Ziegler was born on September 30, 2002 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Melissa Gisoni and Kurt Ziegler. Ziegler's parents divorced in 2011, citing that dance took both a financial and emotional toll on the family. Ziegler's mother later remarried Greg Gisoni in mid-2013. Ziegler has a younger sister, Mackenzie Ziegler (born June 4, 2004), and two older half brothers, Tyler Ziegler and Ryan Ziegler, from her father's previous marriage. Her family currently resides in Murrysville, Pennsylvania. Ziegler began dancing at the age of 2 at Reign Dance Productions of Pittsburgh and at age 5-6, she joined the Abby Lee Dance Company. Ziegler's younger sister, Mackenzie, later followed in her footsteps and joined RDP and ALDC also. In 2011, Ziegler was a contestant on the CBS dance competition show, "Live to Dance", however the show was cancelled before her episode aired. Later that year, Ziegler's mother earned a featured role on Lifetime's Dance Moms, a program that documents the day-to-day lives of the young dancers on the Abby Lee Dance Company Elite Competition Team. On the program, Ziegler appears alongside her mother and Mackenzie, also a dancer, and fellow dance team members such as, Brooke Hyland, Paige Hyland, Chloe Lukasiak,Nia Frazier, Kendall Vertes, and Kalani Hilliker. In 2013, Ziegler made an appearance on the sister program, Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition. In 2012, Ziegler landed her first professional acting job playing the role of 'Young Deb' on the Lifetime series Drop Dead Diva. Deb, a lawyer, would represent her mother, Bobbie, a dance school director, as she is being sued by the family of a young dancer. The case would remind Deb of her former dance career with flashbacks of a young Deb dancing, portrayed by Ziegler. Ziegler has appeared in a Skechers advertisement, and has been featured in several music videos, including "It's Like Summer" by Lux, "Cry" by Alexx Calise, and "Chandelier" by Sia. She also danced "Chandelier" live on The Ellen Degeneres Show. Ziegler has also modeled for a number of clothing lines, including Glitzy Girl, Oxyjen, Sally Miller, Purple Pixies, and Cicci Dancewear. Ziegler and her family are ambassadors for the Starlight Children's Foundation, are sponsored by Dancer's Care Foundation, and sponsor the James Connection and Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh.