Dance Moms star Abby Lee Miller is known for unleashing her loaded opinions on young dancers, so when the reality star tweeted that she recently stopped by Newsies, Broadway.com was eager to get her thoughts on the dance spectacular.
“Loved it,” Miller exclaimed. “Chris Gattelli is a great friend of mine, and shame on me for not getting there sooner. I know most of the boys in the cast, and they were wonderful. I like my guys on stage to look like guys. If you can't point your feet, flex them!" she said with a laugh.
So with all the students that Miller mentors, how does she know if the youngsters have what it takes to make it on Broadway. “If they sing, have a great voice and have big features, they come [to Broadway]. If they are more contemporary dancers and don’t sing well even after studying, then I send them to L.A.”
Sounds tough, but Miller should know. Alumni of her school include her “favorite Broadway dancer” Wicked’s Mark Myers and The Book of Mormon assistant dance captain Asmeret Ghebremichael, who she personally “drove back and forth to New York City for every single audition for Footloose.” Take that Cathy’s Candy Apples!
Miller has ample opportunity to groom a new generation of Broadway dancers now that Lifetime has renewed Dance Moms for a third season. Miller will now juggle two shows on the network: Dance Moms and Abby’s Ultimate Dance Competition, a countrywide competition for young dancers.
Congrats to Abby Lee Miller, and we're looking forward to see who she sends to Broadway next!