Kalani Hilliker spent her teenage years on 'Dance Moms.' Navigating adulthood as an influencer hasn't always been a smooth ride.
Charissa Cheong
- Kalani Hilliker spent her teenage years on the reality TV series "Dance Moms."
- Despite leaving TV behind, she still shares her life with millions of social media followers.
"It's definitely just a different way to grow up, right?" Kalani Hiliker said of her childhood, part of which was spent not only in the competitive dance world, but also being filmed for reality TV.
Hiliker, now 23, first appeared on "Dance Moms" almost 10 years ago. The hugely popular Lifetime reality TV series was based around the lives of young dancers at the Abby Lee Miller Dance Studio in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and their often quarreling moms.
"Having cameras on you and lights on you and a lot of people having an opinion on you is definitely really difficult at that age, because you already are dealing with so much just with yourself with being a teenager and growing up," she said.
Hilliker was 13 when her debut appearance on the show aired, and viewers watched her dancing on the reality series over the following years as she lived through adolescence.
While it hasn't always been an easy ride, Hilliker isn't shying away from the spotlight. She still broadcasts parts of her life to millions of viewers, except now it's on social media instead of TV — and, crucially, on her own terms.
Hilliker said growing up on “Dance Moms” was a "crazy" experience.
"It was definitely crazy," Hilliker told Business Insider, describing what it was like to grow up in a reality TV show environment.
She first appeared on the Lifetime show "Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition," a contest with "Dance Moms" coach Abby Lee Miller as one of the judges, in 2013, and then made her "Dance Moms" debut the following year in season four. Hilliker officially became a cast member at the start of the show's fifth season and stayed until its seventh season, which aired from November 2016 to October 2017, according to IMDb.
Speaking of her time on the show, she told BI: "I think it was definitely really hard, but luckily, all the girls and I, you know, and our moms were all super, super close. So it was nice to know that you always have support no matter what was going on," she said.
Hilliker is aware that not all her castmates have spoken highly of their time on the show, but she described it as an "amazing experience."
Hilliker told BI she looks back on her time on the show as an "amazing experience" even though there were "hard times" that came with it.
But not everyone has had the same experience. Maddie Ziegler in particular, who was portrayed as Miller's favorite dancer on the cast, has been critical of the production of the show and of Miller. Other former cast members have also suggested they had negative experiences in social media posts and interviews over the years.
Discussing her feelings about the negative accounts given about the show by former castmates, she said, "I think that everyone has their own story, and if that's how they feel, that's how they feel, you know, and you can't take away that from them."
Hilliker added that she occasionally speaks with her former castmates, but does not keep in touch with Miller.
"I don't agree with a lot of things that she's done on the show, but I am also super grateful for what she did to me and how she was able to help me get to where I'm at today," she told BI.
Hilliker did not specify in what ways she didn't agree with Miller's actions on the show, but said: "I guess we all make mistakes, I don't know."
Despite the ups and downs, Hilliker believes her social media presence can ultimately be a force for good.
Hilliker told BI she is grateful to have fans who have followed her life from her years on "Dance Moms" to the present day.
She also said she wants her social media presence to do good, highlighting body positivity and mental health. She said she wants to have a positive platform because, as she was growing up, "there was lots of negativity with the show."
She added that she wants "everyone to be happy and live a great life. Truly."
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