Dance Moms Stars GiaNina Paolantonio & Hannah Colin On Touring With JoJo Siwa
Dance Moms is one of the most entertaining shows on TV right now and we can’t get enough of it. Aside from the extremely talented dancers and cute kids, the Lifetime show is super dramatic and will leave you sitting on the edge of your seat when dance coach Abby Lee Miller loses it at the kids and their parents.
Season eight of the show, which ended back in September, saw a whole team of new kids join the Abby Lee Dance Company in order to become the next big thing like Dance Moms alum Maddie Ziegler or JoJo Siwa. Among them were GiaNina Paolantonio and Hannah Colin, two young girls with big dreams and even bigger talent. We had an exclusive chat with the stars about their first Dance Moms season and working with their idol.
Getting a spot on Abby Lee’s dance team isn’t easy, so both GiaNina and Hannah are super thankful for the opportunity they’ve been given. “It’s amazing!” Hannah told us at the premiere of High Strung Free Dance starring Thomas Doherty. “I’ve gotten a lot of great opportunities that have come out of the show and I’m super thankful for everything Ms. Abby has given me.”
Although we get a good look into the lives of the crew and their moms on the show, we obviously don’t see everything. Despite the ALDC being a school that teaches all styles of dance, the girls mostly perform classical and lyrical routines on screen. If GiaNina could change one thing about the show for the viewers, it would be the range of dance that they get to see when watching. “I wish they [viewers] could see different styles!” she said. “Like, not just lyrical jazz. I wish they could see hip-hop and tap and more modern and weird dances because I feel like it’s always super standard and normal dances. I especially love tap and hip-hop, so I would love to show that.”
Being on the show gave the girls the opportunity to travel the country and dance for some of the most respected individuals in the dance industry. As well as that, it’s also given them the chance to meet and work with one of their idols, former Dance Moms star JoJo Siwa. JoJo starred on the show for two seasons — five and six, and has since gone on to become a successful singer, actress, and YouTube personality.
“I say this a lot, but I’ve always looked up to JoJo because of her personality and the way she never cared about what anybody thought about her and she just did what she wanted to do and what she loved,” GiaNina told us.
“I think it’s super awesome that she’s not afraid to be herself and stick up for what she believes in,” Hannah agreed. “Now she’s just doing what she loves all the time. That’s definitely what I want to do whenever I’m older.”
GiaNina and Hannah were lucky enough to dance on JoJo’s D.R.E.A.M concert tour over the summer with the rest of the Dance Moms season eight team. “I’m beyond grateful that she invited the Dance Moms kids and it’s been my dream to meet her and dance with her and work with her,” GiaNina said. “It was crazy,” Hannah added. “I never ever thought that I would be able to even be on Dance Moms, let alone perform with JoJo Siwa. It was just a super awesome experience.”
Dance Moms is yet to be confirmed for a ninth season by Lifetime, but even if it gets canceled, we bet we’ll see GiaNina and Hannah on our screens in the future somehow.