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Giuseppe Giofrè: “Me, a gispy dancer between Amici and Taylor Swift”

The dream of a lifetime, the one he kept inside himself since he was a child, Giuseppe Giofrè touched him in 2019, when he got to know Britney Spears to be part of the crew of his latest residency in Las Vegas. We write “touched” because the project was canceled before even making its debut for reasons not yet completely clear, leaving Giuseppe with the joy of having danced with his darling, but the bitterness of not having been able to do it on stage, in front of the audience .

“If I started dancing I owe it above all to Britney” Giuseppe tells on the phone from his home in London, the city where he has lived for about six months, waiting to resume his business and return to America.

In fact, in the last seven years, Giofrè, 28 on January 10, has never stopped: after the victory in the Dance category ad Friends in 2012, he found his El Dorado in Los Angeles. From tours and video clips with Taylor Swift to the latest video made by Dua Lipa for the English version of Vogue, Giofrè worked and danced with practically all the pop stars in circulation. Jennifer Lopez ad Ariana Grande. From Camila Cabello to Jonas Brothers.

His last live performance dates back to February 2020 together with the latter, in London. «The first lockdown I did in Italy, but in august I moved to London and decided to stay there for a while. Given the situation in America now, I didn’t think I should go back “explains Giuseppe who, since the confinement became effective, spends his days continuing his crossfit training, to which he dedicates about an hour, and running and jumping rope to commit the time and reach the maximum point of concentration: “Doing physical activity distracts me, it’s the only thing that makes me disconnect from everything and allows me to dedicate myself to my well-being” insists Giofrè that , thanks to the physical shape and the shots he shares on Instagram, where it has more than 450 thousand followers, has won the hearts of fans who see in him the story that has become reality. Going from Gioia Tauro, the Calabrian village in which he grew up, in North Hollywood, on the other hand, is a good leap, and who knows that the surprises do not end here.

Why did you choose to move to London and not to stay in Italy?
“Maybe because it offers me more. In Italy the dancers are not exploited to the maximum and do not have the opportunities that, instead, come from abroad, unfortunately ».

Why, in your opinion?
“Because there is a lack of agencies with managers who can offer you to artists and directors. Having an agent who sponsors you and puts a video clip or any other project on your plate makes you feel good, at peace with yourself. In Italy this thought is lacking a little ».

Do you live alone in London?
“Yup. Having been around the world for 7 years, I now find it hard to consider a place as “home”. I am a gypsy dancer: we only live once and I feel lucky to have traveled so much to go on tour, but I admit I’m a little tired. 2020 helped me to reset, to understand what really matters in life. I certainly don’t like standing still: I love new beginnings, starting over with new people and environments. In the near future I would like to go back to America, but not to Los Angeles. Maybe I’ll change and go to New York, who knows. “

In recent months you have continued to train at home: do you practice sacrifices at the table instead?
«Zero, I eat everything. I really like cooking, in fact I shop every day ».

His main dish?
«The lasagna. First I was a big fan of my aunt’s, then my mother’s and, finally, my friend Sara’s who taught me the tricks to prepare it. Now I do it better than her ».

Let’s talk a little about childhood scents and let’s go back to Gioia Tauro, in Calabria, where it all starts.
«I start dancing at the age of 7, when mom sees me jumping from one sofa to another in the house. I remember when I saw Natalia Estrada and Luca Tommassini a dance Do you know the latest? and I dreamed of being like Luca: I have this image of me as a child watching TV and starting to dance. At that point my parents enroll me in an amateur school in Gioia Tauro up to the age of 17, when I move to Reggio Calabria and I follow new lessons with a teacher, Noemi, who often pays me for the bus because I come from a humble family , where money was scarce ».

What happens next?
“In Calabria when you turn 18 it is customary to have a very important party, but I told my parents to pay me a flight to Los Angeles to study dance with that money: I consider myself very lucky to have had a family that has always believed in me and invested in my passion. Before leaving, however, I did the first audition for Friends, getting the result once in America: my mother told me to come back immediately because some trains only pass once, and she was right. Even though I felt guilty about the money they would spend, I let myself be persuaded and returned to Italy. I did Friends and I won it ».

lei Friends she had always looked at him, then.
«Since the first edition, on the sofa with my mother, my brother and my sister. I told myself that one day I would be able to enter: it was strange to end up on the other side and look at him with Maria De Filippi ».

Have you stayed in touch with Maria?
“We don’t hear from each other, but I always follow her.”

Among other things, the edition of Friends in which he participated was quite turbulent, since there was also competition from the Big.
«For me it was a boost to be able to perform on the same stage where Emma Marrone and Alessandra Amoroso had sung shortly before. For the rest, I thought about my path and continued on my way ».

