Characters / Dance Moms

The Moms

As A Whole

• Action Mom: They can all be.
• Almighty Mom: They won't hesitate to go on Abby if she does something very wrong to their daughters.
• Badass Crew: The moms, they do have their moments.
• Blue-and-Orange Morality: The Season 8 moms have this problem, with their unity lasting only moments before something happens and they suddenly take sides. Even the moms who try to stay out of it aren't immune.
• Cat Fight: Oh damn.....
• Coattail-Riding Relative: Accompany their girls over to Abby's and her sessions.
• Doting Parent: They always make sure their daughters are fine and go along with their whims where appropriate.
• Helicopter Parents: The moms frequently argue with Abby about their daughters' progress. The dancers hate it because they'd suffer the consequence, but some never learn.
• My Beloved Smother: They could act like this at times, but Abby thinks they act like this all the time.
• Stage Mom: Every. Freaking. One of them!
• So Proud of You: After a competition.
• Wouldn't Hurt a Child: They have each other to take it out on.

Tricia Farrar

The mother of Brady Farrar.

• Nice Girl: When the other moms weren't on her case about Brady, she was shown to be kind and supportive towards the girls and other moms.
• Only Sane Woman: She's generally the most level-headed of the season 8 moms.

Joanne Paolantonio

The mother of GiaNina Paolantonio.

• Animal-Eared Headband: She and GiaNina both love to wear cat-eared headbands.
• Break the Haughty: Learns the hard way that GiaNina's past experience in film and onstage can't speak for itself in Abby's studio.
• It's All About Me: Or about her daughter, at least; she will take any opportunity to brag about GiaNina's career highlights (but don't call it bragging).
• Joisey: Has a fairly pronounced New Jersey accent.

Ann Colin

The mother of Hannah Colin.

• Amazingly Embarrassing Parents: Often makes Hannah groan or blush during their talking heads.
• Fragile Flower: Cries constantly, according to the girls.
• Token Religious Teammate: She's the most religious mom to be on the show since Christy Hunt.
• Voice for the Voiceless: Believes she has no choice but to be this for Hannah, who, according to her, has a hard time ordering her own meal at a restaurant.

Stacey Ketchman

The mother of Lilliana Ketchman.

• Arch-Enemy: To Yolanda.^note At least, for show purposes they are. Whether they've since made up or never actually hated each other in the first place, this reaction video with Lilly and Ellie shows that they're pretty much fine with each other.
• Power Dyes Your Hair: As one of the mini team moms in season 7, her hair was blond; as the only season 8 mom to have been on the show before, her hair is dark brown.
• The Shrink: She is a psychiatrist by trade.

Ashley Hosbach

The mother of Pressley Hosbach.

• Deadpan Snarker: She has the funniest talking head scenes of the season 8 moms.
• Fake Boobs: The season 8 reunion special revealed her "boobs" weren't all that they seemed.

• Glory Days: She used to be a Knicks City Dancer.

Michelle Georgiana

The mother of Sarah Georgiana.

• Blue Collar Hero: She's very proud of her Pittsburgh upbringing.
• Butt-Monkey: Out of the season 8 moms, suffered the most under Abby's thumb.
• Fashionable Asymmetry: Abby hates her longer-on-one-side haircut.
• The Scapegoat: The moms blame her for not telling off Sarah's old studio after they start to make trouble for the ALDC. Sarah tries to convince them that Studio 19 will be evil regardless of what Michelle does or does not do, but they don't believe her.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: At least once an episode in the back-half of the season.

Erin Kristich

The mother of Savannah Kristich.

• Gave Up Too Soon: Fans believe Savannah was a serious contender and lament Erin's decision to remove her from the team.
• Nervous Wreck: Even watching Savannah in rehearsal gave her the shakes.
• Quick Nip: Likes to sneak alcohol into competitions in a flask disguised as a tube of sunscreen, which Savannah is none too pleased about.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: She refused to show up or bring Savannah when Abby revealed Yolanda would be returning. Only time will tell if it's permanent.

Yolanda Walmsley

The mother of Elliana Walmsley, she has a big controversy going on with Stacey. Abby invited her back needing a new dancer on the team.

• Arch-Enemy: To Stacey.
• Axe-Crazy: She seems nice, but the other moms accuse her of this due to her explosive temper and the few times she's gotten physical.
• Control Freak: Even more so than the other moms, who let Abby deliver most of the corrections and threats of dismissal. Yolanda feels the need to repeat these to Elliana after Abby has already delivered them.
• Education Mama: She has to spend a couple of weeks getting Elliana's homeschooling schedule in order before they can join the team for regular rehearsals.
• The Friend Nobody Likes: She has a tendency to rub everyone the wrong way, but those who have no personal issues with her are willing to act nice or get along.
• Jumped at the Call
• Sixth Ranger: her and her daughter are this to the team.

The Dancers

As a whole

• Age-Inappropriate Dress: Appears to have been toned down a little, but elements of it are still there.
• Heroic BSoD: Whenever a girl forgets her solo.
• Wacky Parent, Serious Child: They are focused dancers, while their moms are bickering.

Brady Farrar

Brady is the son of Tricia and the first permanent male on Abby's team.

• The Ace: In terms of technique, he easily ranks among the top ALDC dancers in the show's history, up there with Sophia. Off-show, he's won prestigious competitions like The Dance Awards and the Youth America Grand Prix (the latter is one of the most important classical ballet competitions in the world).^note In 2022 he joined the Studio Company of the American Ballet Theatre — aka the best ballet company in the country.
• Ambiguously Gay: According to Tricia, many people have questioned the 14-year-old Brady's sexuality.
• The Bus Came Back: Abby sent him home midway through the season, only to bring him back a few weeks later.
• Fan-Preferred Couple: With Pressley.
• The Heart: without him in the group, the girls aren't able to come together as smoothly as they did when he was there. He was also supportive towards the other girls and had become good friends with them.
• Military Brat: His father served in Iraq.
• The Smurfette Principle: Inverted, as he is the only male dancer to have ever been featured on the show.
• Tall Poppy Syndrome: Tricia believes he is the victim of this, in the form of jealousy from the other moms.
• Teacher's Pet: Accused of this by the moms because of Abby giving him a solo or making him the lead in a group dance, and because she didn't chew him out for mistakes as harshly as they thought she would their own kid.
• Wise Beyond Their Years: Often the voice of reason on his team.

GiaNina Paolantonio

GiaNina is the daughter of Joanne and one of the girls selected to join Abby's new team in season 8.

