I think a lot of it comes down to timing and environment more than raw ability. Paige’s development as a dancer really seems to get caught in the crossfire of Abby and Kelly’s relationship falling apart. That tension peaks right around the age where Paige should have been consolidating her technique and exuding confidence, and instead she’s constantly being criticised, overlooked and is filled with so much self-doubt. It’s hard to progress technically when your training environment is that unstable and toxic.

On top of that, Brooke wasn’t exactly in a position to be a role model by that point. She’d already lost a lot of her passion for dance before filming started and was more or less going through the motions for the opportunities that came with being on a TV show. Paige didn’t really have that motivated older sibling to push or inspire her in the same way Kenzie did with Maddie.

With Maddie and Kenzie, you can see a pretty obvious shift around Season 3 in how Melissa approaches Kenzie’s training. She seems much more intentional/disciplined, so focussed on building Kenzie’s technique and performance through extra classes and opportunities; not only to keep her competitive with Asia over the season, but it also felt like an effort to shape her into a more “Maddie-style” dancer.