Abby Lee Miller

Born in Pittsburgh, PA, Abby Lee Miller was raised in the suburbs by her father and dance teacher mother Maryen Lorraine. Miller grew up studying under her mother at the Maryen Lorraine Dance Studio. In 1986 Miller was certified by Dance Masters of America, an organization dedicated to elevating the art of dance, and to create opportunities for dance instruction, education and collaboration. In 1995 Miller took over her mother's studio and rechristened the business "Reign Dance Productions." In 2011 Miller starred in the first season of Lifetime TV's "Dance Moms" (Lifetime, 2011-). The series followed The Abby Lee Dance Company's Junior Elite Competition Team of dancers, who were training for careers in dance or the stage. The show portrayed Miller as a combative, no-nonsense taskmaster, and arguments with the studio's other teachers and aggressive confrontations with mothers of Miller's students were regular features of the show. The show was immensely successful, and two spin-offs were produced as a result. Despite the show's success, Miller faced a number of problems, including financial ones, and in 2010 filed for bankruptcy owing over $400,000 in taxes. Miller's legal troubles continued to mount, and in 2014, one of the dancers on her Lifetime series filed charges alleging assault. An emotional distress lawsuit was also filed by one of Miller's dancers, but the suit was ultimately dropped. In 2015 Miller was indicted for fraud for concealing funds in a secret bank account. She was officially indicted for bankruptcy fraud and concealment of bankruptcy assets, as well as filing false bankruptcy. She was sentenced to a year and a day in prison and ordered to pay over $160,000 in fines pertaining to her crimes.