• AcCENT upon the Wrong SylLABle: The correct way to pronounce her name is jee-ah-NEE-nah. Abby seems to find this too complicated, sometimes changing it to zha-NEE-nah or, sarcastically, JEE. AH. NEE. NAH.
• Experience Entitlement: Admittedly, her pre-show CV is pretty impressive, but she and her mother seem to believe she automatically deserves special treatment from Abby because of it.
• In Memoriam: Dedicates her lyrical solo "Snowflake" to her deceased grandmother.
• Never My Fault: If she loses, it's because Abby's choreography is weak. If she makes a flub in a group dance, it's because the girls tried to confuse her. If Abby thinks she has a bad attitude, it's because the moms twisted her words.
• The Prima Donna: Implied as much as in the aptly named episode "The Broadway Brat."

Hannah Colin

Hannah is the daughter of Ann and one of the girls selected to join Abby's new team in season 8.

• Embarrassing Nickname: Called "Hannah Banana," or simply "Banana," by Ann. A cashier who overheard this believed her name was actually Banana!
• The Quiet One: At least at first, especially whenever she is confronted by Abby, and her mother Ann makes it sound like it's been a problem since Hannah's childhood.
• Shrinking Violet: Began as The Quiet One whenever Abby goes on her hard.

Lilliana Ketchman

Lilliana is the daughter of Stacey who has been with Abby since the latter half of season 6 as a member of her mini-team. After it disbanded she was brought onto the elite team. She returned in Season 8 to be part of Abby's new team.

• The Ace: For most of seasons 6 and 7, Lilly is considered a standout among the minis, and Abby clearly favors her as the only permanent girl on the team who's returned.
• Contortionist: One of the most talented acro dancers at the ALDC.
• Facial Dialogue: She's especially good at some of Abby's creepier choreography.
• Pint-Sized Kid: Stacey admits in one episode that she requires growth hormones.

Pressley Hosbach

Pressley is the daughter of Ashley and one of the girls selected to join Abby's new team in season 8.

• Cheerful Child: Her smile is positively infectious.
• Fan-Preferred Couple: With Brady.

Sarah Georgiana

Sarah is the daughter of Michelle and one of the girls selected to join Abby's new team in season 8.

• The Chew Toy: As the victim of her mother's constant bickering with Abby, it's fair to describe her as the new Chloe.

Savannah Kristich

Savannah is the daughter of Erin and one of the girls selected to join Abby's new team in season 8. Her mom pulled her out following the Walmsleys being invited back.

• The Rival: To Elliana, according to Erin.

Elliana Walmsley

Elliana is Yolanda Walmsley's daughter. With the departure of Brady, Abby called on her to try to motivate the team to improve.

• The Ace: She isn't without her flaws, but she is considered to be enough of a threat to the others. She learned a dance and practiced it on competition day and came in first!
• Brought Down to Normal: Abby believes Elliana has lost some of her technique during the two years she was away from the ALDC, and is no longer the reliable winner she was.
• The Rival: To Savannah, according to Erin.
• Those Two Girls: The dancers think Elliana and GiaNina are this, to the exclusion of others.

Dance Studios

Abby Lee Dance Company

Abby Lee Miller

Owner of the Abby Lee Dance Company studio in Pittsburgh, Pennslyvania.

• Alpha Bitch: While Cathy may seem to be one to her, she proved herself to be the bigger one.
• Apathetic Teacher: Essentially in season 6 all the way up to her departure. Despite literally living in the studio, there have been multiple times when she has refused to teach the girls, once literally locking them out of the studio and has said on more than one occasion that she doesn't want to be there. It continued until 6.5's end to where the elites came back.
• Arch-Enemy: Served as this to Kelly after she was kicked out of the ALDC. The lawsuit she was involved in due to her didn't help.
  • Also served as this to Christi and Chloe, the latter due to what amounts to Training from Hell and invoking Always Second Best because of her favoritism for Maddie... which became a Heroic BSoD at the end of Season 4. Fortunately, Chloe gets better to where she returns to competing as of the mid-Season 7 finale.
• Asshole Victim: She perceives herself this way due to the producers, so much so that it's officially become Screw This, I'm Outta Here and publicly resigning from the show. She's even named one of them Satan.
• Berserk Button: Many of them.
  • Questioning and arguing with her about her teaching. (Jill learned this the hard way.)
  • Thinking that any mom is trying to take over the studio.
  • Crying. In her own words "Save your tears for the pillow" should give you a hint.
  • Being told what to do by the producers.
  • Swearing. It's a big one for her. More specifically, the "f" word.
  • Don't rip on one of her students. Especially while they're dancing on stage.
• Big Bad: Any signs of Big Good faded away after season 4, as she favored and continued to talk about Maddie even after she left. Unfortunately it came to bite her back in the ass with Maddie's book.
• Deadpan Snarker: Although she's not the prime source of snark on the show, not even close...
• Determinator: Her mission is to push her dancers to be the best and win as many competitions as possible, no matter what the cost.
• Evil Sounds Raspy: The "evil" part is debatable due to Alternative Character Interpretation, but her voice is very much raspy after years of straining it.
• Fat Bastard: Most of the moms in Candy Apples and some other disenchanted ones see her this way.
• Heel–Face Revolving Door: She was stuck on "heel" before her departure.
• Heroic RRoD: Although the "heroic" part isn't the most accurate, season 5 in its entirety was one for Abby. In the episodes we've seen so far, she experiences emotional, mental and sometimes physical breakdowns.
• Hot-Blooded: Combined with Hair-Trigger Temper at times.
• Hypocritical Heartwarming: During auditions in season 4, one of the mothers of a girl who was auditioning criticized Paige's turns. Abby immediately jumped to Paige's defense, and kicked the girl who was auditioning and her mother out of the audition.
• It's All About Me: Full stop.
• Jerkass Has a Point: In "Brooke's Turning Point". She does have a point where Brooke should've told her about cheerleading tryouts instead of just being a no-show for rehearsal. She obviously doesn't go about it in the best possible way.
• Karma Houdini: Mostly due to Manipulative Editing, as because of it she got away with a lot of things.
• Large Ham: The largest within the entire series.
• Manipulative Bitch: Very much so.
• Mean Boss: Threatened to fire Gianna in season 3 if she choreographed a solo for Brooke.
• Profanity Police: She despises any form of swearing. Especially the "f word". She isn't afraid to pull dances and or kick any of the mom's out for swearing.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: At times.
• Sadist Teacher: Her morality towards the team is becoming more foggy and more twisted by the episode, it seems.
• Sanity Slippage: Bizarrely due to the way she felt the producers forced her to do things she didn't want to do throughout seasons 5 through 7.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Very publicly resigned from the show as of March 26, 2017.
• Stern Teacher: It didn't start out that way though...
• Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Like everyone else that passed through her doors, she did start out sugar sweet.
• Villain Protagonist: First it was speculative, now it's almost certain throughout the whole fanbase.
• Weirdness Magnet: She did attract some cuckoos throughout the seasons.
  "What is it about me? Why do I attract all the crazy ones?"

