This is not goodbye, it’s arrivederci: Last dance for Strictly star Giovanni
2021 Strictly champion, BAFTA winner and Italian maestro of dance Giovanni Pernice will be taking to the stage once again with his company of world-class performers in his last solo tour. Take a journey of Britian and Ireland and enjoy dances that celebrate Giovanni’s life.
He returns to Basingstoke’s Anvil with his tour The Last Dance, on Saturday, May 3
With a career rooted in passion, dedication and artistry, Giovanni has become a household name, captivating audiences worldwide with his electrifying performances and charisma.
“The Last Dance... I knew I wanted to call my last solo tour this since the idea came about a few years ago. Dancing is what I have done since I was so young, but I knew the time would come when I would want to do different things.”
When Giovanni first moved to the UK back in 2015 he could hardly speak any English,. “I never thought one day I would be selling out theatres night after night for four months of the year. I first started with Dance is Life in 2017 and every year just got bigger and bigger thanks to all of the support from my fans.
But now he’s saying arrivederci …
What age did you start dancing?
When I was six or seven years old. The reason why I started dancing is because I was watching a programme on TV called ‘Come Dancing’ and I saw the chemistry between the boys and the girls. So, I decided this is what I wanted to do!
When did you realise that you were quite good?
Well, I did my first competition when I was 10 years old and I won it! So I loved the feeling of winning, and that’s the reason why I carried on because I did love the competitive side of it.
Were you always good at everything you tried when you were young or just dancing?
I have never been naturally good at anything really, and not even dancing, but, you know, I just focus my mindset on whatever I do and work really really hard at it.
Were there many times when you started dancing that you thought, actually, I don’t know if I like this?
There were a few moments where, obviously being a young kid and training every day, it gets to you. When you see your friends enjoying being a kid!
But it was actually worse a little later on in my career when I was 14 and I left home.
Being in a different place to your family, I didn’t always get to see them on my birthday.
I didn’t get to celebrate Christmas because we were in the studio all the time practicing.
So, you know, I always made sacrifices, but I always had an end goal and I wanted to keep my goals and dreams going.
What was it like when you moved to London for the first time not speaking much English?Scary! It was scary. It was strange because, obviously, I couldn’t understand anybody.
I was trying to go into places where people could understand me, like in an Italian restaurant or, you know, places like this, but the problem is, London is such a big city, even if we go to an Italian restaurant, you may have an English person serving you and maybe not too many Italians there.
So it was scary, but also very, very exciting.
Your first ever solo tour was in 2017 called ‘Dance is Life’, what was that like?
It was fantastic, but nerve racking, to be honest. It was scary at first because it was my first time headlining a show and leading a show in a language I didn’t really know that well yet. Also, it was only after two seasons on Strictly, something that had never really been done before, so it was a big gamble for myself and for Paul Irving, the producer. But it was a great success and it will always be special for me as it started this amazing journey.
What are the main differences between dancing on TV on Strictly Come Dancing and in front of a live audience in a theatre?
There are so many differences because in a live theatre you get an immediate reaction from the audience, you feel what the people feel straight away. On TV you can’t see any of this, you just perform to the red light on the camera and have to wait until the show is over to see what the reaction is.
You have performed at so many different theatres in the UK and Ireland, which ones are the most special to you?
I think we have done close to 200 different venues over the years, and most of them are so nice to perform in. But I have a few that I LOVE going to. My favourite has to be the London Palladium, it’s so iconic and so many stars have performed there over the years. 2025 will be my third solo tour to go there, so that’s really special.
I love the older theatres as they are so beautiful and filled with so much history.
Since you have been touring you’ve shared the stage with so many other professional dancers from Strictly Come Dancing, who’s been the most special one to you?
Anton, absolutely.
He is the person that I learned a lot from, you know. He’s a person that knows about entertaining audiences - a true showman! He knows how to hold the audience in the palm of his hand and knows exactly how to entertain them.
He is always so loyal and kind to his fans and I learned so much from him. He always inspires me.
‘The Last Dance’ - what can we expect from the show?
It’s going to be my last solo tour, a brand new show. I don’t want to give too much away, but I always go big so it’s going to be a great show.
What final message do you want to say to the people who came to all of your shows over the years?
I really appreciate all of you for your support. Being able to entertain you for all these years has been a dream come true.
This is not a goodbye, this is arrivederci. So....Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Tickets are priced at £63, £56, £47. VIP upgrade £134 (includes £4 booking fee). Contact the Anvil Arts box office on 01256 844244 or visit https://www.anvilarts.org.uk/events/giovanni.
Visit https://www.anvilarts.org.uk/events/giovanni for booking information.
