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Deciphering Dance in Reality Television: The Good, the Questionable, and the Unconscionable

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Deciphering Dance in Reality Television: The Good, the Questionable, and the Unconscionable

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“She fosters an ego climate by verbally and visibly ranking the young dancers using pictures of the girls placed in a pyramid": This excerpt from Cardinal's academic journal serves to highlight how Dance Moms was structured to place Maddie in the limelight - the hierarchal system integral to the premise of the show consistently placed Maddie at the top, justified by her talent and star quality displayed as a young child - this created a foundation for her celebrity to be built upon.

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Deciphering Dance in Reality Television: The Good, the Questionable, and the Unconscionable

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Deciphering Dance in Reality Television: The Good, the Questionable, and the Unconscionable

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Deciphering Dance in Reality Television: The Good, the Questionable, and the Unconscionable

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This editorial discusses the potential positive and negative issues related to reality-TV dance shows. It describes what we can learn from them, how they might influence our fields, and what teach...

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Maddie's various endeavours into other aspects of fame and business/industry align with Redmond's comments in Celebrity and the Media as he discusses how the idea of celebrity types is a "problematic" one as celebrities are arguably "blended constructions" - Maddie is a paragon of the multi-faceted celebrity who takes control of her own image through her social media presence and carefully constructed career exploring the many facets of her talent and capability - this reaffirms her star image as an extraordinary talent who's authenticity and deservedness of her attention is rooted in her ability and what talent and entertainment service she provides as a commodity of the entertainment business

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“Celebrity is found wherever elevated figures can be foregrounded as heightened, charismatic, and talented people who warrant or demand our attention” - one of the key components in Maddie's rise to fame was her positioning as the most talented girl on Dance Moms - her star image was based on the idea that she had star quality, we are told repeatedly Maddie is "special" - Maddie's portrayal on Dance Moms and the talent she displayed in comparison to the other cast members created a cultural worth around her in relation to that media project - she was idealised within this media for her talent and special skill and as such began to build a star image as a talented performer as she was shown to carry worth within the show.

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Celebrity introduces the key terms and concepts, dilemmas and issues that are central to the study and critical understanding of celebrity.

Drawing on two dynamic models from two different modes of enquiry - the circuit of celebrity culture and the circuit of celebrity affect - this book explores the multi-layered, multi-faceted contexts and concepts that sit within and surround the study of celebrity. Through building a critical story about celebrity, Sean Redmond discusses key topics such as identity and representation; the celebrity body; the consumption of celebrity and celebrity culture; and the sensory connection between fans and celebrities, gender, activism, gossip and toxicity.

Including case studies on Miley Cyrus, David Bowie, Scarlett Johansson and Kate Winslet, Celebrity is a dynamic and topical volume ideal for students and academics in celebrity and cultural studies.

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Celebrity introduces the key terms and concepts, dilemmas and issues that are central to the study and critical understanding of celebrity. Drawing on two dynamic models from two different modes of enquiry - the circuit of celebrity culture and the circuit of celebrity affect - this book explores the multi-layered, multi-faceted contexts and concepts that sit within and surround the study of celebrity.

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“The gendered articulation of reality TV celebrity allows television to capitalise on earlier forms of female stardom… previously inaccessible within US reality TV, thus opening up “new horizons for commodifying female stars and their fans””

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Women on screen: Feminism and femininity in visual culture

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Women on screen: Feminism and femininity in visual culture

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"feminist intergenerational conflict is often figured through the portrayal of antagonistic relationships between older and younger women” - the notoriety and near-instant rise to fame seen from Dance Moms was largely due to the conflict ridden relationships amongst the mothers and the daughters featured in the show.

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In the Limelight and Under the Microscope: Forms and Functions

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In the Limelight and Under the Microscope: Forms and Functions

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"steeply pitched female fame trajectories are becoming increasingly common - not in the least in reality TV". This excerpt highlights reality tv as a pathway to fame for women in the entertainment industry as it is seen as a more feminine industry

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In the Limelight and Under the Microscope

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This timely collection explores the politics of female celebrity across a range of contemporary and historical media contexts. Amidst concerns about the apparent 'decline' in the currency of modern fame ('famous for being famous'), as well as debates about the shifting parameters of public/private visibility, it is female celebrities who are positioned as the most active discursive terrain.

