ExclusiveDance Moms’ Chloe Lukasiak Looks Back on Abby Lee Miller’s Harsh Teaching Methods: ‘Unnecessary’
Dance Moms alum Chloe Lukasiak looks back on Abby Lee Miller’s harsh teaching methods during an exclusive video interview with Life & Style, adding that the experience inspires her work ethic today.
“Honestly, I don’t like to live with regrets. I think that everything happens for a reason,” Chloe, 22, tells Life & Style ahead of Dance Moms: The Reunion. “And so I think the experiences I had on the show built me to be very thick skinned and to work hard and to have discipline.”
After noting that she believes Abby’s intense teaching methods were “unnecessary,” she says she believes that “some sort of pushing and encouraging is vital in shaping a person” in a competitive setting.
“I think if you want to reach the top level in your sport, you have to work hard for it and it requires discipline,” Chloe states. “I think that’s what I really aimed, to kind of pivot, with the dance competition I cofounded. It’s called Elevé Dance Competition.”
The Pennsylvania native says that Elevé – which was announced in September 2023 – is “all about cultivating a positive experience for dancers and reminding them of their passion for dance.” However, the competition still offers critiques and “suggestions so that they feel like they’re improving and taking something away from the experience.”
“But it’s really done in a positive and uplifting way – not in an intense, negative way,” Chloe shares. “I think that dance can sometimes really easily lean into the toxicity, and I think Elevé is all about just celebration of dance and love and supporting one another.”
Chloe made her reality TV debut in 2011 on Lifetime’s Dance Moms, which documented her and other dancers at Abby Lee Dance Company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Abby, 58, has faced backlash for being mean to the young dancers and creating a competitive dynamic between teammates, specifically Chloe and Maddie Ziegler.
Despite being an original member of the show, Chloe and her mother, Christi Lukasiak, left the series after season 4 and briefly returned during season 7.
Chloe and Christi, 47, are among the show’s stars to reunite for Dance Moms: The Reunion, which premieres on Wednesday, May 1, on Lifetime at 8 p.m. ET. During the reunion, Chloe got to catch up with former costars Brooke Hyland, Paige Hyland, Kalani Hilliker, Kendall Vertes and JoJo Siwa.
“It was really interesting. It was fun,” she tells Life & Style about filming the reunion. “We all stay in touch, so I’ve talked to them for years after the show and we see each other when we can.”
Chloe adds that it “was really nice to sit down and reminisce on the good times, the bad times, all the in between.”