Gianna Martello

Abby's assistant choreographer who started as one of her students, winning titles and awards, before discovering at the age of 16 that she also had a passion for teaching dance when she taught alongside Abby as well as by herself.

• Brainy Brunette: Abby relied on Gianna to choreograph the dance numbers, so whenever an "Abby original" comes up, it's mostly due to Gianna.

• Not So Above It All: In the later seasons, she is just as rude to the girls and mothers as Abby.
• Sexy Mentor: A head-turning dance choreographer who tries to help the students... if they're not getting yelled at.
• Those Two Girls: With Abby, to some extent.
• Took a Level in Jerkass: It's starting to prove that it's not entirely a facade by being around her former teacher, as whenever she is with her it's on aberrant display, as was the case in parts of seasons 4 and 5 up to 5.5's end. It did prove that she too was Not So Above It All.

Former Dance Moms

As A Whole

• Action Mom: They can all be.
• Almighty Mom: The core of the insanity
• Badass Crew: The moms, they do have their moments.
• Blue-and-Orange Morality: The first four seasons, the moms all relatively share the same thoughts and feelings on certain events. Come season five, divides in perspective become jarringly apparent.
  • Examples including that Jill, Melissa, and Kira tried justifying their daughters' rude remarks and impersonation of Jojo were harmless, some mothers often ridicule Brynn for reacting negatively to their crude remarks and often go off on how she can't act, but find it unacceptable when Ashlee makes any remarks about any of the girls, and the treatment of Nia's musical success in season five was largely unwelcomed by the moms and often said Holly was bragging about it and judge her as soon as a new project started.
• Cat Fight: Oh damn.....
• Doting Parent: Abby tends to think they are too overprotective and are holding back their kids.
• Stage Mom: Every. Freaking. One of them!
• So Proud of You: After a competition.
• With Friends Like These...: With all the drama that happens between them, they don't need enemies.
• Wouldn't Hurt a Child: They have each other to take it out on. Though, on some cases they took it out on the kids.

Melissa Ziegler-Gisoni

"I'm a doormat."

Melissa is the mother of Maddie and Mackenzie Ziegler. Her girls are favored by Abby, much to the other moms' dismay, and maintains the best relationship with Abby because of this. She and her kids left at the end of season 6.

• Berserk Button: She doesn't like it when she's caught in a lie.
• Beware the Nice Ones: She's all nice and sweet when things are going her way.
• Beta Bitch: Was this to Abby and Jill.
• Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: What the moms think of her.
• Butt-Monkey: Not so much by Abby, but more by the other mothers.
• Covert Pervert: Or not so covert according to Christi, who referes to her as the "dirty one in the group". She even bought Kelly edible lingerie for her 40th birthday back in season 1. She's also known to talk about her sex life with the other mothers.
• Extreme Doormat: She'll do anything to stay on Abby's good side.
• Good Parents: Or "Good Mum" in this case. She can be a genuinely nice person and many non-show ALDC dancers say she is like the studio's second mom.
• Gold Digger: Is often accused of being this.
• Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Inverted. She tries to come off as this, but most of the moms can see right through her.

• Teacher Favoritism: Even though she can not stand them, Abby seems to treat her better than the other moms.
• The Unfavorite: To the moms, due to Maddie being eternally at the top of the pyramid.

Kelly Hyland

The mother of Brooke and Paige Hyland.

• Arch-Enemy: She's Abby's most bitter one off-show, along with Christi.
• Beta Bitch: Was this to Christi.
• Deadpan Snarker: Alongside Christi, it's one of her qualities.
• Evil Former Friend: Ironically, Kelly used to be one of Abby's students, but has grown to be one of her most bitter rivals.
• Expelling Moment of Awesome: When Abby goes after her and tries to bite her with her teeth, Kelly's last stand and blaze of glory against her in bitter response is an awesome hard slap to Abby's face.
• Flipping the Bird: Sometimes. With a blurred hand, of course.
• I Need a Freaking Drink: Constantly.
• Mama Wolf: She is extremely protective of her children, and frequently stands up to Abby when she was mistreating Brooke and Paige.
• Rage Quit: On more than one occasion, she has ditched the team, but she always comes back, except for when she really leaves for good in season 4.
• Those Two Girls: With Christi.
• The Unfavorite: Out of all the moms, Abby dislikes her the most. The feeling is mutual, however.

Jessalynn Siwa

The mother of JoJo Siwa. Much like Kira seen above, the Siwas got on the team as a result of being on the second AUDC season.

• Heel–Face Turn: She starts showing a nicer, moralistic side after allying herself with Holly in Season 5B, due to the fact that Abby excluded their children from some of the events the ALDC did in Australia. Before she left in 6B, she started allying herself with the other mothers, such as Jill, Kira and Melissa.
• Jerkass: Will do a lot of cruel and inhumane things to get JoJo ahead.
  • Stealing Kalani's script and then lying to Kira's face when confronted about it.
  • One shot in particular saw Jess smiling while Kendall had a panic attack. Then again, the editors of this show aren't the most trustworthy figures on Earth.
• Jumped at the Call: She and her daughter basically accepted Abby's offer on the spot.
• Knight Templar: Occasionally showcases shades of this in her strategy to ensure that Jojo has the upper hand.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Leaves along with JoJo in the season 6 episode "JoJo Is A No-Show", because she wasn’t happy when JoJo had to do a ballet duet with Kendall, which she wasn’t comfortable with.
• Those Two Girls: With Holly, especially during Season 5B.

Ashlee Allen

The mother of Brynn Rumfallo. Started appearing with the ALDC in season 6.

• Alliterative Name: Ashlee Allen
• Alpha Bitch: Combined with a huge dose of Jerkass. In the first half of season 6, she would brutalize mom and kid alike; her usual targets being Kira and Kendall.
  • Some choice moments where she's particularly nasty are stating in front of Kendall that Brynn has been performing better and overall a better dancer than her, accusing Kira of "sitting on her ass and not caring" due to her absence to take care of her newborn son, and saying Kalani is not a good a dancer as she once was.
  • For a short while she got better, keeping her negative comments to a minimum come the Ziegler's departure, and in addition, much of what she said was unintentionally hurtful and in retaliation to negative comments towards Brynn. Eventually the trope is enforced once more within the rest of season 7 to the point where she and Brynn leave ALDC after Abby goes to prison.
• Brutally Honest: To the degree that much of what she says is actually hurtful remarks, much of these comments even being targeted towards the girls.
  • It got to the point where Kendall called her out on it.
• Hypocrite / Manipulative Bitch: Several mothers see her as this in the recent season after she left ALDC with them, only to return a short while later. One major example was when she and Brynn attacked the girls and their mothers on social media for an "adult" oriented performance they did, then play victim when they suddenly turned it around on her. Even the producers called her out on this in the same episode.
• Mama Bear: Very protective of her daughter.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Leaves along with Brynn near the late end of season 7 due to Abby going to prison.