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Maddie has two collaborations with makeup brand Morphe. Speaking on the collaboration, Maddie said "Ever since I can remember, my dream in life was to have a makeup line". This reiterates her authenticity in tandem with her ability to sell product as a celebrity as fans are told of her personal touch to the products and therefore can feel better connected to the star they admire.

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Maddie's social media presence is one of the things that has secured her celebrity amongst her younger fans. She has 13.7 Instagram followers, and it is this exposure that allows her to control her own star image rather than have it constructed by the media. She has the power to promote her projects and endeavours directly to her fans. Alongside this, she also can display different elements of her personality and real life, relationships, etc. This gives her authenticity within her star persona as she is able to portray herself and her life from her perspective and show this to her fans, rather than her image simply being constructed by her professional projects and public opinion.

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Maddie has collaborated with actress Kate Hudson for Hudson's brand Fabletics on several collections of athleisure wear. This collaboration has allowed Maddie to combine her personal style with her profession and her fans in that she can express her creativity and perspective in a way that is applicable to her dance career. Of the collection pictured, Ziegler noted "I wanted this collection to support me in all aspects of my life —from dancing to hanging out to working out to just lounging at home". In this, Maddie herself becomes aligned with a brand image and creates a cultural product within her star persona, and aligns with the idea surrounding celebrity that they are "sellable" and also "help others to sell". This collaboration is significant in that it tells us that her star image and persona as a celebrity is strong enough to entice her fans to purchase commodities promoted by her star persona. The alignment to the idea of "Maddie" the celebrity image is enough to sell these products and sets them apart from similar garments without a star image behind them.

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Pictured above is Maddie attending the premiere of Steven Spielberg's West Side Story. She played the role of Velma in the film

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Maddie later went on to star in The Fallout alongside Jenna Ortega. The film premiered at SXSW and won the Grand Jury Prize in the Narrative Feature Film Competition. The film's timeliness surrounding its plotline of a school shooting during a time in America in which multiple school shootings were occurring, the film received much critical acclaim and a 93% approval rating.

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Continuing in Ziegler's film career as well as her relationship with Sia, Maddie starred in the 2021 film Music written and directed by Sia.

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In 2019, Maddie was announced to have a role in Steven Spielberg's new rendition of West Side Story. This announcement was a major career moment for Maddie as it brought her to a new level of legitimacy within the entertainment industry and placed her alongside longtime industry professionals and established celebrities, exposing her to a heightened level of fame. Her ventures into the film industry serve to change her "star type" as defined by media specificity, taking her from a reality star to a multi-medial star, reaffirming her public image as multi-talented and justifying her position amongst the celebrities featured in this film.

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Steven Spielberg's West Side Story is casting up with over 40 performers set as Sharks and Jets, the rival street gangs at the center of the musical's timeless love story. Leading the Jets as Riff will be Mike Faist, who is best known for originating roles in the Broadway productions of Dear Evan Hansen and Newsies. Also, Puerto Rican singer and dancer Ana Isabelle will play Rosalia, who works with Maria (played by newcomer Rachel Zegler). Dance Moms alum Maddie Ziegler has also been cast as part of the Jets.

Previously announced players include Rita Moreno (Valentina), Ansel Elgort (Tony), Ariana DeBose (Anita), David Alvarez (Bernardo), Josh Andrés Rivera (Chino), Corey Stoll (Lieutenant Schrank), and Brian dʼArcy James (Sergeant Krupke).

Spielberg's team conducted a wide search for performers, many with no on-camera experience, to bring together a cast with a range of musical theater experience. Filming is slated to begin this summer.

The Sharks and Jets appear in several of West Side Story's most iconic song and dance scenes, including "Cool," "America," "Gee, Officer Krupke," "Jet Song" and "I Feel Pretty." Justin Peck will choreograph the numbers in the film.

"One of our largest priorities was to find a caliber of triple-threats who could bring this film to life with great proficiency," said Peck. " West Side Story has influenced generations of dancers since its inception, and I am thrilled that we have found this extraordinary group to bring our new vision for the musical to the big screen."

