how you'll still be able to get your fix now that she's done competing weekly with the ALDC.
She's Acting In A Star-Studded New Film
Maddie has made it clear she wants to pursue a career in acting as she already has had TV roles in shows like in Pretty Little Liars , and she's more than keeping up with that goal by starring in director Colin Trevorrow's latest film, The Book of Henry. The movie, which wrapped up filming in November 2015, is a change of pace for Trevorrow who recently directed Jurassic World and is slated to direct the upcoming Star Wars Episode IX film. Maddie stars opposite of Naomi Watts, Lee Pace, Sarah Silverman, and Dean Norris in the film with Watts playing the mother of Jacob Tremblay from Room and Jaeden Lieberher, who previously costarred with Watts in St. Vincent.
She's Judging So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation
Maddie will be back on TV before you even know it. She has been recruited to be a judge on So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation alongside of Jason Derulo, Paula Abdul, and Nigel Lythgoe and it premieres on Monday, May 30. She is pretty much the perfect addition to this iteration of the dance competition series since The Next Generation will focus on young dancers from ages 8 to 13 partnering with So You Think You Can Dance All-Stars.
She's Hanging At New York Fashion Week
Although Maddie has a busy work schedule, she still made time for New York Fashion Week (NYFW) when she was ELLE.com's official correspondent for the Autumn/Winter 2015 event. Her love of fashion has continued and Maddie made sure to be in the front row during the Spring/Summer 2016 Fashion Week. While she might not have been spotted at NYFW during February 2016, I'm fairly certain you'll see Maddie styling at another NYFW in the future.
She's Voicing An Animated Character
Being such an incredibly skilled dancer, it seems counterintuitive that Maddie will only be a voice actor in a movie called Ballerina, but that is exactly what she'll be doing in the animated feature film. Elle Fanning voices the main character of Félicie, an orphan who dreams of becoming a ballerina at the Paris Opera. Maddie's character's name is not available on IMDb, but Variety reports the movie is scheduled to be released in early 2017, so more details about the film should be known soon.
She's Continuing To Collaborate With Sia
Maddie's greatest career move to date has been working with the talented musician Sia in her music videos for "Chandelier," "Elastic Heart," and "Big Girls Cry" — not to mention their numerous live appearances together. Now that Maddie is officially leaving Dance Moms, she has time to continue to work on longer-form projects with Sia, specifically a new feature-length film directed and written by Sia, called Sister. Not much is known about the project, except that I'm massively excited for it.
She's Inspiring Dancers Everywhere
Maddie may be leaving Dance Moms and focusing on acting, but that doesn't mean she'll be forsaking the art form that made her famous. Considering that she's the face of the Capezio dance brand and made the above film "Dance in You" for Capezio in February 2016, she's going to continue to be synonymous with the world of dance. And better yet, as "Dance in You" highlights, she'll hopefully keep inspiring other dancers to pursue their dreams with originality and grace.
Losing Maddie on Dance Moms has become almost inevitable in the last couple of years, but thanks to her incredible talent, she will have wealth of other opportunities beyond the Lifetime show. And I praise the dance gods for that since there's no way I'm emotionally ready to accept Maddie stepping out of the spotlight anytime soon.
