That fall, when everyone was doing back-to-school shopping, I couldn’t have cared less about clothes, and classes, and football games. I was totally … - Abby Lee Miller

they can’t afford it, they don’t want to say they can’t afford it — they’re too embarrassed — so they make up other excuses to cover the financial issue, like they didn’t like their costumes, or they didn’t like their solos, or they didn’t win, or they’re always in the back of the group.

My mom didn’t play favorites. She was kind and giving and wonderful to everyone who graced her presence. She never pushed me, nor put me front and center. She knew too many instructors who ruined their businesses by featuring their own daughters in every number. This turns people off! I didn’t even get to go down the mat first in tumbling class. Jeez!

I always tell my students that I dream bigger for them than I do for myself, and that’s the truth.