By REESE AMOROSI
On Monday, May 5, Dancing with the Stars (DWTS) will welcome Dance Moms star Abby Lee Miller to the panel where she'll rate the competitors along with regular judges Len Goldman, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli. Miller, one of the world's most famous dance instructors, is known for tough critiques of the girls in her Abby Lee Dance Company, and will no doubt add some lively discussion to the proceedings. It will be particularly interesting to hear her thoughts on DWTS pro dancers Derek Hough and Mark Ballas; in 2012 they posted statements on Twitter in which Hough called Miller's style "child abuse," and Ballas wrote, "Dance is meant to be fun and inspirational, not abusive."
Miller has a long history as a choreographer, studio owner and judge; she grew up the daughter of a dance teacher, the late Maryen Lorain Miller; she formed her first dance troupe at the age of 14; and she founded the Abby Lee Dance Company in Pittsburgh, PA, in 1980. Miller became an internationally recognized celebrity when Lifetime TV launched Dance Moms starring Miller in 2011, and followed that with Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition in 2012. In June of 2014, Lifetime will launch a third series with Miller – Abby's Studio Rescue – in which she uses her expertise and tough love to help struggling studios get back on their feet.
On Dancing with the Stars, Miller will watch the couples perform their standard competition routines, and also the first ever "Celebrity Dance Duels," during which the pros will step off of the floor and two celebs will dance together. The musical guest is the aforementioned show regular Mark Ballas, who will debut his new single, "Get My Name."
Dancing with the Stars airs Monday 8/7c on ABC
Photo by Adam Taylor, courtesy of Lifetime TV
Posted on Monday, May 5, 2014
