to Los Angeles to help build her reputation in the west coast, and while the team continued weekly competitions, the focus shifted somewhat to include preparation for careers in the acting and music businesses. During the second half of season 7, several dancers and their mothers left the ALDC to form "The Irreplaceables". Abby left the show several episodes later, followed by the remaining ALDC dancers and mothers. In July 2018, Miller announced her return for season 8 of Dance Moms. Executive producer Bryan Stinson announced the show would be casting a whole new team, with final callbacks being in September 2018. On January 12, a new team was selected, consisting of 8 dancers. A promo for the new season was released in February, revealing that the show would be set around Miller's battle with Burkitt's Lymphoma while returning "back to her roots" with a new team. The season is set in Pittsburgh, in the same studio where the show began in 2011. Season 8 premiered on Lifetime on June 4, 2019. Cast Abby Lee Dance Company Abby Lee Miller is the director of Reign Dance Productions (formerly Maryen Lorrain Dance Studio), which houses the Abby Lee Dance Company (ALDC), of which she is owner and chief choreographer. She left the show during season 7B in relation to pending sentencing for financial related crimes (described below), and with the cast fracturing into separate groups as part of the resulting fallout from it. She returned for season 8. Gianna Martello is an instructor for RDP covering all genres of dance, and is also the assistant choreographer for the ALDC Junior Elite Competition team. Martello studied dance under Miller's tutelage through Reign Dance Productions. Seasons 1–7 cast Melissa Ziegler-Gisoni is the mother of Maddie Ziegler, a lyrical/contemporary and tap dancer, and Mackenzie Ziegler, an acro/hip hop dancer and singer (formerly under the stage name Mack Z) from Murrysville, Pennsylvania. Maddie was known to be Abby's favorite student during her time on the show, which caused tension between the other moms and Abby. Maddie and Mackenzie studied dance at Abby Lee Miller's studio through Reign Dance Productions from the early ages of four and two respectively. They were original cast members of the show and left during season six. Christi Lukasiak is the mother of Chloe Lukasiak, a lyrical/contemporary and ballet dancer from Mars, Pennsylvania. Chloe began dancing at Miller's studio at age