Giovanni Pernice

Giovanni Pernice (born 5 September 1990) is an Italian dancer and choreographer, best known for the Italian Open Latin Dance Champion (2012) and the Guinness World Record holder for Jive kicks and flicks, as well as Charleston swivels.

Giovanni Pernice
Pernice (left) with Oti Mabuse
Born
Giovanni Pernice

(1990-09-05) 5 September 1990
Sicily, Italy
NationalityItalian
OccupationProfessional dancer
Known forStrictly Come Dancing
Height1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)

Early life

Pernice was born in Sicily. At the age of 14 he moved to Bologna to concentrate on dance.[1][2][3] He chose to become a dancer after watching the British ballroom dance television show Come Dancing.[4] Specialising in Latin style, Pernice has won a number of competitions including the Italian 2012 Championships.[5][6]

Career

Strictly Come Dancing
Main article: Strictly Come Dancing

Highest and lowest scoring performances per dance

In 2015 Pernice appeared as a professional dancer on BBC's Strictly Come Dancing for its thirteenth series. He was partnered with former Coronation Street actress and model, Georgia May Foote. They reached the finals of the competition, but finished as joint runners-up alongside Kellie Bright and her professional partner, Kevin Clifton.[7] They also participated as partners for the 2016 Strictly Come Dancing Live Tour.

In 2016 Pernice returned to Strictly Come Dancing for its fourteenth series. He was partnered with television presenter Laura Whitmore. They were eliminated Week 7 in a dance-off with Ore Oduba and Joanne Clifton, the Series 14 champions, and finished in 9th place.

In 2017 Pernice returned to Strictly Come Dancing for its fifteenth series as a professional dancer.[8] His celebrity partner was Debbie McGee, television and radio presenter and former ballet dancer.[9] They reached the finals of the competition, but finished as joint runners-up alongside Alexandra Burke, and her professional partner Gorka Márquez, and Gemma Atkinson, and her professional partner Aljaz Skorjanec.

In 2018 Pernice competed in the sixteenth series of Strictly Come Dancing, with singer-songwriter, dancer and stage actress Faye Tozer.[10] For the third time in four years Pernice reached the final, but finished with Tozer as joint runners up alongside Joe Sugg, and his professional partner Dianne Buswell, and Ashley Roberts, and her professional partner Pasha Kovalev.[11]

Pernice has also appeared on a number of episodes of BBC 2 Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two with Zoë Ball. Pernice is the current Guinness World Record holder for Jive kicks and flicks, performing 55 in 30 seconds in a challenge held in December 2016. The next year, in December 2017, he broke the world record for the most Charleston swivel steps in 30 seconds, completing correctly 24. Both records were achieved on It Takes Two with supervision by Guinness World Records.[12]

Dance Tours and Professional Dance Engagements

Pernice has taken part in the national Strictly Come Dancing - The Live Tour in 2016.[13] and again in 2017 as part of the professional dance troupe for group numbers and professional dances.[14]

In 2018, Pernice announced his 2019 dance tour 'Dance is Life' with his professional partner Luba Mushtuk.

In 2016, Pernice announced his first dance tour 'Dance is Life', translated from the Italian expression 'Il Ballo è Vita'. The tour comprised 32 dates in England, Scotland and Wales between April to July 2017 to positive reviews.[15] The opening night was 26 April 2017 at The Albany Theatre, Coventry.[16] The last performance took place on 23 July 2017 at the Marina Theatre, Lowestoft.[17]

Competition History

Pernice is a member of the Federazione Italiana Danza Sportiva, part of the World DanceSport Federation and competed at Youth and Adult levels between 2007 and 2014. Notable results include winning the Italian Open Latin Championships in 2012 with his dance partner Erika Attisano and 2nd place in the International Open Latin in Slovenia 2014. Pernice has won further Open competitions including Pieve di Cento, Italy (2011); Ancona, Italy (2011); San Marino (2011) and Saint Cugat des Valles, Spain (2011).[18] His competition dance partners include Erika Attisano (2011-2014) and Alexandra Koldan (2014-2015).

Strictly Come Dancing Performances
Main article: Strictly Come Dancing
Series Partner Place Average
Score
13 Georgia May Foote 2nd 33.8
14 Laura Whitmore 9th 31.3
15 Debbie McGee 2nd 35.4
16 Faye Tozer 2nd 36.5
17 Michelle Visage 7th 33.1

Series 13; with Georgia May Foote

The couple were runners up.

Series 14; with Laura Whitmore

Due to an ankle injury Laura was unable to dance in week 5 they were given a bye, and able to automatically progress to the next week. The couple were eliminated in week 7.

Series 15; with Debbie McGee

The couple were runners up.

Series 16; with Faye Tozer

The couple were runners up.

  • Green number indicates Faye & Giovanni were at the top of the leaderboard.

Series 17; with Michelle Visage

The couple were eliminated in week 9, at Blackpool.

  • Green number indicates Michelle & Giovanni were at the top of the leaderboard
  • Red number indicates Michelle & Giovanni were at the bottom of the leaderboard

Personal life

Pernice dated singer Ashley Roberts for a year after meeting on Strictly Come Dancing in 2018.

Notes
  1. In week 5 guest judge Alfonso Ribeiro replaced Tonioli
  2. In week 5 guest judge Alfonso Ribeiro replaced Tonioli

References
  1. "BBC One - Strictly Come Dancing - Giovanni Pernice". BBC. 1970-01-01. Retrieved 2015-12-18.
  2. Debnath, Neela (6 September 2015). "Strictly Come Dancing 2015: Who is new professional dancer Giovanni Pernice? | TV & Radio". Daily Express. Retrieved 2015-12-18.
  3. Leng, Stephen (2015-10-05). "Strictly Come Dancing 2015: Who is Giovanni Pernice?". Ok.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2015-12-22. Retrieved 2015-12-18.
  4. "Introducing Giovanni – Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two 2015 – BBC Two". YouTube. 2015-12-01. Retrieved 2015-12-22.
  5. "Details of WDSF athlete Giovanni Pernice | World DanceSport Federation at". Worlddancesport.org. Retrieved 2015-12-22.
  6. "BBC One - Strictly Come Dancing - Giovanni Pernice". Bbc.co.uk. 1970-01-01. Retrieved 2015-12-22.
  7. "Strictly Come Dancing winner crowned". BBC. 20 December 2015. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
  8. "BBC - Three new sensational dancers join the professional dancer line up for Strictly Come Dancing 2017 - Media Centre". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
  9. Hogan, MIchael (10 September 2017). "Strictly Come Dancing 2017 Tears, dodgy vocals and matchmaking - launch show talking points". The Daily Telegraph.
  10. "Strictly Come Dancing - Giovanni Pernice - BBC One". BBC. Retrieved 30 October 2018.
  11. "Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton win Strictly Come Dancing 2018". BBC News. 15 December 2018. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
  12. "This year's Strictly Pro Challenge has a winner!". 9 December 2016. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
  13. "Strictly Come Dancing 2016 tour: Everything you need to know". 23 January 2016. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
  14. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2017-07-28. Retrieved 2017-07-28.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  15. "Strictly's Giovanni Pernice has all the moves at South Shields Customs House". Evening Chronicle. 2 May 2017. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
  16. Hartley, Laura (28 November 2016). "Strictly heart-throb to kick off UK tour in Coventry". Retrieved 12 October 2017.
  17. Smith, Amy. "Strictly Come Dancing star Giovanni Pernice heads to Lowestoft on final tour night". Retrieved 12 October 2017.
  18. (source: World Dance Sport Federation)
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.