Getty "Dance Moms" star Nia Sioux smiles for the cameras at a red carpet event.
Nia Sioux is one of the spunky dancers formerly part of the Abby Lee Dance Company. Sioux, now 20 years old and living in Los Angeles, has branched out into the entertainment world, continuing her profession. This month marks the 10-year anniversary of the premiere of “Dance Moms” and the start of Sioux’s career.
Sioux and her mother, Holly Hatcher-Frazier — “Dr. Holly,” to viewers — were known on the show as the “unproblematic duo” who kept fights at bay and always made the most of their screen time as loveable underdogs. Since “Dance Moms,” many of the stars have broken out into larger roles, such as Maddie Ziegler working with Sia, and Jojo Siwa signing with Nickelodeon. Sioux has also expanded her horizons but has taken a different path, as she so often did on the show.
Here’s what you need to know about Nia Sioux:
1. Sioux Is Set to Star in Lifetime Movie ‘Imperfect High’
Viewers can catch Sioux in the Lifetime movie “Imperfect High,” airing on September 18, 2021. The film is a sequel to Bella Thorne’s 2015 movie “Perfect High” which follows a competitive dancer abusing painkillers after an injury. The sequel focuses on newcomer Hanna (played by Sioux), “the new girl in town who is looking to find her place and fit in at Lakewood High School, which was rocked a couple of years earlier by the shocking drug overdose of a popular student,” according to a summary on IMDb. Hanna has immense anxiety, and a strong desire to fit in with the popular crowd, which can be a lethal combination.
Sioux captioned an Instagram video with co-star Sherri Shepherd, “This was such a challenging yet fulfilling role to portray as it deals with such a delicate subject matter: teenage substance abuse and the pressures to fit in. Stay tuned for more updates!”
Sioux has been in TV shows such as “The Bold and the Beautiful” and “Sunnyside Up,” but “Imperfect High” will be her first-ever movie. Following her movie debut, Sioux is already slated to be in two other movies coming out in 2021: “The Lies I Tell Myself” and “I Am Mortal.”
2. Sioux Was the Only ‘Dance Moms’ Dancer to Be Featured on All 7 Seasons
Sioux was literally put on the bottom of Abby Lee Miller’s pyramid regularly, her mother told “Entertainment Tonight.” “I think it represented the idea in her mind of who was on top and who was on bottom. … I think the pyramid always existed but it wasn’t in a visual format,” Hatcher-Frazier said. Still, her daughter stuck around and ended up being the longest-lasting original member of the Abby Lee Dance Company to stay on “Dance Moms.”
Sioux’s mother shared with “Entertainment Tonight” why she and her daughter departed from the show. “Honestly, I feel like my story’s been told, and by the end of my season 7, when our contract was up, I told a lot of the moms that were coming on like, ‘No need to fight with me. I’m just here to finish telling my story,’ and I think everything we’ve needed to say has been told and I can leave on a good note and I’m happy, I have no regrets.”
Sioux was originally the only Black dancer on the show and was “only given stereotypical ‘ethnic’ solos,” according to a January 2021 commentary in The Talon. In one of her only solos, Miller had Sioux portray Black drag queen Shangela Laquifa Wadley. Sioux later made a YouTube video titled “Reacting to Old Dance Mom Routines” in which she makes fun of this dance, among others.
Sioux joined a 2020 TikTok trend in which users shared hard experiences they endured growing up, with the song Bulletproof playing in the background. “You think you can hurt my feelings?” Sioux shared on her TikTok. “I was the only black girl on dancemoms.”
Other former “Dance Moms” dancers Jojo Siwa and Mackenzie Ziegler also made videos saying, “You think you can hurt my feelings? I was on Dance Moms,” Life & Style reported in August 2020.
3. Sioux Made Her Off-Broadway Debut in the 1960s Jukebox Musical ‘Trip of Love’
“Since last year I really started getting into acting and singing because that’s what I want to do as a career. I want to make sure that I’m a triple threat,” Sioux told Theatermania in 2016. Sioux took on the lead role in the musical revue “Trip of Love” during the summer of 2016.
“During six seasons of Dance Moms, I’ve learned to pick up choreography quickly and that work ethic is definitely paying off now in my preparation for Trip of Love,” Sioux wrote for BroadwayBox in 2016. This was the first performance Sioux had been part of since joining the Abby Lee Dance Company but clearly was just the start of many other artistic endeavors.
“Everyone that knows me was like, ‘Oh my gosh, you’ve been waiting for this moment! You finally get to be in an off-Broadway show!’ It’s literally a dream come true,” she said to Theatermania.
4. Sioux Stars in & Produces a New Facebook Watch Show Collaborating With Dancers With Disabilities
Sioux is reclaiming her love for dance with her new show, “Dance with Nia,” where she highlights dancers who don’t normally get the spotlight. She is “rediscovering her love of dance after years of traumatic instruction and bullying,” according to TV Insider. In this 11-episode series, Sioux “brings the stories and talents of dancers with disabilities to life through honest conversations about ableism, perseverance, and the tenacity of the human spirit, and collaborative performances,” according to the outlet. The show premiered on June 4, 2021, and has more than 572,000 followers.
“When I was on Dance Moms, I felt like I wasn’t highlighted the way that I wanted to be. I’d done reality, and I’d seen how they can turn storylines into something that they’re not, and I wanted this to be the exact opposite. I wanted it to be their show. I know how things can get twisted, so that’s why it’s so important to me [for] people to be able to share their stories the way that they want, with no alterations,” Sioux told HerCampus.
“Viewers are going to love watching Nia discover so many incredible artists, while rediscovering her own passion for dance,” said Rob Fishman, co-founder of BratTV, which produces the series, according to TV Insider.
Each episode of “Dance with Nia” shows Sioux and dancers with various disabilities learning choreography together and performing a routine. Each episode is 10 minutes long and highlights dancers who are underrepresented in mainstream dance. “I was just filled with so much love, honestly, my heart felt so full…. I created a lot of friends on that show and filming it was such a dream come true,” Sioux told BuzzFeed.
5. Sioux Won’t Compromise Her Dream Education or Her Dream of Winning an EGOT
“I’m a performer and I love to help people. … One of my biggest goals, which seems so huge, but I really want to be an EGOT one day, because I love every aspect,” Sioux told ET.
These big dreams could easily become a reality, with all of the experience Sioux has under her belt, though she hasn’t lost focus on her schooling. Sioux is now a member of UCLA’s class of 2024. In 2019 Sioux joined Michelle Obama for College Signing Day, one year prior to her YouTube announcement that she would attend UCLA.
Sioux’s start in “Dance Moms” may have been rough around the edges, but it thrust her into the spotlight, giving her the opportunities she has today.
“I’m grateful to have been able to do it for those seven years. To be able to say that I did it, you know, it’s given me a great platform to do the things that I love now. Even though it was really challenging, and sometimes I don’t have the best things to say about it, but I do have to always give them credit for just getting me to the place where I am today. … I have a lot to thank for the show, and I will never take that for granted,” Sioux told ET.