Jill Vertes

The mother of Kendall Vertes.

• Alpha Bitch: Became this in season 5 when Christi left.
• Character Development: Towards the end of season 2, she sort of had a persona change into someone who didn't always fight with the other mothers.
• It's All About Me: Has a tendency to only think about herself and her daughter. When Payton was first kicked off of the team, Jill was only focused on how Kendall could serve as a replacement; when Kelly decided to cancel Brooke's solo due to back pain, Jill was upset that she didn't cancel earlier so Kendall could've gotten a solo.
• Motor Mouth: Tends to talk fast when she's meaner or scared.
• Smoky Voice: The moms love to make fun of her "Nine Hundred Number" voice.
• Took a Level in Badass: She has cussed out some moms in later episodes.
• Welcome Back, Traitor: After abandoning ship on the team in season two, she made a very unexpected return several episodes later (during Pyramid, no less), much to everyone's shock. Understandably, Abby wasn't too happy.

Holly Hatcher-Frazier

"You're entitled to your wrong opinion, that's fine."

The mother of Nia Sioux Frazier.

• Badass Bookworm: Speaks like a scholar and is often seen with a book. However, she eventually grows to become someone who dares to stand her ground against Abby when the latter gets too hot tempered.
• Badass Pacifist: She used to be the calmest mom by a landslide, never losing her temper even against Abby, but then season five came.
• Becoming the Mask: Most of the moms think this has happened with her starting around season 5 onwards. Especially Jill.
• Beware the Quiet Ones: Especially so in season five, where she starts taking a stand against Abby a lot more.
• Character Development: Went from the Only Sane Woman to the one standing her own the most against Abby.
• Deadpan Snarker: Not the prime source of snark, but she has her moments.
• Education Mama: To Nia—she is a school principal, after all.
• Good Parents: She'd rather train her daughter to be a good person than a good dancer.
• Not So Above It All: Despite her best efforts to appear as the Only Sane Woman, around season 5 she starts Becoming the Mask and becomes much more of a stage mom than in the earlier seasons.

• Reasonable Authority Figure: She doesn't want her daughter to go on dance training sessions too strenuous or tiring, because she wants to raise her up to become a good person.
• Spock Speak: Her main method of speech.

Christi Lukasiak

"How do I get to the nearest bar?"

Christi is the mother of Chloe Lukasiak. She had a very rocky relationship with Abby during her time at the ALDC, especially since she thought Abby was deliberately belittling and bullying her daughter. She eventually left at the end of season 4.

• Abusive Parents: Christi didn't get along with her mother as a child, and although this trope wasn't explicitly stated, it could very well be implied.
• Alpha Bitch: Was this among the Mom's, until she left. She regained, or at least tried to regain her status in 7B, but it was more or less a Jerkass Façade.
• Acquired Situational Narcissism: Her behavior in 7B may seem like this. She seemed really full of herself, rude to the other Moms, and made Kendall cry in her first fight back on the show. Then there's her whole Holier Than Thou attitude on being an OG and went so far as to give Chloe and Nia team jackets with "OG" on them and gleefully reminded Kendall that she wasn't one.
• Arch-Enemy: She's this to Abby off-show, due to the way her daughter was treated.
• Berserk Button: If anyone insults her daughter Chloe.
• Beware the Nice Ones: Sure, she's far from being a good person but she still know how to be nice. Also, if you hurt her daughter, she'll let you have it for sure.
• Can't Take Criticism: She can't handle any of the Mom's calling her out on her questionable behavior.
• Deadpan Snarker: It's one of her defining qualities.
• Double Standard: She felt entitled to say quite nasty things about the kids, despite calling out any other mom who did the exact same thing.
• Everyone Has Standards: She's even stated that while she and Abby clearly don't get along, she would never wish for the death of Abby's dog, Broadway Baby (which happened in season 3), or the death of Mrs. Miller in season 4.
  • She also chastised Kira when she said that Sarah Reasons (who was part of the Select Ensemble in season 4) wouldn't win anywhere.
• Knight in Sour Armor: Especially with staying on the team for Chloe's sake despite not being on the best terms with Abby.
• Genre Savvy: As a result of her snark. She's even referenced a handful of tropes.

• Holier Than Thou: Her attitude on being an original member of the Junior Elite team is this. So much so she couldn't help herself but to gleefully remind Kendall that she wasn't one.
• Hypocrite: Oh boy:
  • She seems to be able to freely talk about Maddie and can't understand why Melissa would be upset, but when someone even mentions Chloe she freaks out.
  • She has no problem when Chloe has the advantage like in "Chloe Vs Kendall: Round 2", but couldn't understand why Jill was upset. Though she had been in Jill's position many times before.
  • In 7B she started acting a lot like Melissa, where she would brag about Chloe's accomplishments (more so than what a normal parent would), and shoved it in the other Mom's faces.
• I Need a Freaking Drink: She has a penchant to do this.
• Jerkass: Let's see:
  • She's the most confrontational of the mothers, as she started several fights for the sake of it.
  • She would be incredibly rude to any new mother who would be a guest for that week. Especially if their child would be Chloe's direct competition.
  • She made snide remarks about several people's appearances (mainly their weight).
  • She projected a lot of her animosity towards Melissa onto Maddie. As she tried to get her in trouble for allegedly telling Chloe she wasn't a good dancer (we have no proof this ever happened other than Christi's hear say). She also called Maddie a "liar" several times after the "Two Sapphires" debacle, when she didn't have proof.
  • She even yelled at Maddie, Kenzie, Paige, and Kendall (on separate occasions), making each of them cry.
• Mama Bear: Protective of her daughter and is thoroughly furious at Abby for wracking her emotionally.
• Manipulative Bitch: Of sorts. She's good at causing drama for new-comers when she suggests they go talk to Abby during rehearsals.
• Mommy Issues: Reportedly had a very bad relationship with her mother growing up as a child, so much so that Christi once called her mother "a fucking psychopath". She's never delved into why her mother was so bad, which only makes it all the more scary to think about.
• Never My Fault: She tends to have this attitude when she's called out on her confrontational behavior. She has thousands of excuses for losing control and starting fights.
• Nice Girl: She had her moments and off show, still does.
• Odd Friendship: Off-show, Cathy Nesbitt-Stein! It slightly borders Intergenerational Friendship, if anything.
• One-Liner: Almost every non-arguing word that comes out of her mouth.
• Playing the Victim Card: While she did have some good points about how Abby treated the girls (namely Chloe), she often dramatized every situation she was in so she would be seen as the victim. She often used this as an excuse to be especially rude towards others. Kelly even calls her out on this at one point.
• Plucky Comic Relief: While she is certainly snarky, her humor is sometimes just plain mean. Especially when she takes jabs at peoples' appearances, and Maddie.
• Sour Outside, Sad Inside: Taken to another level entirely when Kelly left.
• Those Two Girls: With Kelly.
• True Companions: With Holly and Jill, but moreso woth Holly. When she returns in the season 7 mid-finale they don't miss a beat and reconnect with her and Chloe.
• You Are What You Hate: She despises anyone who dare bring the kids into fights between the moms, namely Abby. Yet, she's said some pretty awful things about Maddie, Kendall, and even Paige.

