GiaNina Paolantonio is taking the dance world by storm. The 20-year-old has carried out on Broadway, toured with Mariah Carey, appeared in The Best Showman, and reached worldwide fame starring in Season 8 of “Dance Mothers.” This previous yr, she’s shifted her focus to educating and choreographing. With common class slots at iconic studios and an worldwide educating tour in full swing, Paolantonio is buying a popularity as an in-demand teacher. As a choreographer, she’s labored with main artists like Billie Eilish and Jessie Murph to craft viral dances utilizing their music.
Dance Spirit talked with Paolantonio about her educating philosophy, choreographic course of, and recommendation for dancers.
On Instructing Dance
Paolantonio by no means dreamt of being a dance trainer or a choreographer. Rising up, she thought academics couldn’t even be working dancers. So when she moved to L.A. in 2021 at 16, Paolantonio turned down gives to sub courses within the space. It wasn’t till a visit with pals that she modified her thoughts. A suggestion to sub popped up on Paolantonio’s cellphone, and her pals urged her to take it. She remembers actress and singer Kylie Cantrall’s phrases of encouragement: “What are you ready for? Simply do it.”
Paolantonio agreed to sub a up to date class at Millennium Dance Advanced with lower than every week to arrange. It felt like the best time, she says, as a result of her household occurred to be on the town. Each Paolantonio’s mother and father and her canine went to the studio to supply their help. The category was a sold-out success, and Millennium provided her a weekly educating slot.
Her Instructing Model
It took Paolantonio about six months to seek out her choreographic groove in jazz funk, which she now teaches at Playground LA. She brings a “very fierce, very Britney” vitality to the model, she says, taking inspiration from Brian Friedman, whose courses she took at conventions rising up. With modern, which she teaches at Millennium, the motion has all the time come naturally. (She will be able to choreograph combos fully in her head, whereas sitting in an airplane.)
Paolantonio’s favourite reminder to her college students, whether or not they’re complete learners or seasoned execs, is: “All I ever ask is so that you can give me effort and an enormous smile in your face.” She’s touched when college students—particularly those that are new or returning to bounce—thank her for making a protected house to make errors. “It’s a human surroundings,” says Paolantonio. “I all the time say that if I made up the combo and I neglect it, you’re allowed to neglect it too.”
Getting Social
Paolantonio got here of age on social media, creating content material for enjoyable lengthy earlier than she amassed a following of hundreds of thousands. “I’ve all the time liked making movies. I used to be doing it earlier than I wanted to,” she says. Social media took off for Paolantonio when her season of “Dance Mothers” airing preceded the COVID-19 pandemic and coincided with the rise of TikTok. It was a “excellent storm,” she says, and he or she used the momentum to develop her viewers on a number of platforms.
Paolantonio appreciates social media for the alternatives it brings, however she additionally acknowledges its damaging aspect. She says as a dancer on social media, your ardour for dance has to get you thru the powerful moments, like navigating imply feedback and unsolicited recommendation. “I’ve so many eyes on me and opinions of me that it may get to be loads,” says Paolantonio. However she is aware of methods to concentrate on the opinions that matter: these of her household and shut pals. “You really want a help system behind you. You’ll be able to’t do it alone.”
On Working With Prime Artists
How did Paolantonio come to work with musical artists like Billie Eilish, Nelly Furtado, and Jessie Murph? Fusing her content-creation abilities along with her choreographic chops, she got here up with the thought for artist courses, by which she companions with a selected artist and their label to create and educate a combo to the singer’s music. On the finish of sophistication, the combo is filmed and shared to social media. Some artists come to the courses in particular person, and those that can’t attend present help by re-sharing class movies, typically sending in video messages. Paolantonio says two of her passions collide throughout her artist courses. “I like to provide an thrilling second to my college students,” she says. “We’re all consuming, we’re all successful, we’re all doing nice issues collectively.”
Her Recommendation for Dancers
Paolantonio believes that if you happen to’re nice at what you do, others may even see your success and attempt to carry you down. She says it’s vital to affirm your individual confidence: “It’s a must to know your self sufficient and consider in your self sufficient.” That’s how Paolantonio, who describes herself as “a really weak human,” stays grounded in cutthroat environments.
So what’s subsequent for Paolantonio? Her worldwide educating tour can be holding her busy nicely into 2026. And she or he’s been nurturing one other ardour: singing. Her first single, a challenge a yr within the making, can be popping out quickly. “I believe it’s one thing that nobody expects,” she says, including, “It’s been a very long time coming, and I lastly really feel prefer it’s proper.”
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