By Kristy Johnson.

With the first and second seasons of Dance Moms showing on Foxtel viewers can take a leap into the world of competitive dance. Set in Pittsburgh’s renowned Abby Lee Dance Company, the series follows young dancers’ steps on the road to stardom, and the mothers who are there for every rehearsal and performance.

Here we chat with breakout star Chloe, on what it’s like to become an instant fan favourite.

How have you enjoyed being on the TV show ‘Dance Moms’? Do you find it nerve-wracking having cameras around?

It’s really cool to get to see yourself and your friends on TV each week. At first, the cameras made it a little nerve-wracking, but we are really used to them now. Actually, sometimes I forget just how many people are going to see us dance!

Do you get along well with the other dancers from your school?

Yes! We are like sisters. We love each other and try to be supportive.

Chloe Lukasiak of Dance Moms. Photos courtesy of Anderson Group PR

Do you love getting your hair and makeup done?

Yes, I love it! My mum is a hair expert and I get to do my own stage makeup now, except for eyelashes. Gluing those on can be tricky.

Becoming an instant fan favourite with over 130,000 Twitter fans must feel surreal! How important are your fans to you?

I love all my fans! It’s so flattering to hear people say they look up to me. So I try really, really hard to be a good role model. I always remember that our fans are what makes the show successful.

Were you surprised at all the support you’ve been receiving?

Yes, I never expected it! I mean I’m just a regular girl who loves to dance!

Do you find it hard balancing school work with the TV show, and the pressures that surround competitive dance?

My life is pretty much the same as always, just now with cameras. I’ve been balancing dance and school my whole life.

What is your favourite style of dance, and why do you love it so much?

I love lyrical because it’s pretty and tells a story. I also love musical theatre because you get to use personality and play a character.

What’s the best piece of advice your teacher Abby Miller has ever given you?

Point your toes! (laughs).

Your mum must be so proud of you. What does she think of all the success you have been having?

She cries! (laughs). I think she has a hard time believing that this is all really happening.

When you have spare time, what do you love to do?

I love to shop, read fashion magazines and put together cute outfits. I love to read books and watch movies with my dad. I also like to play with my little sister Clara.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

I’d like to be on Broadway or be a Rockette in New York City. Plus, I’d love to be an actress. Then, when I retire from all of that, I want to be a pediatrician and a mum. A dance mum, of course!

How did you come up with the idea of a jewellery line for kids?

Maddie (Ziegler), from my school, and I just thought it would be cool if there was a way to show your wins, because you can’t carry around big trophies! So we thought it would be cool if there were charms to show what you got at a dance competition and you could wear them on a bracelet. We also really like designing charms that are special to us, like our ‘Black Swan’ duet. There are so many cool ones. I can’t decide which I love the best!

Dance Moms airs on Foxtel’s Lifestyle You.

By Kristy Johnson.

As an Emmy nominated choreographer on America’s smash hit So You Think You Can Dance, Travis Wall has come a long way since competing on the show. Along with the exposure has come plenty of job opportunities. Not only will we see his choreographic talents in the next Step Up installment – Step Up 4, but Travis has a reality show already in the works.

Dance Informa caught up with Travis from Los Angeles.

How grateful are you to So You Think You Can Dance for all the opportunities you’ve had since competing on the show?

I thank them as much as I can (laughs). They are pretty much responsible for my big break as a choreographer. I was doing the odd job here and there, but because of the exposure I got with the show as a choreographer, it really opened up all the doors and all the jobs I’ve actually had since then. I always call the executive producers and tell them all the time, ‘thank you so much.’ This entire experience has changed my life, and I’m very grateful.

When you were learning Mia Michaels’ Emmy winning ‘The Bench’ piece, did you already know or have a feeling it would garner so much attention?

I actually did not. I was so excited to do the piece with Mia, but at the time my partner was having trouble with it. I wasn’t dancing with a contemporary dancer; I was dancing with a ballroom dancer. So for me I wasn’t thinking about how the audience or judges would respond to it. I was constantly worried about whether my partner would even get through the routine. I didn’t even know if we would finish the routine because she was crying so much. I was worried about that. I wasn’t even worried about what everyone was going to think. I was making sure that we were actually going to have a piece. Right before dress rehearsals, she felt okay about it, so the next time we did it, it was on stage in front of everybody. It really just came to life. So the response from that piece…we weren’t expecting it because we weren’t seeing that product in rehearsal. It kind of just came out of the blue. It got such a huge response.

Teddy Forance, Travis Wall, Kyle Robinson & Nick Lazzarini of 'All The Right Moves'. Photo by: Andrew Eccles/Oxygen Media

Congratulations on having your own show picked up – All The Right Moves. Can you tell us what the show will be about and your involvement in it?

The show follows my three closest friends and me. I started a dance company along with two of my best friends called Shaping Sound. The show is really about how to get a dance company up and running. I’m more of a choreographer and my friends are pretty much trying to break in as choreographers, so we’re just trying to get our name out there as much as possible. It’s following us, building this company off the ground, looking at how to get money, how to deal with dancers’ egos, how to deal with our own egos, and the whole process. And at the same time it follows our personal careers and our personal lives. Pretty much the show is what happens to us in our day (laughs). It’s very emotional and it’s definitely something to watch.

How did the concept for a show come about?

A producer approached me and asked what I would think about having my own reality show. I was like, ‘I don’t know about that’. We are all entertaining and together we have a great show. If it were just about me, I don’t know how entertaining that would be (laughs). I introduced my friends to everybody and we came up with this concept. It’s been a two-year process getting this TV show up and running.

How was the experience of choreographing for Step Up 4?

I had an amazing time on the movie. We had to do it pretty fast. We had to choreograph in two weeks! We shot the whole movie in I think two and a half months. We started at the end of August and finished right before Halloween. It was a great experience. It was my first movie choreographing and I can’t wait to do more because of it. I love choreographing in movies!

Did you have a say in casting?

I didn’t have a say in the hip hop casting and I had to actually work with the hip hop dancers. The dancers who I did cast were Miami locals, so I did have a say in some casting. I had a great group of dancers, so I was very happy with whom I found. Sometimes when you’re not working in Los Angeles or New York, you don’t necessarily get the best dancers. I definitely picked the best dancers from Miami, so I was very happy with that.

Top photo: Dancer and Choreographer Travis Wall by Andrew Eccles/Oxygen Media