From croisé to cha-cha: a visit from Strictly’s Giovanni Pernice

Our Year 9, 10, and 11 students were treated to a masterclass in Latin dancing, taught by the 2012 Italian Open Latin Dance Champion and star of BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, Giovanni Pernice. 

Giovanni generously volunteered his time to teach the students about salsa and cha-cha. They swiftly picked up the steps and produced a short routine, one we are sure they will have great fun demonstrating at their Christmas party later this term.  

The students thoroughly enjoyed learning about a different style of dance, and they greatly appreciated his teaching style and how much fun he made the classes.  

‘He was a great teacher who taught us a lot about a new style of dance, we feel really privileged to have had this experience with one of the best Latin dancers in the world.’

‘I loved the interaction between the teacher and the students. Giovanni explained everything perfectly but still challenged us. The energy in the room was fantastic, everyone had a great time, and I loved learning a different style of dance especially one that had so much freedom and expression, and the music was fabulous.’ 

‘It was a fascinating experience, so much fun, it was very different from what we usually do.’ 

‘We loved the chance to explore a new style of dance, any opportunity we get to understand and learn new skills helps us to develop as dancers. Giovanni was a brilliant teacher, I loved how he explained the steps and built up the level of complexity, we learnt so much in a short amount of time.’ 

‘Getting to learn a new type of dancing broadens our range of skills, this type of dancing has some cross-overs with ballet but is also completely different so it was a fun and exciting challenge, and one I would love to try again.’ 

Given that Strictly Come Dancing is in season and Giovanni has a very busy schedule, we’re so thrilled and grateful that he made time to spend with the students.