Before 'Rasing Asia,' She Shook Up 'Dance Moms'

Like lots of little girl out there, I once dreamed of becoming a famous dancer because I wanted a real life scenario where people threw flowers at me because I was that good. However, I was blessed with two left feet and my dance career never achieved its full potential. In lieu of that, I've chosen to live vicariously through episodes of Dance Moms filled with so much drama they might burst. Needless to say, I was more than a little excited when Lifetime announced the spinoff Raising Asia, featuring the adorable Asia Monet Ray. We've only just begun experiencing her new show and her rise to fame, but we can't forget where Asia came from. Let's take a quick stroll down Dance Moms memory lane.

Asia first appeared on Abby's Ultimate Dance Contest at the age of 6 and she was the youngest on the show that season. Though she didn't come out on top in the end, she was very much a fan favorite and placed third overall. It was only a natural progression for her to join the Abby Lee Dance Company.

She makes her big Dance Moms debut towards the beginning of the show's enormous third season, and when Abby announces that Asia is joining the company, the other girls react like they're best friend is finally allowed to sleepover. The moms react like Asia set fire to the family's garage with the minivan inside. Asia's fearless mom, Kristie, makes it clear that Asia is there to stay, and more importantly she's there to dance under Abby's guidance. In her first Abby Pyramid, Asia ends up at the top and if she was on Twitter back then, her hashtag would have been #blessed.

Right from the start, Asia has a subtle face-off with Mackenzie because only one tiny dancer can reign supreme. It's really just a Mom rivalry, because Mackenzie's mom, Melissa, doesn't think there can be two little 7-year-olds in any group. Conveniently, Mackenzie is suffering from a foot injury for basically the entire season, and the Moms wonder if it's intentional, so the two dancers never have to go head to head. Melissa is also pretty peeved because Asia often outshines her other daughter, Maddie. It's always shocking to learn strange unspoken dance rules. The Dance Moms sometimes treat everything like it's Fight Club.

Though she only stayed for nine episodes of Season 3, Asia was a star performer and a force to be reckoned with right from the beginning, and her incredible stage presence shows. Sometimes it shows too much. In one episode Abby rips into her, saying that her noticeable lip-syncing ruined the entire routine. However, Asia still placed first at the competition. Abby Lee, known for her ridiculous tough love, enjoyed having Asia around, stating that she brought "sass... and a tremendous work ethic" to all her routines.

Sadly, at the end of Season 3, Kristie announced that Asia was retiring from competitive dancing. She was heading off to LA to pursue her dreams of stardom. And it seems she achieved them, as Asia now has her own reality series and released her debut album, Asia Monet.

I think we can all agree that Asia might actually be the incarnation of Wonder Woman at just 9 years old.

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