Strictly Come Dancing favourite Giovanni Pernice is back with his fourth solo tour This Is Me. Here the Italian dancer reveals some of his hidden talents and explains why his show is 'obviously the best' on offer.
Since joining the cast of Strictly Come Dancing in 2015, Giovanni has established himself as one of the show's most successful dancers having made the final with Georgia May Foote, Debbie McGee, and Faye Tozer.
In 2019 he was part of a memorable partnership with RuPaul's Drag Race star Michelle Visage and the pair made it to the iconic Blackpool episode.
The 29-year-old is now preparing to go on tour across the country with his own show This Is Me and says fans will get to find out more about him during the show as well as being treated to some surprises.
It will feature the newest Strictly pro Nancy Xu (on certain dates) and Giovanni hopes this will be his "biggest and best ever tour to date".
What can people expect from This Is Me?
We are going to do something different and the show is bigger in the sense that we have more dancers on stage, a set and then we have me playing some instruments and there will be some surprises for the audience. We are going to do a lot of dancing and comedy so it's quite different.
What is the story behind the show?
It is a mix of everything. There is of course my journey through dance but it is more about the audience getting to know a little bit more about me. I'm going to play some instruments which is something people may not know about me and I'll show some more of my personality.
You have two leading ladies during the tour, Nancy Xu and Giulia Dotta. How did you go about casting them?
Usually I dance with Luba Mushtuk who is a professional dancer on Strictly Come Dancing but she is doing the Strictly professional tour this year so we couldn't take her which is sad as she is a fantastic dancer. We found another fantastic dancer who is a pro on Strictly Come Dancing and I know she is going to be fantastic which is Nancy. I'm also dancing with Giulia who was my professional partner a long time ago and she is a brilliant dancer.
How will the show differ from Strictly Come Dancing?
When you are on Strictly obviously the focus is on the celebrity and you will make a routine that is a little bit easier for your celebrity and that works. But when I'm on stage myself with 10 other professional dancers we can make the routine proper difficult and nice to watch.
You were partnered with Michelle Visage for the most recent series of the show. What was it like working with her?
I loved it! Even the vogue dance, the people may not have liked it much but we loved it because it was about a message. We are very good friends and we loved every second.
What lessons have you learnt from working on Strictly Come Dancing that you can apply to your own projects?
The thing that it is the same between Strictly and my live show is that you have to perform. So if you on live television or in a live theatre you have to enjoy what you are doing and that is what I try to do and hopefully the people will enjoy it as well.
What is it like performing in a live theatre compared to on live television?
It is completely different in both but personally I prefer performing in a live theatre and in a live entertainment show. The audience give you the strength to go forward every night and every audience is different so every show will be different. Although you are doing the same stuff every night the way the audience react if different so it will be a different show every night.
Are there any dances you are particularly looking forward to performing?
I love the jive! In Here Come The Boys [a 2019 tour with Aljaz Skorjanec and Gorka Marquez] I was winning jive all the way.
A lot of other professional dancers from Strictly Come Dancing are doing their own tours. Will you get a chance to see them?
Hopefully I can go and see the other ones and get inspired as I am sure all of them will put on an amazing show but obviously mine is the best!
And finally what makes This Is Me unique from all the other tours?
Me! Of course I am a face so what do you want more than that?
This Is Me is at The Marina Theatre in Lowestoft on April 9, The Spa Pavilion in Felixstowe on April 10, The Apex in Bury St Edmunds on June 1 and June 2 and the Corn Exchange in King's Lynn on June 8.
Tickets can be booked directly through the theatres or at www.giovannipernice.com
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