Kira Girard

The mother of Kalani Hilliker. Started appearing with the ALDC in season four but didn't really join until season five.

• Canon Immigrant: From the second season of Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition.
• Hidden Depths: According to allegations from Tracey Reasons, Kira has a criminal history for doing stuff like credit card fraud.
• Mama Bear: Do not say that Kalani is a bad dancer, or will lose a competition. She will take it out on you.
• Ms. Fanservice: She even had a mole that was on her face removed in order for her to be on the show.
• The Quiet One: Most of the time (especially during her early ALDC days), Kira doesn’t usually say anything whilst the other mothers had their own drama to deal with.
• Sixth Ranger: Applies to both her and Kalani, as they are the newest additions to the ALDC.
• Took a Level in Badass: Starts in Season 5B. She starts thinking of the girls more often and helps call in a guest choreographer, who was shunned by Abby. Kira then called Abby out when Abby refused to accept Kalani’s hug, which turned into a screaming match between the two. From that moment onwards, Kira then started to speak her mind more often and regularly defended the girls than she did with Kalani.

Former Main Dancers

As a whole

• Age-Inappropriate Dress: As mentioned in an episode where the girls received no awards for their 'barely-there' costumes.
  • Arguably the outfits the girls wear to practice in as well - most of the time, they wear crop-tops and booty shorts. In the spin-off series, the girl who wears the shortest top is the oldest girl, Jessie, even though she's technically the only one of the group (except maybe Sammi) who actually needs to wear a shirt.
  • The infamous "topless showgirls" dance. The costumes were picked out to give the effect that they were naked. Unsurprisingly, the episode is unavailable online and has never been rebroadcast. However, it is easily accessible on other internet sites than the one of the show.
• Brainy Brunette: Most of the girls, as all of the girls get good grades and are quite talented dancers.
• Bratty Teenage Daughter: All of the girls have had their bratty moments.
• Deadpan Snarker: They have their moments.
• Dumb Blonde: Subverted. They all get good grades and quite talented dancers.
• Heroic BSoD: Whenever a girl forgets her solo.
• Wacky Parent, Serious Child: They are focused dancers, while their moms are bickering.

Maddie Ziegler

Maddie is the eldest daughter of Melissa and the older sister of Mackenzie, and is essentially the show's breakout dancer. She's (in)famous for being Abby's favorite and has gained worldwide recognition outside of the show, primarily through a trilogy of Sia music videos that she starred in. Left mid-season 6 to pursue other projects.

• The Ace: Definitely, much to the other moms' jealousy. If anyone out of the ALDC team could be considered the most popular, it's her.

• Always Someone Better: For starters, she's almost always at the top of the pyramid.
  Jill: It's just not a surprise anymore.
  Abby: Isn't that sad?
• The B Grade: A variation. She gets upset if she doesn't win first place, but she's still courteous to whoever does win. Most of the time.
• Brainy Brunette: She's a brunette and she's the one who know how to excel in Abby's dance school.
• Breakout Character: Well, she was already getting the most opportunities out of the team (cameoing on Lifetime's own Drop Dead Diva, for example) before she starred in Sia's "Chandelier" video, which became one of (if not, the) most popular music videos of 2014 and racked up over half a billion YouTube views as well as 2.1 million likes. The video's extreme success skyrocketed her to performing on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Saturday Night Live, The Ellen Show, and at the Grammys. Not only that, but she did another collab with Sia by co-starring in the "Elastic Heart" video alongside Shia LaBeouf, garnering another 125 million views. And then she starred in a third Sia video for her song "Big Girls Cry", racking up an additional 20 million+ views. Not only that, but she's had a cameo acting role on Austin & Ally. So yeah, you can call her a breakout character.
• Butt-Monkey: Usually was the brunt of jabs from Christi and Kelly.
• Cool Big Sis: To Mackenzie. She's often seen helping Mackenzie with her hair and makeup in the dressing room. She sometimes did congratulate Mackenzie after doing an amazing solo performance and when Mackenzie and Nia were up against Vivi-Anne and Justice in season 1, Maddie said that Mackenzie will take down those apples.
• Deadpan Snarker: Occasionally, most often with her sister and mother.
• Despair Event Horizon: In "Abbygeddon" when she forgot her dance mid-performance and ended up breaking down in tears.
• Go-Getter Girl: Compared to the other girls, Maddie's drive in dance is on another level entirely.
• Homeschooled Kids: As of Season 4 she and Mackenzie are being homeschooled.
• Humble Hero: She's rarely not at the top of the pyramid, she's won crowns and trophies alike, but she consists of staying modest and not letting her success get to her head. However, this is averted, whenever she does not win first in a solo, especially if a teammate places above her.
• Jerkass Ball: Can go through this at times.
  • This moment, where she roughly pulled Kenzie off her and shoved her away after she hugged her after her solo due to Mackenzie sarcastically said "nice turns" when her turns were not very nice.
  • This moment, where she refused to take her loss to Mackenzie with stride, explicitly stating that she deserved to win.
  • In the first season, she was especially conceited about how often she won, to the point where she said she didn't know how it felt to lose.
• Parental Favoritism: Or "Teacher Favoritism" in this case. No matter how much Abby tries to deny it. She is The Ace, after all.
• The Rival: Her rivalry with Chloe is a major subplot, as is her rivalry with Kalani.
• Running Gag: She's been on top of the pyramid so much that it's rarely a surprise anymore, and no one really gets overworked about it.
• Sore Loser: Subverted. She's a Graceful Loser due to her training and rarely displays this... and when it did come into play, it's a short case of Jerkass Ball.
• Wise Beyond Their Years: After the Sia videos, Maddie became a huge phenomenon in a short period of time. As such, she had to mature quickly and has become very graceful in the past year.

