Nia Sioux, an original cast member of Dance Moms, is breaking her silence after other cast members insinuated she wasn’t “grateful” for her time on the show.
Dance Moms: The Reunion brought together six of the girls who trained under the controversial techniques of Abby Lee Miller. Nia was one of the three original cast members to decline the invitation to appear on the special.
Those who did show up have called the missing girls out for not appreciating where they came from – and Nia responded.
JoJo Siwa Calls Out ‘Dance Mom’ Stars Who Didn’t Attend The Special
During the special, JoJo Siwa spoke out against the dancers who chose not to come, saying, “Them not being here is like, ‘Let me erase my past, pretend it never happened, shove it down the drain,’ when it’s like, that’s why you are who you are.”
Kendall Vertes felt the same. “I think everyone knows who’s not here. Maybe they just don’t think they needed this.”
But the Hyland sisters, who returned for the special despite their dramatic exit, felt more sympathy for the absent dances.
“Some people might still be processing and it’s hard to talk about some of the stuff we went through,” said Paige, with sister Brooke adding, “They closed the book and they don’t want to open it up and backtrack.”
The other pair of Dance Mom sisters, Mackenzie and Maddie Ziegler shared they had no interest in reliving the “era” shortly after the reunion special was announced.
Now, Nia Sioux is ready to clear the air.
Nia Sioux Speaks Out About Skipping ‘Dance Moms: The Reunion’
“I wasn’t going to say anything,” Nia said in a TikTok posted the night before the reunion special. After admitting she was trying to avoid any “drama,” Nia admitted she felt she needed to clear the air so a “false narrative” didn’t spread.
“The reason is quite simple. I just didn’t want to do it,” Nia shared. “Some people think it was because I had sorority stuff, nope, I didn’t. Some people think it’s because I’m in school. I am in school, but it wouldn’t have been an issue.”
“I just didn’t want to do it,” Nia insisted, “and that’s a good enough answer and that’s a good enough reason.”
Nia was one of the girls from the original cast who stayed the longest with the show. She lasted until season 7, before leaving to start her own career. She’s currently a senior at UCLA and will be graduating in May.
She added that, while some of the girsl feel a way about her not attending, she feels no animosity toward her friends and fellow dancers.
“I love the girls, and I’m really happy for them. And I’m really happy that they get to share how they felt and their experiences. But that’s just something that I decided I didn’t want to do. And that’s OK!”
Nia’s Own Reunion With The OG Dance Moms Cast
While Nia did not attend the Lifetime reunion, she did attend a party a night before the taping to celebrate Paige’s birthday.
The soiree was attended by all the original cast members and their moms, including Maddie Ziegler, her sister, and Melissa – all of whom also turned down the invite to be in the special.
In her TikTok, Nia wanted to clarify one more thing. The idea that she’s not thankful for her time on the show is false.
“Any interview I’ve done when someone has asked me about the show I always say I’m grateful for it,” she said. “I have such an amazing life now, truly.”
And then, Nia laid the groundwork for what’s to come, including showing up for another reunion.
“I never said I wouldn’t do a reunion show in the future or talk about my experiences in the future,” Nia explained. “But right now, in this moment, it was not the right time for me to do that.