Ad Friends, then, he returned 4 years later as a professional. Did he accept immediately?
“Yes, as soon as I found out. I was in Australia for Taylor Swift’s first tour and, when the editorial team contacted me, I immediately decided to return. Being a professional like Stefano De Martino was another dream to be realized ».

Taylor Swift is undoubtedly the pop star she has worked with the most: do you remember the first meeting?
«In Los Angeles, during the selections for the 1989 World Tour. I was among the last 22 auditions: once they showed, Taylor appeared out of nowhere to tell us we were going on tour together. I called Mom, crying. At the beginning Taylor wasn’t an artist I knew a lot, but working with her was a wonderful discovery ».

What type is Taylor Swift?
«Very humble, in fact I love working with her because she looks like my cousin, it’s like working in the family. Over the years she has become the artist with whom I have bonded the most, also because she has a lot of attention towards her dancers: when she enters she shakes everyone’s hand, she wants to know everyone’s name. Create an atmosphere in the room that warms your heart and makes you proud of the work you are doing ».

From Gioia Tauro to Los Angeles: first approach?
“Electrifying. Los Angeles is not my favorite city but, for sure, for those who want to do my job it is perfect ».

Memories of childhood in Gioia Tauro?
“It was a little tough. Being a dancing boy wasn’t such a common thing and we know how they were viewed: dance was for women, they said. My strength was not to think of others, trying to transform the offenses and malice that I received into energy to push myself further ».

Do you ever go back today?
«For 3 years my parents, my sister and my brother have moved to Rome, so when I return to Italy I go back there. In Calabria, however, I go down to visit my grandparents, to whom I am very attached, my aunt and all my cousins. Last summer I spent it there, to say ».

In short, at a guess, dreams have all come true. Including meeting Britney Spears.
«A half-dream, since I wanted to be on stage with her. Of course, I’m overjoyed to have met her and to have touched her: when I found her in front of me I said to myself “ok, I’ve arrived”. The first time I saw her, I hugged her and told her I love her. She immediately asked me where I came from and, once she knew that I was Italian, she wanted me to record the intro that would be broadcast at the beginning of the tour. Everything has always started with her, with Britney ».

Did he listen to her as a boy?
“Always. If I am a dancer I owe it to her, to the videos I watched on MTV. That’s why when they told us the tour was canceled, I was devastated. Two months later, however, I was called to do theIt’s My Party Tour by Jennifer Lopez: obviously it had to go like this ».

And J. How is it?
“Tough. He is a person who knows what he wants and who always gives 100% in everything he does and believes in. During the rehearsal you feel all the pressure of perfectionism but, when you then dance with her, you realize how hard it was to get there. Hard work always pays off ».

As a friend of Taylor Swift, I deduce, however, that he will never dance for Kanye West.
“Never. Beyond Taylor – with whom I write as if she were an American Emma Marrone, as humble and easy-going as she is -, I don’t like Kanye West as an artist. It is completely different from my style ».

Don’t you ever think about the possibility of returning to Italy in the future, instead?
«I have always seen Luca Tommassini as a point of reference, a source of inspiration. He started from Italy to then work with Madonna and Michael Jackson and return home as a winner: in my small way, I too try to enrich myself as much as I can to cultivate something big for the future. I would like, for example, to be an artistic director, coordinate a tour, decide on important choreographies. From the great artists and the great artistic directors I have worked with, like Jamie King, I have always tried to steal everything I could, understanding the importance of being behind the stage to understand how everything works. I know that I won’t be able to dance forever and that it will depend so much on how the body holds up, so I carry on for the after. For now, however, I try to concentrate on dancing, since I am still 28 years old and I think I can still give something ».

Let’s talk a little about the body: do you like the compliments you receive on social media?
“Yes, but I don’t live for them. I don’t train to show something, but to feel good about myself. Everyone likes it in the way they think it’s right for themselves. We are free to be whoever we want and, when I practice, I can only think of this, of the negativity I can get rid of ».

He likes himself?
«The Giuseppe of 7 years ago, who was very thin, today would be happy with the results I have achieved, but I don’t want to say that I like myself. I’m just fine with myself. ‘

Did he like himself when he was skinny?
“I knew I had to gain more muscle because if I had stayed the way I was, I wouldn’t have gone too far. About America I like the fact that there is no body prototype: in her latest show, Rihanna chose all dancers with different bodies, from the leanest to the roundest: in Italy that would never happen. The dancer is beautiful for what she transmits, not for how she appears on the outside: breaking prejudice and making people understand what lies behind the appearance is perhaps one of the greatest challenges for everyone, artists and non-artists “.

Let’s close with love: is he busy now?
“No I’m single. At this moment, however, I don’t think about it. Not to mention that, right now, it’s not even possible to get close to people. I’m looking for the light in the little things I can do, trying to keep myself as busy as possible hoping for a better future ».

(Opening photo by Pawel Herman; Dior Beauty make-up: Fabio Serra; Cardigan Ami, Versace underwear)

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