In addition to Faist and Ziegler, the Jets chorus includes Brianna Abruzzo, Kyle Allen, Kyle Coffman, Ben Cook, Harrison Coll, Kevin Csolak, Kellie Drobnick, Julian Elia, Myles Erlick, Leigh-Ann Esty, Sara Esty, John Michael Fiumara, Paloma Garcia-Lee, Garett Hawe, Patrick Higgins, Sean Harrison Jones, Eloise Kropp, Lauren Leach, Jess LeProtto, Skye Mattox, Ezra Menas, Adriana Pierce, Brittany Pollack, Daniel Patrick Russell, Talia Ryder, Jonalyn Saxer, and Halli Toland.

Rounding out the members of the Sharks are David Aviles Morales, Yesenia Ayala, María Alejandra Castillo, Annelise Cepero, Andrei Chagas, Jeanette Delgado, Kelvin Delgado, Gaby Diaz, Yurel Echezarreta, Adriel Flete, Carlos E. Gonzalez, David Guzman, Jacob Guzman, Ana Isabelle, Melody Martí, Ilda Mason, Juliette Feliciano Ortiz, Edriz E. Rosa Pérez, Maria Alexis Rodriguez, Julius Anthony Rubio, Carlos Sánchez Falú, Sebastian Serra , Gabriela Soto, Ricky Ubeda, Tanairi Vazquez, Jamila Velazquez, Isabella Ward, and Ricardo Zayas.

Spielberg is producing and directing this latest rendition of West Side Story for 20th Century Fox. Oscar nominee and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Tony Kushner is adapting the screenplay from the original 1957 Broadway musical, which was written by Arthur Laurents with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and concept, direction and choreography by Jerome Robbins. Producers are Tony Award nominee Kevin McCollum and Oscar nominee Kristie Macosko Krieger.

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Steven Spielberg's 'West Side Story' Sets Sharks/Jets Chorus Including Riff & Rosalia

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Steven Spielberg's West Side Story is casting up with over 40 performers set as Sharks and Jets, the rival street gangs at the center of the musical's timeless love story. Leading the Jets as Riff will be Mike Faist, who is best known for originating roles in the Broadway productions of Dear Evan Hansen and Newsies.

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Sia - Together (from the motion picture Music)

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Ziegler's professional relationship with Sia has continued on throughout her career. This professional collaboration has been one of the significant aspects of Maddie's career that has affirmed her position in the public eye as a star performer as it is these videos that projected Maddie into global view and created significant visibility of Maddie beyond her reality television roots. The professional career of Maddie as a featured performer in these music videos gave her professional legitimacy beyond her portrayal as a dance student in Dance Moms to being a professional in the industry.

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2018 - LSD - Thunderclouds (Official Video) ft. Sia, Diplo, Labrinth

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LSD - Thunderclouds (Official Video) ft. Sia, Diplo, Labrinth

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In 2016, Maddie accompanied Sia on her "Nostalgic for the Present" tour of North America. This was significant as, despite Maddie exploring other aspects of the entertainment industry and establishing herself as an up and coming celebrity, this tour reminded audiences of Maddie's extraordinary capability as a dancer. She executed Ryan Heffington's choreography on stage. The tour received positive reviews in abundance, with critics noting Maddie's exceptional performance, demonstrating her star persona as a captivating performer, capturing attention and notoriety even though the endeavour was Sia's tour, proving herself to be an asset as a performer.

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Dance Moms became an incredibly popular reality show, with its' opening season amassing 15.94 million views across its episodes. this skyrocketed Maddie onto a very public platform at the age of 8, and it was this exposure that gave Maddie the opportunity to break into the professional entertainment industry and begin her journey to fame. Additionally, Maddie's portrayal as the "star pupil" on the show and the emphasis placed on her talent and ability as the best dancer on the team helped to form her star image from a young age. She was positioned from the age of 8 to be perceived in a positive, complimentary light and yet also to be perceived as deserving of this portrayal through her extraordinary ability, giving her stardom an authenticity that has carried on throughout her career.

