Maddie Ziegler is only 13 but her résumé is far-reaching. The dancer had her break-out role as a child on six seasons of Lifetime's reality show Dance Moms; she's starred in four of Sia's hit music videos, and now she's joining the panel of judges for the upcoming season of So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation.
She's been in and out of the spotlight for nearly six years now (she was just 8 when she appeared on Dance Moms) and has gotten some great advice along the way — some from Sia herself, who proves to be a pretty solid mentor.
In an interview with New York magazine, Ziegler reveals two pieces of guidance given to her by the 40-year-old singer-songwriter. The first had to do with Ziegler's appearance, and the relatable teenage tendency to feel inadequate.
"I’ve always been really big with my expressions — I have big eyes, big teeth, big nose — but my features help," Ziegler told the magazine. "At one point, I really wanted to change my teeth — I was like, ‘They’re huge, I don’t like them.’ And Sia and this makeup artist we work with, Tonya, were like, ‘Don’t change your teeth. If you changed them, you wouldn’t be you.’ And I don’t want to now. It’s, like, me."
Ziegler also quoted a mantra Sia told her — "If enough is enough…it’s enough." And now we've got that in our pockets for the next time we're sorely in need of some mentorship.
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