Abby Lee Miller on Tumbleweeds, Life Lessons, and Why a Nintendo Labo Won't Cut It
There’s something profoundly poetic about a tumbleweed. It drifts wherever the wind takes it, rolling through dust and doubt, never quite settling. And if you ask Abby Lee Miller, that’s a pretty accurate metaphor for her life right now. The dance guru, TV firecracker and author of Everything I Learned about Life, I Learned in Dance Class has been spotted out in California, watching these desert wanderers bounce past her window. “They’re like my old dancers,” she quips, “always moving, always dramatic, and they always end up somewhere unexpected.”
Miller, who’s never been one to shy away from a good metaphor, is in reflective mood. Fresh from a whirlwind of health battles, legal tangles and the kind of media scrutiny that would flatten most people, she’s emerged with a philosophy that’s as sharp as her famous choreography. “You can’t fight the wind,” she tells me, sipping something green and disgustingly healthy. “But you can learn to move with it. That’s what I wrote in that book. Life throws you a pirouette when you’re expecting a plié.”
Dance Moms, Justice Department Drama, and a Bit of McCabe
Speaking of unexpected moves, Miller hasn’t missed the news from Washington—the Justice Department watchdog sending a criminal referral on former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe. “I read that and thought, ‘Honey, welcome to my world’,” she says with a knowing roll of her eyes. “I’ve been through the legal wringer. I’ve done the orange jumpsuit couture. And you know what? The dance floor doesn’t care about your court dates. It’s always there, waiting for you to come back.”
It’s this resilience that makes her a favourite among fans who’ve followed her from Dance Moms to her post-prison comeback. She’s not just a reality star; she’s a survivor. And whilst the stock market wobbles—oil prices jittery on Iran tensions, investors chewing their nails—Miller’s focus remains stubbornly on the studio. “Let the traders trade,” she shrugs. “I’ll stick to teaching kids the difference between a fan kick and a fouetté. That’s real currency.”
What an 11-Year-Old Taught Her About Nintendo Labo
But it’s not all serious. Miller recently stumbled upon an online review by an 11-year-old who’d built a dance robot using Nintendo Labo. The kid’s verdict? “It’s fun, but it can’t yell at you like Abby Lee.” Miller hoots with laughter when she hears this. “Out of the mouths of babes! That little one gets it. You can’t programme passion. You can’t code the fire in a dancer’s belly. Nintendo can try, bless them, but they’ll never replicate the moment a kid nails a routine after weeks of sweat.”
She admits the review reminded her why she does what she does. “We’re in an age where everything’s digital, but dance is the last raw, human thing. When I see a child pour their soul into a step, that’s better than any screen.” And yes, she’s already planning to incorporate the Labo idea into her classes—not as a replacement, but as a playful warm-up. “Maybe we’ll have a Nintendo Labo dance-off. But the robot’s going home in tears.”
- On California: “The tumbleweeds are my spirit animal. They don’t stop, they just roll.”
- On the book: “If you haven’t read Everything I Learned about Life, I Learned in Dance Class, you’re missing the bible of ballet and beyond.”
- On the Justice Department: “They can have McCabe. I’ve got my own stage.”
- On Nintendo Labo: “Cute, but can it do a triple turn? I think not.”
As the afternoon sun catches the dust outside her window, Miller leans back. The tumbleweeds keep rolling. The markets keep fluctuating. The legal dramas keep unfolding. But Abby Lee Miller? She’s exactly where she belongs—centre stage, reminding us that everything she learned about life, she really did learn in dance class. And that’s a lesson no robot, no referral, and no gust of wind can ever take away.