Dance Moms: A New Era: Who is Gloria Hampton? Meet the award-winning dancer from Northern Virginia

Dance Moms: A New Era premiered on Wednesday, August 7, 2024. A spin-off of the popular show Dance Moms, the new series promised to showcase fierce competition and intense drama as dancers and their mothers go head-to-head against one another.

Gloria Hampton was appointed as the Dance Moms: A New Era coach, who aimed to take her students and her renowned dance school, Studio Bleu to unseen heights. As the dancers competed nationally each week, Gloria ensured they overcame the challenges and hurdles with the help of her guidance. She replaced the previous coach Abby Lee Miller in the spin-off.

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Dance Moms: A New Era coach Gloria Hampton appeared in a 70's talent show

The Dance Mom: A New Era coach is an award-winning dancer with over 40 years of experience under her belt. Throughout her career, she had the privilege of sharing the stage with several icons from the dance industry. She also trained under note-worthy jazz legends such as Gus Giordano, Frank Hatchett, Joe Tremaine, and Charles Kelly.

Having worked as a dance teacher, a choreographer, and the co-director of her dance studio, Gloria established a successful career for herself. In the 70s, she participated in a talent show called Stuff before appearing on Dance Moms.

Popularly remembered as Kaeli Ware's mother, viewers first saw Gloria in season 3 of Dance Moms, when then-coach Abby asked Kaeli and Gloria to join the replacement team. She often argued with cast member Ally Serigne, accusing her of ruining a group dance performance.

Due to the drama, Gloria was temporarily removed from the season. However, she returned towards the show's end with her dance company, Studio Bleu, to compete against the Abby Lee Dance Company (ALDC). As a result of her efforts, her daughter Kaeli emerged victorious.

The fierce rivalry between the Dance Moms: A New Era coach and Abby continued in season 4 when she went head-to-head against ALDC with her Studio Bleu dancers. In the end, Gloria's company secured victory by winning the group dance at the competition.

A native of Northern Virginia, Gloria won the award for Best Dance Instructor in Loudoun County, Virginia. She also received the prestigious Teacher of the Year title at the Star Dance Alliance. Gloria showcased her talent at the World Expo in Australia. She also choreographed shoe shows for the multinational brand, Reebok.

Dancensations, the dance studio she co-founded in 1994, became a top 50 studio within the Federation of Dance Competitions in 2010. It then secured a spot in the top 10 in 2011. Despite her successful business, Gloria closed the studio to start other business ventures.

The students that the Dance Moms: A New Era coach trained, appeared on several successful shows, and worked with multiple prestigious companies. Some popular ballet organizations where they performed were the American Ballet Theatre, Alvin Ailey, Houston Ballet, Ballet West, Stuttgart Ballet, Nashville Ballet, and Giordano Dance Chicago.

The alumni of Studio Bleu were also seen on several Broadway shows including Hamilton. Some starred in Steven Spielberg's motion picture West Side Story, while others appeared on the dance show So You Think You Can Dance and World of Dance.

In the Dance Moms: A New Era trailer, Gloria stated her only goal was to win a national competition. She shared her expertise with her students and urged them to internalize the seriousness of the challenge.

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Episodes of Dance Moms: A New Era will be available exclusively on Hulu.