Kalani Hilliker on What It's REALLY Like to Be a Reality Star

Want to know what it’s really like to be a teen reality star? We asked “Dance Moms” standout Kalani Hilliker to spill fun facts you’d never hear about on TV.

What’s the worst thing about having cameras in the studio?

“They sometimes get in the way. The cameramen don’t remember the choreography, so sometimes I’ll do a grand jeté to the left, and they’re standing right there!”

What’s one myth you’d like to bust about “Dance Moms”?

“People think we have a week to learn dances, but we don’t even have that. Pyramid on Wednesday means a whole day of just standing there—which only leaves time for about two eight-counts of choreography. We learn most of each dance on Thursday, and on Friday, we have an hour or two to run it before getting on the bus to competition.”

Erin Baiano

What do you think of all the mom drama?

“Honestly, the kids are there because we love to dance, and the drama stays between the moms. We know the moms are just fighting because it’s a TV show, and we try to remind ourselves that our parents are always trying to stick up for us so we look our best onstage. We tune it out the best we can, and we never let it affect our friendships.”

Do you watch the show?

“Nope! I can’t watch myself on TV. Plus, sometimes we don’t hear the drama when it’s happening, so we’d rather pretend it didn’t happen than see it three months later. Instead, we’ll go on YouTube just to re-watch

our dances.”

For more on Kalani and her plans after “Dance Moms”,
click here.

A version of this story appeared in the September 2017 issue of Dance Spirit with the title “Secrets from the ‘Dance Moms’ Set.”