Dance Moms alum Nia Sioux didn’t just save her tears for the pillow. She saved her story for her new memoir, *Bottom of the Pyramid: A Memoir of Persevering, Dancing for Myself, and Starring in My Own Life*, in which she details her experience growing up on the hit Lifetime reality series.
As for why now “finally” felt like the “right time” to speak her truth, Sioux told DECIDER she is “happy” she opted to wait, claiming that she “would have said things [she] would definitely regret.”
“I was definitely too still in it,” she shared. “But now, having time away, it’s given me so much time to reflect on my experiences and I finally found the right words to tell my story. But yeah, it’s always been something that I wanted to do. It was honestly just a matter of when was the right time. Finally it felt like the right time.”
Sioux doesn’t dance around the traumatic experiences she faced on the series under dance teacher Abby Lee Miller, and the obstacles she dealt with as the only Black dancer on the Abby Lee Dance Company’s elite team for the majority of the show. Nonetheless, the 24-year-old also cited people having more of a willingness to engage in conversations about race “after the post-2020 world” as another reason why she felt ready to share her story.
During our sit-down earlier this fall, Sioux opened up about the catharsis that came with writing *Bottom of the Pyramid*, what makes a good mentor, and her love of a good Dr. Holly TikTok edit. Check out our conversation below.
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### DECIDER: As a Dance Moms fan myself, it was fascinating to read about the evolution of the show before it came to fruition. It was pitched to you as a documentary titled *Just Dance*. You were only committed for like six weeks, and that turned into seven seasons of *Dance Moms*. Was that quick progression ever daunting or did it ever give you pause?
Honestly, it never gave me pause because I always just liked to perform. I’ve always been like that. Just like as a kid. I loved to dance. I loved to sing. I just loved being on stage. So anything that had to do with cameras, costumes, dance, I was just drawn to it. I was drawn to a stage. So the fact that they kept extending it—I didn’t even know what *Dance Moms* was really going to be. It ended up being like a pop culture phenomenon, which is pretty insane to be a part of when you have no idea it’s going to be that.
So yeah, I don’t know, it came so fast and everything happened so fast, but also at the same time it felt very normal? It didn’t feel like we were on a TV show, even though we were. It was just our life.
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### You opened up about something that I hadn’t remembered from the show: being diagnosed with reflex neurovascular dystrophy, which is now called complex regional pain syndrome, shortly before *Dance Moms* started production. You had to learn how to dance again through an in-patient program, you were using a wheelchair for a period of time. But it was only mentioned in the show fairly briefly. Can you take me through this experience for you?
Yeah. I was eight years old and I got diagnosed with RND, which put simply means pain management disorder. It affected both of my legs, which is very uncommon for it to affect two parts of your body but on different sides. It’s very uncommon.
But yeah, it was a really interesting time for me because I was still so young. I mean, I was eight years old and didn’t really know that much about how the body works, how powerful your mind is, and how to also just process pain and how to handle it. But that experience honestly taught me a lot about myself. It taught me how strong I really was and that I could really overcome anything.
And I think it really prepared me honestly for the show, which is so crazy. But it did. I felt like if I could get through that, I felt like I could get through anything.
The therapist that I worked with, they gave me coping mechanisms to really take care of my body, to take care of my mind. To make sure if I have a pain, to differentiate between: is this pain a pain that will go away quickly? Or is this going to be a long-lasting pain that you have to treat, like you have to go to the ER? Do you just have to ice your knee? Being really in-tune with your body.
It really just mentally prepared me as well, for I feel like my whole life, or anything really.
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### I’m so glad that we finally get to hear this story and learn the rest of your story in this book. In the intro to the memoir, you write that Chloe [Lukasiak], one of your other *Dance Moms* co-stars, encouraged you to share your story in this way. Was that the first time that you were considering writing a memoir? How did this come to fruition?
I’ve always wanted to write a book, a memoir. The show officially ended when I was 16, and for some reason, I felt that I needed to write my book right at that moment but I’m so happy I didn’t. I would have said things I would definitely regret. I was definitely too still in it.
But now, having time away, it’s given me so much time to reflect on my experiences and I finally found the right words to tell my story.
But yeah, it’s always been something that I wanted to do. It was honestly just a matter of when was the right time. Finally it felt like the right time.
Especially after the post-2020 world, I feel like everyone’s just more receptive about talking about race and a huge part of my story is being the only Black girl on the show for a majority of the show and how that’s affected me.
I feel like people can actually understand where I’m coming from now and will actually sit down and listen and read and actually want to take something away from it, which I’m grateful for. I’m grateful that we can have these conversations, and hopefully it helps other people, as well.
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### I can imagine this book required reliving a lot of past traumas, particularly surrounding Abby’s treatment of you. Yes. And watching these episodes back and even from the title alone. How did you manage to reflect while not getting stuck in the past?
Well, I feel like enough time has passed where I can look at it from a different point of view as an adult. Because I was a child experiencing all these things. And that was another interesting part to like writing how I felt as a child, but also writing from the perspective I have now as an adult. I see things differently.
I stayed on the show for so long, and I always felt like I had to prove myself, not just to my teacher and to everyone else, but to myself. I felt like I had a point to prove. I also knew that I deserved to be there.
But now, looking back at it as an adult, I’m like, you know what? Sometimes it’s okay to walk away from things and that doesn’t make you a quitter.