Mackenzie Ziegler-Gisoni

Mackenzie is the youngest daughter of Melissa and the younger sister of Maddie. Released a commercially successful pop album called Mack Z in 2014. Left mid-season 6.

• Always Someone Better: The inevitable comparisons of her and Maddie, such as calling her Maddie's sister and not her own independent self, seem to follow her like a plague. She even dedicated her song "Shine" to the topic, stating that she still loves Maddie and only wishes to shine like her one day.
• Annoying Younger Sibling: Towards Maddie sometimes; worsened by the fact that the girls spend most of their time together and so rarely have the chance to take a breather from each other.
• Badass Adorable: Mackenzie's style of dance in particular is punctuated by flips, tricks, and quick shots. The power of her motion can be surprising considering her size.
• Character Development: Of all dancers, Mackenzie seems to have matured the most. And considering she's the youngest of the bunch, that's saying something.
• Cheerful Child
• Child Popstar: She released an album during season four that made it to the top 5 chart on iTunes. Critical reception was favorable, but much like Brooke, her use of autotune was excessive.
• The Cutie: Obviously, since it sort of comes with being the youngest.
• Girlish Pigtails: She'll be 11 in June and is still relegated to pigtails for nearly every routine.
• Homeschooled Kids: As of season four she and Maddie are being homeschooled.
• Large Ham: She's known for chewing the scenery when she performs. As Abby put it one time she "Did more facial expressions than anyone else during the dance (that one being "Riches to Rags")".
• Little Miss Snarker: Is known for making humorous and often snarky remarks in the confession cams.
• Morality Pet: Could be seen as this to Abby in the earlier seasons. Holly even commented that Abby had a soft spot for her.
• One-Liner: "I just wanna stay at home and eat chips," anyone?
• Out of Focus: Especially during the first season. She wasn’t in many of the group routines (because she would have brought the age group down) and only one solo. She mainly did duets with Vivi-Anne, and one with Nia.

• The Rival: To Asia.
• She's All Grown Up: A common complaint of her social media presence is that she's trying to come across as more mature than she is.
• Smarter Than You Look: According to Melissa, Mackenzie excels in school more than Maddie.

Brooke Hyland

The eldest daughter of Kelly. Formerly the oldest elite team member; was known for being the most flexible member of the team. Prior to the show, she was stated as being one of Abby's favorites, but she progressively lost interest in dance as she grew older to the point that she briefly left the ALDC to pursue cheerleading. Released a single in 2012 called "Summer Love Song", and subsequently released a full self-titled album the following year. Left the show during season 4.

• Broken Tears: In the now infamous episode, after her mother and Abby had their physical fight, Brooke is reduced to uncontrollable sobs and crying.
• Child Popstar: During summer 2012 she released her hit debut single, "Summer Love Song". A year later, she releases an entire album. Mixed opinions have been tossed around concerning Brooke's music career, with a large amount of criticism given to Brooke's heavy Autotune use.
  • One-Hit Wonder: "Summer Love Song". Admit it.
• Contortionist: Accredited as being the strongest acro dancer of the original team, with contortion especially being her forte.
• Cool Big Sis: To all the girls, and her sister, Paige. She is the oldest one on the team, after all.
• Game-Breaking Injury: Ultimately, her back problems prevents her from trying to pursue her childhood dream of performing in Cirque du Soleil.
• I Just Want to Be Normal: Brooke of all the girls showed the least interest in the attention that come of the show. Of the girls who left, she's the only without a YouTube channel (Chloe and Paige).
• Major Injury Underreaction: Brooke is constantly seen suffering from chronic back and hip pain throughout her appearances over the series, caused by performing excessive amounts of acro and contortion at the age where most people stop doing it, she's often encouraged to dance through the pain.
  • In Season One, while learning her solo "Metamorphosis," she thought her shoulder kept popping out and couldn't apply pressure to her hands during her tricks; Gianna told her to pop it back in and keep dancing.
• Older Than They Look: For the first couple seasons, she was around the same height as the other girls who are two to four years younger than her. This is one of the main reasons why as a teen, she was on junior team.
• Ordinary High-School Student: More recently she's been trying trying to be this.
• Perpetual Frowner: The producers try and portray her as one. One point she tried smiling every time they were filming, and they still only showed footage of her frowning.
• Technician Versus Performer: On a less discussed note, but Brooke and Paige, despite both being strong acro-specialized dancers, fall into this dynamic. Paige tends to get Acro/Jazz numbers with focus on tumbling, while Brooke more often gets Acro/Lyrical numbers with focus on contortion. Brooke is said to have some of the best technique of the original team, while Paige, according to Abby, was never much of a dancer.
• The Stoic: Abby has called her "Brooding Brooke" on a few occasions, and is known for not showing much emotion; Kelly saying that Brooke isn't really one to cry when upset or hurt.
  • Brooke has explained in an interview that this is due to Executive Meddling, as her role on the show was to be a teenager.

Paige Hyland

The youngest daughter of Kelly. Was known as one of the team's weakest dancers on the show. Left during season 4.

• Affectionate Nickname: Paigey Mack (the "Mack" comes from her middle name "Mackenzie").
• Break the Cutie: Since she's left the show, she apparently suffers from an anxiety disorder brought upon her by Abby.
• Deadpan Snarker: She has her moments.

• Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Is a blonde and is one of the nicest, most sensitive people around.
• Little Big Sister: She's significantly taller than her older sister, Brooke. She stands at 5'9" while Brooke stands at 5'1".
• Morality Pet: Was this to Christi (most of the time), and seemed to be this for Melissa.
• Out-of-Character Moment: Paige is a very sensitive person, often crying during emotional moments, however, after her mother's physical fight with Abby, she is stuck in a shell-shocked, stoic demeanor; almost in disbelief.
• Technician Versus Performer: The Performer to her sister's Technician, Paige's technique is not at the same level as her sister's and while also a strong acro dancer, Paige is better suited to tumbling than contortion.
• The Shrink: What she wants to be when she grows up if she doesn't do dance in the future.
• Statuesque Stunner: Suddenly goes through a massive growth spurt between Season 2 and 3 soon after Chloe, and now stands at 5'9''.
• Those Two Girls: With Chloe; the two of them together known as the "twinnies".

JoJo Siwa

The daughter of Jessalynn Siwa. Joined the team in season 5 as Chloe's replacement after being in season 2 of AUDC and placing 5th. Remained a permanent team member until season 6.5, where she left after signing a consumer deal with Nickelodeon. She now has her own YouTube channel and has starred in quite a few Nickelodeon shows.