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Maddie's past in the entertainment industry as a dancer and reality star and the exposure given to her through the Sia partnership opened her up to enter into different aspects of the entertainment industry. These doors being opened in her childhood allowed her to break into the film industry, which served to give her legitimacy as a talented performer to watch.

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Maddie's collaboration with Sia took her from being recognised by the fans of Dance Moms to entering spaces such as the Grammy Awards and having her be a part of the Hollywood entertainment industry. The exposure these music videos afforded her helped to create her star image as a legitimate performer and set her up to have a successful career in the entertainment industry.

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At 14 years old, Maddie released a memoir centring around her coming-of-age and success/achieving her dreams in her life and career up to teenagehood. The memoir tracks her rise to stardom along with advice, personal stories and offers a unique perspective into her life at the time. This was a significant career move as it was a milestone in her career marking her journey from child star on Dance Moms to how her celebrity and star persona had grown into her becoming a legitimate actress and dancer and household name. The memoir spent eighteen weeks on the Sunday Times bestseller list, and the success of the book only helped to further confirm her star image, with her bestselling celebrity memoir serving to be a symbol of how her fame had grown and the public interest in her persona as a celebrity. Furthermore, her family friendly career ventures up until this point, and then releasing a bestselling memoir for teenagers and young people crafted an image of her as a positive role model and public figure for young people to look up to, broadening her audience to include families and opening her up to new successes.

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The exposure The Book of Henry created boosted Maddie's star image immensely. Her original foundation of her star image was created upon the premise that she possessed a talent and charisma that set her apart from her peers. This is therefore built upon by her branching out into separate entertainment industries in that her talent and charisma is given validity as she proves to audiences that her talent is strong enough to give her space in various different entertainment industries in which she can hold her own amongst professionals who specify in those industries.

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Meet The 3 Young Stars Of ‘The Book Of Henry’ | TODAY

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In 2017 Maddie continued her acting career, playing the lead role of Christina in her first on-screen feature role in Drama/Thriller film The Book of Henry. The film made 4.6 million USD at the box office and premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival. This was incredibly significant in Ziegler's star image evolution as it took her from being viewed as a child star to becoming a household name. Her featuring alongside established and respected stars such as Naomi Watts and Sarah Silverman in this film lended her a certain level of legitimacy through association, signifying her rise in star power and recognition. Beyond this, her demonstrating her multi-talented star persona beyond the dance career we were already familiar with, gave her an authenticity that is crucial in creating an unquestionable celebrity image as it shows audiences that her fame is justified through her unique talent and qualities that she delivers through her extraordinary ability. This allowed her to grow in her fame and begin exploring different lanes of celebrity through this legitimacy and authenticity, convincing fans, audiences and consumers that she deserves the fame she has, and confirming her star quality.

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Adding to her 2016 successes, Maddie became a judge on the 2016 season of So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation. Joining Maddie on the judging panel were Jason Derulo, Paula Abdul and Nigel Lythgoe, further solidifying her place as a celebrity as she was amongst A-list peers on the panel and featuring as a judge on live primetime TV.

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2016 was a significant year for Maddie Ziegler in terms of her star image in that her celebrity grew beyond her "Dance Moms" legacy in this year. Maddie won the 2016 Teen Choice Award for Best Dancer - a clear portrayal of her growing stardom and recognisability as this award is fan voted and was a clear display of her popularity.

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Leap! Featurette - Maddie Ziegler (2017) | Movieclips Coming Soon

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In 2016, following her exit from "Dance Moms", Maddie entered the acting world starring in animated family/dance film Leap!, playing the role of Camille Le Haut. This was Maddie's first venture into the world of film and advanced her career from reality star and child performer to star performer. This advanced her career as it entered her into spaces she had not previously approached, and helped to establish her place as a legitimate rising star in Hollywood. Speaking on the film, Maddie said "As much as it was different for me, because I’m not used to being a 'snobby' ballerina — It was cool, because I do have so many experiences in my life from being a competitive dancer and knowing what it’s like to want that spot and to become the best,"

