With the premiere of Netflix series Tall Girl this weekend, Ava Michelle Cota (the leading actress of the movie) has received huge attention as the movie has brought once a dancer star under the spotlight for her towering height. Here’s a detailed bio of the teen star, including the facts of height, age, birthplace, and more.

Ava Michelle Short Bio: Age, Birthplace, Parents, Boyfriend

Ava, who just made her Netflix debut this season, celebrated her 17th birthday in April. She was born on 10 April 2002, in Fenton, Michigan, to Jeanette Cota and Rick Cota. She has an elder brother named Devon Cota. 

Ava grew in her hometown and studied at Linden Middle School, where she was a straight-A student. She was also a star at her school as she began performing on stage at an early age. In fact, Ava began participating in various national dance competitions right from her school days. So she enrolled in the school’s online program to keep up with her academics while traveling around the country.

Ava currently lives in California, mostly with her mother Jeanette. 

Talking of Jeanette, she was a dance instructor at her own dance academy, Broadway Dance Academy, in Linden. Ava started taking dance classes at age 2 and switched to her BDA when it launched the following year. 

The dance academy closed down in 2017 when the family moved to California for Ava’s career. As of now, she manages her daughter’s career.

Social media suggests that Jeanette is no longer with her husband and is currently in a relationship with a guy named Jason Drenner. Ava referred to Jason as a father figure to her and even wished him a happy father’s day on Instagram, thanking him for being there for her just like a father. 

Talking about Ava’s relationship status, she seems to be single at present. As for Ava's onscreen boyfriend Luke Eisner, he is in a relationship with actress Kirby Johnson. 

Who is Luke Eisner's girlfriend? Netflix Tall Girl's Stig dating actress Kirby Johnson

Ava Michelle’s height and its story from Dance Moms to Tall Girl

Ava was tall from her childhood and her height has often been a problem in her past life. At school, she would often be bullied. Then, in 2013, when she joined Lifetime’s Dance Moms, she was brutally cut by Abby Lee Miller on the show, partly because of her unusually tall height. 

Later, in 2014, Ava was invited back for a second chance and this time she was successful to get a spot on Abby’s team. Ava went on to dance for the Abby Lee Dance Company in various competitions as well. However, her career at Abby’s academy saw a tragic end as Jeanette and Abby couldn’t get along. 

In 2016, Ava went on to audition for So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation but she did not make it past the academy round. 

Although Ava couldn’t make it far in dance reality shows, she did not lose hopes of becoming an actress, singer or Broadway performer. That was when her mother gave up on BDA to help Ava pursue her dreams. 

Ava may not be signed to any labels but she’s a great singer and songwriter. In fact, she has a YouTube channel, where she posts covers as well as her original pieces. 

While Tall Girl seems to have fulfilled her dream of becoming an actress, most of her fans may not know that this isn’t her first time acting. She has appeared in a few short films in the past and has also appeared in two episodes of the CBS soap opera, The Bold and the Beautiful, in 2018. 

Her latest gig, Tall Girl, is a teen romance that depicts the journey of self-discovery for her 6 feet and 1-inch tall character, Jodi, whose only dream is to find a guy taller than her. 

Talking of her new role, Jeanette said, “Sometimes her height has been an issue, now it’s what allowed her to audition for the role.” 

Ava was selected among thousands who applied to Tall Girl’s worldwide casting call. She ultimately landed the role after six callbacks and multiple chemistry reads and began filming in New Orleans in early 2019.

Who is Luke Eisner? Breakout star from Netflix’s Tall Girl | Girlfriend, height