• All of the Other Reindeer: Because of her speech impediment, some of the girls, especially Kendall and Maddie, can be quite cruel to her, especially in season 5, where the only girl who is consistently nice to her is Nia.
• Bratty Half-Pint: Considering she's the second youngest and sassiest on the team, and she really gets the short end of the stick from Abby a lot, this trope was bound to come in play.
• Breakout Character: Has become one upon joining Nickelodeon at some point and even with Dancing with the Stars.
• Butt-Monkey: Has turned into Abby's newest one as of late, considering how much she gets it from her.
• Canon Immigrant: Just like Kalani after being on AUDC (in the same season, no less).
• Child Popstar: She has released a lot of singles, starting with "I Can Make You Dance" and "Boomerang".
• Cute, but Cacophonic: She may be adorable, but her voice is extremely loud and raspy. Not to mention she has a tendency to scream at the top of her lungs when excited.
• Ditzy Genius: While not particularly tactful, Jojo stands up for herself and is an impressive performer. The other girls have also admitted she has many skills they haven't quite mastered. According to the wikia, she is also a grade ahead for her age (is home-schooled) and learns another language in her spare time, so she's clearly very smart for her age.
• Genki Girl: Described as very energetic in her dancing.
• Jumped at the Call: She was quick to accept Abby's invitation to get into her school after Chloe left.
• I Got Bigger: As of 2020, she now stands at 5'9".
• Large Ham: Probably the hammiest of the girls, which sometimes puts her at odds with the others (sans Nia who was consistantly nice to her), who are more soft-spoken.
• Motor Mouth: She talks quite fast to the point where you can't understand what she's saying.
• Mouthy Kid: Has gotten into some pretty hot water as a result.
• Nice Girl: Ultimately she is nothing but courteous to everyone, full stop.
• No Indoor Voice: JoJo is often rather loud when she speaks.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Leaves as of the season 6 episode "JoJo Is A No-Show".
• Spoiled Brat: She's shown to have some shades of this from time to time.

Brynn Rumfallo

The daughter of Ashlee. She joins the team in season 6, first as a fill-in for Maddie, who was off filming, and then earns a permanent spot on the team.

• Brutally Honest: Not to the degree of her mother, but Brynn isn't afraid to honestly say her feelings on situations. It may have came to a complete falling out, however, as she may or may not have become The Friend Nobody Likes to the original dancers, which was immediately reciprocated by her attachment towards the minis.
  • Examples include saying Jill is "rude" for ridiculing her and her mother comforting each other after a fight and immediately after saying "I wish I could scream in her face and tell her how rude she is, but I won't because I'm not a brat," this being a jab at Kendall, who finally lashed out at Ashlee for her constant bullying of her.
• Butt-Monkey: The moms are none too kind in regards to the comments they make about her; some moms have shamed Brynn for crying.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Other than a brief reunion with a few friends of hers within ALDC, she leaves along with her mother at the end of season 7 due to Abby going to prison.
• The Stoic: An odd example, she's an emote girl, but her constant critique is that she can't act and fails to incorporate emotion into her dances.

Chloe Lukasiak

The daughter of Christi Lukasiak.

• Always Second Best: And Christi is sick of it. And even when Chloe does win, she gets the rug pulled out from under her (when she beat Maddie with a nigh-identical solo, only to lose her victory when it's realized that the scores were faulty).
• Ambiguously Bi: While not having given a label on her sexuality, Chloe has formerly dated Ricky Garcia and as of 2021, is dating Brooklinn Khoury.
• Break the Cutie: Happens disturbingly often on the show, and then it got so bad that she left.
• Butt-Monkey: A sadder and more serious example, considering how much she gets it from Abby. Her attempts to become more of an Iron Butt Monkey only led to her getting it more, to the point where she and her mother left the ALDC at the end of season 4.
  • Throughout the series, Christi has commented that Abby is setting the girls that aren't Maddie or Mackenzie, particularly Chloe, up to fail; there is some evidence under Sacrificial Lamb below.
• Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Chloe is a very sweet young lady. Especially when she had to compete against Maddie, she always was happy for her.
• Heroic BSoD: She suffers one after the nationals in season 4 due to hearing Abby telling her to "fix her lazy eye". Fortunately, she's since recovered far better for the wear.
• Humble Hero: Chloe does not react to getting the Joffrey scholarship, not wanting to upset the other girls. Also, her first reaction upon re-entering the dressing room after her solo is to check on Maddie, to see if she was okay.
• Morality Pet: She was this to Christi, who wouldn't let anyone say anything badly about her.
• Sacrificial Lamb: Christi has mentioned this by actual name numerous times; Chloe was often relegated to competing against Maddie with "sub-par" choreography. She once went up against her with a hip-hop solo versus Maddie's tap; Maddie is a specialized tapper and the studio doesn't even offer hip-hop classes, having only done two hip-hop dances prior (neither of which were up to the usual standard). Also, when the select team would compete, Chloe had to face to go up against one of them the most.
• Statuesque Stunner: Went through a growth spurt between Seasons 2 and 3 and now stands at 5'8''.
• The Rival: Her rivalry with Maddie actually became a major subplot.
  • She becomes one to Kendall in season 4, because Abby wanted to see who could be her #2 girl when Maddie was away for professional jobs.
• Those Two Girls: With Paige, forming the "twinnies".
• Took a Level in Badass: It's subtle, but recently Chloe has caught up and is surpassing Maddie in skill.
• True Companions: Like her mother with Holly and Jill, she is very close to Nia and Kendall, due to the fact that those three were on the original ALDC elite team. Even when Jill and Christi had issues in early 7B, Chloe and Kendall disregarded that and still wanted to be friends.

Kendall Vertes

The daughter of Jill. Joined the ALDC in season 2 as Vivi-Anne's replacement. Left early in the season due to Jill's outrage over Kendall being put on probation again, briefly joined the Candy Apples team, and returned to the ALDC later in the season.

