At 25, Kalani Hilliker is coming full circle.
The Arizona native first stepped into a dance studio at age two. Now, after years in the spotlight as a dancer, performer, and Dance Moms fan favorite, she's preparing to open Khaos Dance Studio and inspire the next generation to find their rhythm.
“This honestly feels like the chapter I was always working toward,” Kalani says. “Dance shaped my entire life, and now I get to create a space that reflects everything I’ve learned.”
The debut Scottsdale studio will focus on both elite competition training and recreational dance education for ages 2–18, along with adult classes, blending high-level technique with a more modern, supportive approach to dance education.
“I want kids to walk in and feel inspired immediately,” she says. “Of course I care about technique and strong dancers, but I also care about confidence, mental health, kindness, and creating a really positive environment.”
For Kalani, the studio represents far more than choreography and competitions. It’s personal.
“I grew up in the intensity of the dance world,” she says. “There are amazing parts of it, but there are also hard parts. I want to create something that still pushes dancers to be great while making them feel supported and genuinely happy.”
The opening also marks another major transition in her life. Now married and settled back in Arizona after years in Los Angeles, Kalani says this season feels calmer, more grounded, and more aligned than ever before.
“It’s pretty crazy when you think about it,” she says, reflecting on a career that began before she was even a teenager. “I’ve been doing this since I was about 10 years old. Cameras. Spotlight. Chaos. But I’m really grateful for everything it gave me and where it’s led me.”
If you were a dance kid in the 2010s, you knew Kalani. She was the poised lyrical standout with striking technique and calm composure amid the intensity of Dance Moms. But before television, auditions, and reality fame, she was simply a Valley girl whose mom signed her up for dance at age two.
“I did soccer and softball too, but nothing ever stuck like dance,” she says. “My teachers would tell my parents, ‘She was made for this.’”
That natural ability, paired with relentless discipline, quickly pushed Kalani into the competitive dance world.
“Dance was my entire childhood. It was expensive and intense, but my parents sacrificed so much to support me.”
By age 10, she was already landing major opportunities including Shake It Up, Bunheads, Abby’s Ultimate Dance Competition, and eventually Dance Moms, where she spent five years filming more than 100 episodes.
“We filmed eight hours a day, six days a week,” she recalls. “We were kids, but we weren’t oblivious. We knew what was happening around us.”
Still, amid the pressure and reality TV drama, Kalani credits her mother, Kira, for helping her stay grounded.
“My mom always let me shine,” she says. “She was there for me, not herself.”
Though millions watched her grow up on television, Kalani rarely revisits those years.
“It was my childhood,” she says. “I don’t really feel the need to relive all of it.”
What she does carry with her are the lessons.
“We all have a trauma bond from that experience,” she says of the cast. “But it also taught me how important relationships are and how hard work really matters.”
After moving to Los Angeles at 18, Kalani eventually returned to Arizona during COVID and found herself confronting something unfamiliar for the first time: stillness.
“Dance had always been my schedule, my identity, my routine,” she says. “When that stopped, I felt really lost.”
Kalani openly shares that she struggled with anxiety and depression during that season, eventually turning to therapy and prioritizing mental health in a way she never had before.
“I suppressed a lot growing up,” she says. “Therapy really helped me heal and understand myself better. It’s still ongoing.”
That honesty has become a major part of how she approaches social media today.
“I try to be real online,” she says. “People can feel lonely in what they’re going through, especially with anxiety or depression, and I want people to know they’re not alone.”
Now, instead of performing for cameras, Kalani is focused on building something lasting for the next generation of dancers.
“I’ve done the TV world. I’ve done the chaos,” she says. “Now I’m focused on creating something meaningful here at home.”
Listen to the full 1:1 with Kalani on the Now With Nadine podcast, streaming everywhere.
khaosdancestudio.com
"Dance shaped my entire life, and now I get to create a space that reflects everything I've learned."