Abby Lee Miller has been filmed reprimanding fans who asked for selfies at the UDA College National Championship in Orlando, Florida, but the Dance Moms star insists she was concerned for safety. The 58-year-old choreographer attended the event at Walt Disney World Resort to watch former student Maesi Caes perform with the University of Minnesota dance team.
Footage shared on social media shows Miller, who uses a wheelchair, becoming irritated as she tried to move through a crowd. 'You don't yell my name in a public space. I can't believe you just did that,' she is heard saying. Miller told DailyMail.com she had paid $180 to enter and had been rushing to see Caes after a long day of teaching.
Miller, who has been in a wheelchair since being diagnosed with Burkitt lymphoma in 2018, said she feared people could be injured by her wheelchair. 'I was worried about people getting injured by the wheelchair. They don't understand, even grown men think the chairs nothing, until 450 pounds rolls over their toes,' she said. She also noted that other wheelchair users were present and at risk.
A representative for Miller said she is often overwhelmed by requests for photos and that it can be 'very invasive'. They added: 'If they ask politely for a picture, she always obliges... Also - it's really scary for her when she is down so low and people are towering above her.'
Caes, who appeared on Dance Moms in 2017, performed with the University of Minnesota team to Aerosmith's 'Dream On'. The routine went viral on TikTok, and the team won first place in the Pom category and second in Jazz. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz praised the performance on Twitter, calling it 'bada**'.
