Allison Holker Enjoys ‘Dance Jams’ with Daughter
 Courtesy Allison Holker |
Allison Holker has been dancing nearly all her life, so she’s used to the long hours, wear-and-tear on her body and brutal competition.
But embarking on the 40-city So You Think You Can Dance 2010 Tour this month, she had to cope with her biggest challenge yet: leaving her 2-year-old daughter, Weslie Renae.
The fan favorite — who appeared on season two of the FOX reality hit and then returned as an All-Star this year — is already missing her nightly mommy-daughter ritual.
“Every night we do a dance jam to get our wiggles out,” says Holker, 22, a single mom since recently splitting from her ex-fiancé.
The precocious toddler is already following in mom’s talented footsteps. “She just moves — she loves Fergie! She goes for it 100 percent. I have to keep up!”
Holker — who reprises her emotionally charged, motherhood-themed “Fix You” dance from season seven on the tour — says she faced criticism from fans and colleagues alike when she resumed working just a few weeks after Weslie’s birth.
“I got a lot of beef, but no one looked at the fact that [dancing] is not just a dream or passion,” she explains. “It’s my job, income and stability.”
For now, Holker is looking forward to the last two weeks on the road, when Weslie will join her. (In the meantime, Weslie’s dad and Holker’s mom are looking after her.) The tiny dancer is also getting ready to take her first official dance class — and her mom is bracing for the waterworks. Says Allison: “That first time seeing her onstage is gonna make me cry!”
— Michelle Tauber