• Alliterative Name: When under her "Kendall K." stage name.
• Always Second Best: Abby often refers to Kendall as her "number two girl", emphasizing that she feels Kendall will never be as good as Maddie.
• Bratty Teenage Daughter: Occasionally showcased when frustrated, like in the dressing room.
  • Breaks down in Episode 13 of Season 6 and screams at Ashlee for her constant (albeit somewhat unintentional) bullying of her; Brynn lampshades this by calling Kendall a brat.
• Butt-Monkey: Even though she is talented, she is especially this in her first few appearances and in season three.
  • Is constantly on the receiving end of Ashlee's rather rude remarks in Season 6, culminating in Kendall actually screaming in Ashlee's face "why are you so mean?" and leaving the studio with Jill for the day.
  • In 7B she was treated like this by Christi especially when she was constantly reminded that she wasn't an "OG", as she came on the show in season 2.
• Child Popstar: Recently released a new single called "Wear It Out" under the name "Kendall K".
• Deadpan Snarker: In recent seasons, she's developed something of a wry sense of humor.
• The Fashionista: Kendall is very into clothes and makeup.
• Hidden Depths: In an October 2014 interview, Kendall said that she planned on taking acting classes.
• Mysterious Middle Initial: Kendall's middle name is literally just "K", in homage to her cousins Kiley and Kara.
• Raven Hair, Ivory Skin: Kendall is of this complexion, and Abby often treats her as "the pretty one".
• The Rival: Becomes one to Chloe in season 4, due to Abby wanting to see who could be her #2 girl, if Maddie is away for professional work.
• Sixth Ranger: Deconstructed. As the first new dancer added to the group, she was put on probation until she proved herself. As a result, there was drama between Abby and Jill regarding why she was treated differently than the other girls, so much so that Jill and Kendall temporarily switched to Candy Apples.

Nia Hatcher-Frazier

The daughter of Holly Hatcher-Frazier. The only remaining elite team member as of season 6.5.

• Big Sister Instinct: Nia has taken a protective role over Jojo and Brynn, as shown by comforting Jojo and not finding it acceptable when seeing the other girls had made fun of her, and hugging a crying Brynn and walking her to her mom in episode 13 of season 6.
• Bilingual Bonus: Goes two ways: "purpose" in Swahili, or "champion" in Welsh.

• Child Popstar: Has released several singles under the performing name Nia Sioux.
• Embarrassing Middle Name: Inverted; her middle name, Sioux, is pretty awesome.
• Last of Her Kind: Nia was the last original member of the team left prior to Abby leaving for prison.
• Out of Focus: In seasons 2 and 3, apart from the Rosa Park tribute and her duet with Paige. So much so that Abby that called attention to it.
• Token Minority: Not only is she the only African-American ALDC junior elite team member (at least, the only African-American original member; there was Nicaya), but Abby has had her play several different ethnicities in dance performances, much to Holly's chagrin.
• Took a Level in Badass: In between seasons 4 and 5, Nia's dancing really took a steep upturn.
• Wise Beyond Their Years: Nia has her petulant moments, but she's become incredibly articulate in the past few seasons.

Kalani Hilliker

The daughter of Kira. Contestant on season 2 of AUDC (where she placed 4th). Joined the team early in season 4 only to leave when she and her mother decided to return to Arizona, but eventually rejoined in season 5 after the departure of the Lukasiaks.

• All There in the Manual: If you didn't watch Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition you probably won't know who she is or what her relationship is to Abby when she shows up.
• Canon Immigrant: From Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition
• Cool Big Sis: She's the oldest of girls on the team and is very encouraging towards them.
• Homeschooled Kids: She homeschools so she can spend more time taking classes and traveling for dance.
• Sixth Ranger: She shows up in season 4 and becomes a permanent member of the team.
• Teacher Favoritism: She was Abby's favorite when she competed on Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition.

Candy Apple's Dance Center

Cathy Nesbitt-Stein

Cathy Nesbitt-Stein

The mother of Vivi-Anne Stein and the owner of the Candy Apples Dance Studio in Canton, OH. Was formerly a member for the ALDC back when the series began, but eventually disbanded after episode nine. Seen as the de-facto "villain" of the show (as far as reality shows go); however, when it comes to her being a bad person in real life, there are conflicting sources of evidence that point to this being true and false.

---

• Alpha Bitch: Show only.
• Arch-Enemy: To Abby, both on show and off. She's surprisingly capable of snarking to Abby on social media when the occasion calls for it.
• Beware the Nice Ones: From first glance, "bad guy" probably won't immediately come to mind.
• Big Bad: Out of everyone on the show, she's as close to being this as you can get (besides Abby).
• Black Comedy: Her statement that she'd rather slit her wrists than let Vivi play softball over dance.
• The Dragon: Patsy, which is somewhat of a callback to season 3 and who finally did her own The Bus Came Back, at the beginning of season 7, becomes her backup. It's shown that Patsy and her daughter Nicaya have had some bad blood with Jill from that time period onward and immediately picks on Kendall's dance routines during the first two episodes, which continues all throughout the season until near the mid-season 7 finale.
• It's All About Me: During the moms' infamous group dance, Cathy suddenly started doing an improvised solo to try and upstage the other moms. Apparently, it worked.
• Jerkass: On-show, she's stuck up and haughty, but otherwise without cameras or strife, she's all smiles.
• Odd Friendship: Off-show, Holly and Christi. It's not too odd considering it borders on Intergenerational Friendship, after all.
• Overly Narrow Superlative: Her studio boasts for being the county's "ONLY #1 dance studio". No, really.
• Pet the Dog: She has some sympathy (both on and off-show) for some of Abby's dance kids as to why they don't get enough dances at one point.
• Pink Means Feminine: Does have a particular liking for the color.
• Token Evil Teammate / Evil Former Friend: Used to be on Abby's team with her daughter Vivi-Anne, but eventually disbanded and became Abby's worst enemy when she went back to her own dance studio.
  • Word of God states that Cathy and Abby actually knew each other through the competitive dance world and, while not close, had been friendly for years prior to the show and their "meeting" in Season 1 was staged. However, she and Abby have maintained publicly that their current dislike of one another following Season 2 is very real.
• Took a Level in Jerkass: Upon her return in Season 7, she's beginning to prove she can push Abby's buttons with a vengeance, so much so that she's immediately got her own dragon in Patsy.

Vivi-Anne Stein

Vivi-Anne Stein

The adopted daughter of Cathy, originally from Guatemala. She was originally on the show at its inception, but left shortly afterwards to train at her mom's dance center in Ohio.

• I Just Want to Be Normal: Bemoans how she wants to stay at home but has to frequently travel to do competitions.
• Joke Character: Something of a real-life example, since she has contributed with some of the funniest lines of season 1 (most iconically the "I cut my finger, I hope I can still dance" one) as well as some of the cringiest solos.
• One-Liner: Has two famous lines from the show:
  • "I cut my finger on my mom's ring. I hope I can still dance,"
  • "I'm only here because my mom said she'd buy me tacos,"
• Out of Focus: Since near the end of Season 5, with Cathy wanting to keep her off the show as much as possible.
• Pink Means Feminine: Subverted. Vivi says that she prefers blue and when Cathy voices that she thinks pink "is a way of life", they cut to a deadpan Vivi saying she "doesn't like pink".
• Tomboy: Something her mother is begrudging to accept, while Vivi likes dance, she isn't particularly fond of it either and would rather play softball.

---