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Maddie was starring in "Dance Moms" from 2011 to 2016, throughout her career relationship with Sia and her on personal business ventures. After 6 seasons of Lifetime's "Dance Moms", Maddie, her sister Mackenzie and their mother Melissa announced their intended exit from the show in 2016 after 6 years. They went on to finish the sixth season of the show and then left "Dance Moms" to pursue other career endeavours

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Dance Moms: Maddie and Mackenzie Are Leaving ALDC (Season 6 Flashback) | Lifetime

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Later in 2015, Maddie starred again in Sia's music videos, appearing in the official video for "Big Girls Cry", competing her appearance in a trilogy of videos for Sia's album 1000 Forms of Fear. Following this, Maddie appeared in the music videos for "Cheap Thrills" and "The Greatest" in 2016.

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One of Maddie's earliest brushes with controversy within her career occurred when the Elastic Heart video began to garner criticism. The video was critiqued for the appropriateness of having a 13 year old Maddie dance so closely with a 28 year old Shia in nude underwear. Speaking on the controversy, Sia tweeted "I anticipated some "pedophelia!!!" Cries for this video. All I can say is Maddie and Shia are two of the only actors I felt could play, these two warring 'Sia' self states. I apologize to those who feel triggered by "Elastic Heart". My intention was to create some emotional content, not to upset anybody."

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Sia - Elastic Heart feat. Shia LaBeouf & Maddie Ziegler (Official Video).          2015

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In 2015, Maddie's professional relationship with Sia continued and she starred in the "Elastic Heart" music video with Shia LaBeouf. The video featured the two performers in an interpretive dance sequence in nude bodysuits. The video built upon Maddie's rapidly growing celebrity image and contributed to her becoming a household name. The video itself went on to become nominated for 2015's VMA Award for Best Female Video, and was selected by Billboard as "one of the best music videos of 2015 (so far)". The video amassed 1.2 billion views on YouTube.

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Sia - Elastic Heart feat. Shia LaBeouf & Maddie Ziegler (Official Video)

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Maddie went on to do several live recreations of the music video with Sia, such as live on the Ellen DeGeneres show and at the 2015 Grammy Awards.

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Maddie went on to do several live recreations of the music video with Sia, such as live on the Ellen DeGeneres show and at the 2015 Grammy Awards.

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Sia - Chandelier (Live At The 57th Annual Grammy Awards 2015 feat. Kristen Wiig & Maddie Ziegler)

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The official mark of Maddie's career partnership with Sia - the video amassed 2.5 billion views on YouTube and was nominated for two MTV Video Music Awards as well as the 2015 Grammy Award for Best Music Video.

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In 2014, after spotting Ziegler featuring on Lifetime's Dance Moms, singer-songwriter Sia reached out to Maddie to request that she feature in the music video for her upcoming single "Chandelier". Maddie said about the encounter: “I was 11 years old when Sia reached out on Twitter asking me to be in her music video, she was actually a huge fan of Dance Moms and saw lots of potential in me. I’m so grateful that I was introduced to her world of art and creativity.”

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Dance Moms | Congratulating Maddie's Success In Her First Sia Performance

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By 2014, Maddie had been a part of Dance Moms for four years and was now 11 years old. She had secured her place as the top performer on the team, consistently leading the team to victory as well as collecting multiple solo first place wins. Maddie gained additional attention this season due to her affiliation with musician Sia.

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Dance Moms: Maddie's "Cry" Solo (Season 1 Flashback) | Lifetime

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Dance Moms: First-Ever Pyramid Ranking (Season 1 Flashback) | Lifetime

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Maddie, along with her sister Mackenzie and their mother Melissa, were one of the original families featured on Lifetime's 'Dance Moms'. From the beginning, Maddie is positioned as the star of the competition team and given a central focus within the show, often presented as the most talented girl on the team and frequently followed on the show as she is given solo performances throughout the first season - positioning her as a star from the age of 9.

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Maddie Ziegler first came into the public eye as a young dancer - she was signed to the Abby Lee Dance Company when she was 2 years old, with her first television appearance  in 2010 as a guest performer on Paula Abdul's 'Live to Dance'. In 2011, an 8 year old Maddie (along with her mother and younger sister Mackenzie) signed onto the first season 'Dance Moms' on Lifetime.