Time names Maddie Ziegler to top teen list
Maddie Ziegler at 14 has danced her way onto Time’s list of the top 30 most influential teens in the world for 2016.
The Murrysville native who first hit TV screens on Lifetime’s “Dance Moms” this year was a judge on Fox’s “So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation.” Among her list of high-profile accomplishments, Time listed her dancing as pop star Sia’s alter ego on tour and in videos such as “Chandelier” and “The Greatest.”
It also noted that in 2016, she launched the namesake clothing line Maddie and voiced a character in the upcoming animated movie “Ballerina,” which includes the voice of Elle Fanning.
Other 14-year-olds on the list are Skai Jackson of Disney Channel’s “Bunk’d,” who has used her fame as an activist against cyberbullying; “MasterChef Junior” champ Logan Guleff; and Gaten Matarazzo of the Netflix series “Stranger Things.” At No. 5 were the president’s daughters, Sasha and Malia Obama, ages 15 and 18, respectively. The 19-year-olds on the list include Simone Biles, Malala Yousafzai and Kylie Jenner.