Maddie Ziegler is a force to be reckoned with: She's been dominating the dance competition stage on Lifetime's addictive reality show Dance Moms for five seasons and counting. She's the breakout star of Sia's iconic blond-wigged, nude-leotard music videos. We've seen her alongside Kristen Wiig, on Pretty Little Liars, collaborating with Betsey Johnson—oh, and did we mention she's only 12? We chatted with Ziegler to talk about her seriously impressive resume, her promising future, and how we can steal some of her best dance moves. (You're welcome.)
GLAMOUR: You've performed on some major stages—the Grammys, Saturday Night Live—do you ever get nervous?
Maddie: I definitely get nervous. I'm nervous before every performance. It's definitely good to stay calm and be confident but not too confident because then you might overthink it and do badly. I try to stay calm, but I always am nervous on the inside.
GLAMOUR: Do you have any go-to tricks for getting rid of those preperformance jitters?
Maddie: My friends and I, we do this thing—it's like a shake. We do this little ritual before, and that's what keeps us calm. We do that every time.
GLAMOUR: We've been watching Dance Moms loyally since season one, so we've seen you perform in countless solos and group dances. Do you have a favorite from over the years?
Maddie: I love so many performances, but all of the national group dances I really love because they are the ones that tell the story—like "The Last Text," or "Amber Alert," our new one that's coming on the show for the finale. Mainly, the most touching pieces, I love all of those. And then all of my solos I've loved.
GLAMOUR: We love it when you tap.
Maddie: Me too. I love tapping. People don't really get to see that as much, but I love doing that.
GLAMOUR: We have another burning question from watching the show. What is Abby Lee Miller really like?
Maddie: Abby is definitely tough on us. She's very, not so much mean, but she's pushing us and always making us try to be better. But that's just what she wants us to be. The only reason she's tough on us is to make us a better dancer, and she definitely does look out for us and does care for us.
GLAMOUR: Fair enough. Now back to dancing: Talk to us about about those crazy-popular Sia music videos. Is there one that stands out to you as your favorite to work on?
Maddie: This is so hard for me, because I love all of them in very different ways. I love "Chandelier" because that was the first one and that was the most iconic, I feel like—because it started with the nude leotard and the blond wig. It's just an amazing song and amazing choreography and the whole concept. I love "Elastic Heart" also for the story and that I got to do it with Shia [LaBeouf], which was so amazing. We had a lot of fun, and it really changed me as wanting to act more. And then the last one I loved not just because it told a story, but because I got to change my emotion so many different times. It was definitely challenging for me because I don't usually do that—I'm used to dancing and moving and I just sat in the chair. It was cool getting to do that. It's really hard to pick because I love them all so much.
GLAMOUR: The video for "Big Girls Cry" focuses in just on your face, but the "Maddie face" has been a thing on Dance Moms for years now. How did it become this phenomenon?
Maddie: I think it started after one of my first solos on the show. I did a dance called "Cry," and at the end, I had what they call the "Maddie face." From there, it started getting bigger and bigger, and now, it's like what people say. There's hashtags about it and GIFs. It's really cool, but sometimes I think it's embarrassing because I was so little and I was so over the top and everything. I was so little when it started—I was only like eight.
GLAMOUR: We've watched you grow up on the show, but almost all of your ALDC dances over the years include an amazing turn sequence. Is that your go-to move to wow the judges?
Maddie: I always have a turn section in my solo, because I'll be doing movement and I'll be doing my contemporary, jazz, or tap or whatever—but at some point in my dance, you always have to have something to impress the judges in a very technical way. So I always go to a turn.
GLAMOUR: You make them look so easy.
Maddie: It depends on what it is. Sometimes, if I just do a normal one, that will be fine. But sometimes, we change it up, because you can't have the same exact turn section. So when we change it up, it definitely gets more difficult. As I'm growing as a dancer, I need to put harder sections in my solos.
GLAMOUR: How about off the stage: What are your some of your favorite moves to whip out on the dance floor?
Maddie: I am more fun and crazy when I'm with my friends. These days, we are doing the whip and the nae nae. I'm always doing that. And I always love doing the worm. My sister and I and my whole group—somehow we get it to work really well. It's really funny when we all do it together because we are all in this big group coming towards you doing the worm. It's funny.
GLAMOUR: Since we're nowhere near as talented as you are, what are the best tips you can give us to impress on the dance floor?
Maddie: This isn't even really involving dance, but you need to have some personality and show that you are having fun. Sometimes, it's not all about the technique. Sometimes it's about really showing every that you are into it. And I would say that you need to have some sort of trick that impresses someone.
GLAMOUR: What are some tricks or dance moves that we could do?
Maddie: You could probably do a cartwheel, or maybe a single or double pirouette, if you're feeling it. I feel like that is what impresses someone, either a flip or some type of turn or jump.
GLAMOUR: Let's say we found ourselves in a dance battle. What's the one move we should whip out to guarantee a victory?
Maddie: The worm—that'd be sick! Because if you do it funny and you do it good, people will like it. Technically, it's impressive too.
GLAMOUR: You've had an amazing dance career already at the age of 12, but you've also done some incredible things in the world of fashion—including Glamour's new fall trend's video—and TV. Where do you see your career taking you in the future?
Maddie: I want to stay with dancing, because that's what I want to do the rest of my life. I want to be in film and be acting and maybe even modeling a little bit. But when I grow up, my dream job would be to be in movies and scripted TV shows, more on the serious side. I don't know what I want to do exactly with my dancing, maybe some dance companies or even just dancing in film. That would be so much fun, like a Step Up.
GLAMOUR: We could totally see you in the next Center Stage.
Maddie: That's one of my favorite movies!
GLAMOUR: People have watched you on TV for the last four years—but is there anything they would be surprised to know about you?
Maddie: People know that I always do my hair and makeup, but I also love doing crafts. I love getting a blank canvas and painting something. I'm very artistic—I feel like ever since I was born I've been drawing. I actually have a picture in my room that I painted, and people are always like "Where did you buy that?" It's cool that people are impressed by it.
We're confident that we'll be impressed by a lot in Maddie's future. For more from Maddie Ziegler, be sure to check out her fall fashion trends video for Glamour!
