Watch 'Dance Moms' Elliana and Lilly Recreate Some of Jojo Siwa’s Iconic Solos
On this week's episode of Dance Moms, JoJo Siwa returned to her roots at the Abby Lee Dance Company, and for a good reason; dancers Elliana Walmsley and Lilliana Ketchman were recreating two of the popstar's most iconic solos.
Longtime fans will remember that after joining the cast in season 5, JoJo often had to fight for solos and was usually berated by Abby Lee Miller for her technique. The solos that she did get were generally, shall we say, the more unusual ones.
When Abby was doling out dances this week for a competition in her hometown of Pittsburgh, Elliana and Lilly got to take on JoJo's "Carrie" and "Straighten Up" solos, respectively. Abby made sure to specify that these weren't just going to be step-for-step recreations of JoJo's solos, but they were going to be "JoJo solos on crack."
Lilly took on what was arguably the more challenging of the two solos, having to dance while wearing a straight jacket. But unlike JoJo's solo, which aired in episode 16 of season 5, Lilly never got to take her arms out of the jacket and had to do the entire routine — jumps and all — completely tied up.
Lilly's version was more technically difficult than what we saw in JoJo's routine, and it paid off for the 11-year-old. The routine earned her a perfect score of 300 — something only seen on the ALDC elite competition team three other times in its eight-year history. Not surprisingly, Lilly had the top score of the entire competition and took home first place, which was a big change from JoJo who didn't place at all when she competed the similar routine. Abby raved about the dance — something even more rare than a perfect score — and said that it was "one of the best solos ever competed on the ALDC."
Elliana's dance, like JoJo's, was inspired by the cult horror film Carrie. JoJo's version of the dance, competed in episode six of season 5, was criticized for lacking enough emotion to take viewers on a journey — something Abby attributed to JoJo's mom Jess not letting her then 11-year-old daughter watch the R-rated movie. JoJo took home fifth place for her performance.
Elliana's version, while much cleaner technically than JoJo's, got similar feedback, particularly from fans, about the lack of acting and facial expressions necessary to really delve into the twisted character of Carrie. Elliana ended up placing third at the Pittsburgh competition, a slight improvement over JoJo.
As is Dance Moms tradition, the competition lead to a verbal shakedown between the two young dancer's mothers. It was surprisingly ended by Jess of all people, who scolded the mothers for risking ruining the legacy left behind by JoJo and her fellow team mates.
Watch Abby Lee Miller on the all new season of Dance Moms airing on Lifetime on June 4 and catch up on all the old seasons on Hulu.
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