Mackenzie Zent, Opinion editor
February 22, 2023
As an avid “Dance Moms” fan, I was disappointed to hear the news about the Abby Lee Dance Company (ALDC) building in Pittsburgh being sold. Owner Abby Lee Miller started the company in 1980, and has been teaching successful dancers ever since. Her studio quickly became popular because her elite competition team was the stars of the show “Dance Moms.” People loved not only the drama between the moms and Miller, but also fell in love with the girls on the team. Full of talent, these young girls competed a group dance and sometimes solos or duets every single weekend of the dance competition season. Each week viewers would watch to see which girl made it to the top of the pyramid, a ranking system Miller came up with to keep her dancers on their toes. The show was funny, entertaining and watching the girls perform was always magical at the end of each episode. They really knew how to keep viewers coming back for more. Years after the show ended, Miller announced that the studio would be closing, and the building has been bought by someone else. I was sad to hear about this because I have always wanted togototheALDCtoseeitin person. Even though they did not let people into the actual dance studio, there was a gift shop fans were allowed into and I think it would have been cool to go there. I do have a sweatshirt from the ALDC though. My dad went to Pittsburgh a few summers ago and I asked him to stop by the ALDC to get a picture for me and he brought me back a sweatshirt too. However, I was hoping I would get to see the studio in person one day. They recently auctioned off a lot of props and random things around the studio fans of the show would recognize. People had a chance at getting the infamous chair that Miller threw towards Paige Hyland, or the bench that Jill Vertes bought to bribe Miller during the show. The only thing that comes to mind that I would want from the studio is Chloe Lukasiak’s hat that fell off during the Pink Lemonade dance, but they did not have that on the website. The ALDC building being sold marks the end of an era for the hundreds of dancers who were taught there and fans of “Dance Moms.” Miller made a statement saying that the building was bought by a daycare, and that she was happy about this because of her passion for teaching and helping kids learn and grow. She said that the building will be filled with kids laughing and playing, which is a perfect way to pass down her iconic building. Abby Lee Miller’s phrase has always been “everyone’s replaceable,” and I guess what comes around goes around because it has finally caught up to her as well. As the building gets replaced by a new daycare, the dance studio will live on in memories.
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