Melissa Gisoni “Because Mom Said So” @melissagisoni
Words by Bec Doyle
Mellissa could never have imagined where her journey would lead after being approached by producer John Corella to audition for a show called “Just Dance”, which would go on to air as “Dance Moms”, on the Lifetime network 10 years ago. And what a journey it’s been! Now residing predominantly in LA, getting back to Pittsburgh for Christmas or summer vacation (prior to the pandemic), the self-professed once “clueless” dance mom has successfully navigated the industry for her daughters; rising stars Maddie and Kenzie Zeigler, using her motherly instinct and genuinely kind heart to guide them through.
they were like evil.. evil reality producers.” The show went on to air as ‘Dance Moms’, and quickly garnered a cult following, propelling the moms and the young dancers to stardom, and scrutiny, growing up in the public eye. Despite the somewhat overwhelming entrance into the entertainment industry for herself and her girls, Melissa admits she wouldn’t change a thing. “If I could rewind time I would still do it, because the girls wouldn’t be where they are today without the show.” Maddie,18, has appeared in numerous music videos for Sia, including the infamous video for “Elastic Heart” alongside Shia Labeouf. She is a New York Times Best Seller; and recently landed a role as one of “The Jets” in the upcoming Steven Spielberg screen adaptation of the classic broadway musical “West Side Story”, slated for release later this year. Kenzie, who graced the cover of our Winter Issue, has been forging her own identity in the industry at only 16 years old; launching a music career with the release of a slew of original tracks each garnering over 20 million views online; launching “Bubble” a skincare line developed by teens for teens; and recently appearing on FOX’s “The Masked Dancer” as ‘Tulip’.
“ The editing was so bad.. we used to get so mad at the producers because they were like evil.. evil reality producers.”
When first approached Melissa exclaims “We were Pittsburgh moms that were so clueless”. Production had originally planned on casting moms from around the country, but after seeing their audition tapes, they loved the group of Pittsburgh moms so much that they decided to focus the show around them. “They had us filming saying ‘my daughter’s the best’, you know all that fake stuff.” Admitting some naivety when it came to the entertainment industry, Melissa recalls “They kind of forced us into signing a contract, and we were like, wait what? But we never thought it was going to amount to anything.” They filmed 6 episodes of what was slated to be “Just Dance”, Melissa adds, “They told us what to do and what to say.. and we just did it.” Melissa explains aside from the premier episode that the whole cast watched together in Pittsburgh, she chose not to watch the show. “I could see on twitter how people thought I was like this woman who would do anything for my daughter to get a private… the editing was so bad.. we used to get so mad at the producers because 50 M. CITIZEN MAGAZINE | ISSUE 03
Melissa credits their time on the show as the groundwork in preparing the girls for the demanding realities of life in the entertainment industry. “Those kids worked their butts off, and I think that is why they have such a good work ethic.” The girls were just 6 and 8 when they began filming Dance Moms and Melissa explains it was hard work, filming year round
