Bottom of the Pyramid: A Memoir of Persevering, Dancing for Myself, and Starring in My Own Life

by Nia Sioux

we were grateful for our incredible fandom, which has, overall, proven to be supportive and loving.

Viewers’ perception of me stemmed from me always being on the bottom of “the pyramid.”

My mom and I were particularly sensitive to this because people sometimes unfairly and incorrectly assume standards get lowered for Black people.

As a dancer, you are taught to dance through pain, but this is not necessarily a healthy approach

It seemed like whenever Abby heard Africa, she automatically thought of me.

Obviously...

To be fair, our attorney did warn us that it was a bad contract.

This is why we listen to lawyers...

week after week, I was slowly discovering that my place at the bottom of the pyramid was impacting not only my professional opportunities but also my social capital.

While the competitions themselves were created for us, they were still legitimate competitions. The wins and losses were real.

Abby told me that I needed to fix my hair because it looked awful.

I feel you, girl. So awful! Sadly, a lot of people just don't get it.

Although braids were the easiest and best choice for me, Abby didn’t allow me to have them.

Just like me at reform school.

Hair was something I had to plan for in advance, something that the other girls did not have to worry about.

"Lemme just jump in and out of the shower." -- said no texture girl ever

“Black people look good in yellow,”

Redheads look good in green...

No one wants to be the kid chosen last for the team, but how are you supposed to feel when you’re not chosen for the team at all?

As the seasons passed, it started clicking in my head that I genuinely wasn’t wanted on the team.

Here's the thing: that's just how select/club play works. You get removed from the team if you're not good enough. Obviously, we can't trust what we on a heavily edited TV show, but this is a legitimate thing that happens IRL to everyone. Yes, it hurts, but it's definitely not just a Dance Moms thing.

How you respond to failure is what matters.

Many people don’t know this, but Gia choreographed most of our dances.

It was clear to me that I had not been selected for the trio because I did not fit the look she was going for.

This is, unfortunately, just a fact of showdiz. No, Abby is not justified in her horrific treatment of the children and her racism, but Nia should've worded this better.

Often, “being right” is just not worth the mental and physical anguish that comes with the territory.

Being right and loving being right does not automatically cause misery.

Many viewers think we never held Abby accountable, but that’s not true.

negative and mean comments from people parroting Abby’s words.

Parrots only squawk, girl. 🦜

since my family life wasn’t a part of the show, my interactions with other Black people or my community weren’t showcased.

plethora

How many times is she going to use this word?...

Yet Kaya was constantly on the defense, attacking me and my mom’s character.

If she's attacking, wouldn't she be on offense and not defense?

I was sick and tired of people seeing me as the weak link.

I know the show was edited, but it did seem that Nia was the weak link. She hasn’t blamed the editors in this book, so it makes me wonder…

I have heard people have written dissertations about Dance Moms, and I can believe it.

I did!!

Abby then wrote that perhaps Mom was a parent who always thought their child did no wrong and that she wouldn’t know because she never saw Mom around me much.

Not everyone’s going to understand your story, and not everyone’s going to care.