Dance Moms: A New Era is bringing the world of youth dance competitions back to TV, with a whole new coach at the helm — Gloria “Glo” Hampton, who is stepping into the role once occupied by the divisive and outspoken dance coach Abby Lee Miller in the original series.
Hampton recently sat down with ET’s Rachel Smith to talk about the new reboot, and she revealed that she actually reached out to try and have Miller involved in the series.
“Well, you know, Abby and I, we’re very good friends,” Hampton said. However, it seems that Miller wasn’t necessarily interested in being a part of the reboot, and wasn’t exactly happy with the direction producers went when it came to casting Hampton.
“I did get a congratulatory text from Abby, so I thought she was on board,” Hampton shared. “I don’t know, maybe she didn’t think the show would really get off the ground, or that it would really progress the way it did.”
“As the show went on, I reached out to her. We were together in the same state and I was like, ‘Hey, come by set, we’d love to see you.’ And she wasn’t receptive to that… she declined.”
Despite Miller’s decision not to participate, Hampton said she still really would have liked to have her on the show.
“Abby was the trailblazer for this show, so I would love to have had her involved in some way. But she declined… I mean, I would love some input and guidance. And, you know, she’s been through it.”
Ultimately, Hampton said she didn’t get any advice from Miller at all, but this allowed her to make this new iteration of the Dance Moms series all her own — something reflected in the show’s name and the tone of the series.
“It’s in the title, right? It’s a new era. The world is different, my students are different,” Hampton said. “They’re very vocal, they have opinions and they aren’t afraid to share them, and I allow them to.”
“Yes, I have the expertise, but I do want them to be able to tell me how they’re feeling, you know? I have a very different teaching style,” Hampton explained. “I do expect my students to work hard, I expect them to be respectful of each other, respectful of me, I expect them to do the work at home. But at the same time, I just handle children differently.”
For Hampton, being a dance coach is a passion and an opportunity to shape young lives — something she doesn’t take for granted.
“I’ve been doing this for 40 years. I have students who still reach out to me, students who I only had for a year or two back when I was a young teacher, and they’re like, ‘You have no idea how much of an impact you’ve had,'” Hampton said. “It’s so heartwarming. They have children of their own who are dancing, and I’m teaching some of their children, so it’s just really cool.
“I do firmly believe that, [with] these kids, I can bring the best out of them, but they will also always respect me and I will be part of their lives forever,” she added.
Dance Moms: A New Era premieres Aug. 7 on Hulu.
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