But at that time, it felt like if I left, it would make me a quitter. But I have no regrets staying, genuinely. I learned so much from the show, good and bad. Even with all the negativity that happened on the show, unfortunately—the bad did outweigh the good. Hence the book [laughs].
But at the end of the day, I’m grateful for the experiences I had because it’s just made me a stronger person and it’s made me who I am today.
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### While we saw some of this on the show, I loved learning more about your relationship with your mom, Holly, and how strong it was throughout not only your time on the show, but also now, and how influential she was in the making of this book. Did it kind of re-instill in you the power of this relationship?
Yes. Well, my mom has been my day one. She’s my person. She’s definitely my best friend. She genuinely is my whole world. I dedicated the book to her. Even in the acknowledgments, I’m like, this book is as much hers as it is mine. Our stories are one in the same.
We went through so much together and she just fought for me every single day. And she still fights for me every single day.
I’m so grateful that I have that relationship with my mom because I realize, especially as an adult now, that’s not always the case. Not even just from the show. I just know that having that kind of bond with your mom is not always common.
I feel so blessed that I have that relationship with her. And I cannot believe how she kept herself together the whole entire time. She never cursed once, which is crazy for reality TV.
But she really was such a great role model to look up to for me. I still look up to her so much. I’m so grateful that she was with me every step of the way and just kind of guided me through things.
Even though she had never been on reality TV, she still low-key knew how to handle certain situations. I love that she wasn’t a doormat and she always stood up for me.
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### You mentioned that a *Dance Moms* resurgence took place during the pandemic, which I also saw online: TikTok sounds, people rewatching the show again or watching it for the first time. Did this stir up any feelings for you?
It’s always been part of the zeitgeist, but seeing it emerge again? Yeah. It’s been interesting. I feel like *Dance Moms* is even bigger now than it was back when it was airing, which is kind of weird. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but that’s kind of how I feel.
Maybe it’s just because more people are on social media. I don’t know.
But that’s also been very interesting to see video clips pop up and I’m just like, wow, I forgot that even happened. People are using funny sounds. People are bringing stuff up from the past and like, oh, that was an interesting decision I made at ten years old. But here we are and we all get to laugh about it now.
I don’t mind it. I think it’s funny. I got a kick out of how creative people can be online, especially with the sounds. *Dance Moms* fans are actually hilarious and they’re so creative [laughs]. They find so many different ways to use different sounds and I love a Dr. Holly compilation, like they’re so funny.
All of her quotes are amazing. I didn’t even know all of them. I’ll be on TikTok and I’ll watch all these videos and anytime there’s a *Dance Moms* Holly edit, I have to watch because it’s always a banger.
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### Something I loved also in this book is hearing about your projects since the show. You’ve been really thriving. Thank you! Whether it be off-Broadway, TV, music, which is so special to see, and something that was really interesting was also seeing these figures that you got to meet and learn from whether it be Sherri Shepherd, appearing on *The View* and meeting Whoopi Goldberg, working with Debbie Allen stand in stark contrast to your experience with Abby. Can you speak to the power of a good mentor?
Yes, absolutely. Every time I was met with someone who I looked up to, a good role model, a mentor, they showed me the power of a good teacher.
Being a good teacher doesn’t mean that they are just like yes-men, and they’re like, “Yes, you’re amazing. It’s all great.” No, they’re supposed to help you and work through things.
Constructive criticism is good and there’s nothing wrong with that. There’s also nothing wrong with tough love. But there is a problem when it comes to bullying. There’s a problem when it comes to abusing your power.
Being able to meet these figures, these people along the way have really, really helped me throughout my journey and helped to keep me going and keep my head up and keep a good head on my shoulders.
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### We talked about this a little bit before, but social media has become a platform for you to express yourself. You talk about using it for good in this book, which is great, and to share more about your life and successes on there. But you also talk about some of the harms of it, obviously, and people’s comments and reliving some of these past traumas from the show. How do you keep out the bad while pursuing the good?
Right. Of course. I try to limit some of the things that I see online. I deep dive all the time and I always know sometimes I’m like, okay, you’re going to go a little too far, but sometimes I can’t help it, you know?
But I always try to remember that if I see negative comments, I know people don’t know the full story, which is why it’s so important that I wrote my book. Hopefully they can read it and see where I came from.
But also I recognize that for every negative comment, whatever, there’s so many positive ones and there’s so many people that I have in my corner rooting for me.
That’s honestly what matters the most. It’s the people that actually support me and actually care what I have to say and see me for who I really am.
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### Your children’s book *Today I Dance* came out in 2020. Obviously a different genre, but did writing that book help at all with the writing process for this book?
Absolutely. I feel like when I write, or at least for *Today I Dance*, I wanted it to be something positive, and same with this. Even though I talk about a lot of negative experiences, I still feel like it is a fairly positive book. It’s about resilience. It’s about strength. It’s about perseverance.
So when I write, I always try to kind of look at the positive side of things. I want to touch on these hard subjects, but at the same time, it’s important that we always move forward and we continue being joyful and happy, and not dwell on the negative.
So I would say the writing of *Today I Dance* was just kind of a starter for me and it really showed me the process of making a book.
Even with a children’s book, where there’s not that many pages, it still takes a long time to even come to life.
So I knew that once I was going to start this project, it was going to take a while and I was patient, and I took my time with it and I just couldn’t be more proud.
I’m really, really happy, and I think people are going to love it.
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*This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.*
https://decider.com/2025/11/04/nia-sioux-interview-bottom-of-the-pyramid/
