10 Surprising Things We Learned From Dance Moms Star Maddie Ziegler's New Tell-All Memoir

In her new book, the "Chandelier" dancer dishes on everything from Zac Efron to her famously crazy faces

By Alana Moskowitz Mar 09, 2017 2:10 AMTags
Maddie ZieglerRob Kim/Getty Images

For most of us, our early teen years had a lot more to do with acne and awkward school dances than performing at the iHeartRadio Music Festival, being a judge on So You Think You Can Dance?, or starring in a music video alongside Shia LaBeouf.

But then, most of us aren't Maddie Ziegler.

In her new memoir, The Maddie Diaries, Maddie offers a look into her life—from her time on Dance Moms to landing her first role in a feature film, and everything in between.

Here are 10 surprising things we learned from the "Chandelier" dancer's new tell-all book.

read
Ellen DeGeneres and Heidi Klum Perform as Sia and Maddie Ziegler for Halloween

1. Despite being arguably the show's biggest star, Maddie is not much of a Dance Moms fan. It's not that she has a problem with it—she's just never seen it! "I've probably only seen one entire episode from start to finish," the dancer says.

2. As though life as a dancer, actress, and a dance judge, wasn't enough, the superstar can also add rapper to her lengthy resume; the dancer boasts that she knows the words to every Drake song. Watch out, "6-God," you've got some competition. 

3. As anyone who has ever seen Dance Moms can tell you, there's always some kind of drama going on. Like, literal fist fights over little girls in tutus. If that seems a little crazy to you, you're not the only one—the "Cheap Thrills" dancer was never into the drama either.

"Your life is what the show is about, but you're also trying to live it," she said of the show, adding, "I just wanted to dance; I didn't want all the drama." 

4. Despite seeming basically superhuman, sometimes the fame still gets to her. "That was a lot of pressure—we had a reputation to live up to."

read
Sia Debuts "Big Girls Cry" Music Video Starring (Who Else?) Dance Moms' Maddie Ziegler—Watch Now!

5. Although performing with the Abby Lee Dance Company could be pretty crazy, it all paid off when Sia reached out asking Maddie to be in her music video (which now has about a billion and a half hits on Youtube).

Now, she sees the pop-star as her role model and advisor.

"Before I met [Sia], I would say yes to a lot of things I didn't want to do...Sia always tells me you have to have time off, step back and appreciate the moment," she said of the singer.

Do we sense a little shade towards Dance Moms star Abby Lee Miller?

Sia Vevo

6. "The Greatest" dancer is a total Zac Efron fangirl (to be fair, who isn't?). In The Maddie Diaries, she describes sobbing after watching Charlie St. Cloud, and reveals she is actually a diehard High School Musical fan.

7. Although the world of competition dance is all about sparkles and tulle, not all of her costumes have been glamorous—the Dance Moms star praises her mother's last minute costume crafting.

"I remember one time the moms were handed a sports bra and booty shorts and told 'Make a cowboy outfit'."

Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

8. While Maddie describes working with Sia as being about as amazing as it sounds, she's had her fair share of cringe-worthy performances.

Her most embarrassing dance? While performing a duet of "This Girl's Gotta Be Kissed" (with a boy she had had a crush on),  she had to actually kiss her dance partner—on live television!

"I'd rather have a root canal than relive it."

9. If you've ever wondered about her famously funky faces for the "Chandelier" video, the dancer explains that her moves, however silly, are actually choreographed.

While being given directions like "hiss like a cat" initially felt out of place, Ziegler says at this point, making crazy faces comes easily.

10. Maddie is making the jump from reality TV to the silver screen, and loving every bit of it! She says filming her upcoming movie, The Book of Henry, co-starring Naomi Watts and Jacob Tremblay, was the best experience of her entire life. The Book of Henry will be in theaters everywhere Friday, June, 16th.

Latest News