One evening, I was at a friends house here in Berlin. As we watched an episode of Got to Dance, on the stage of the talent I seemed to recognize a boy who, between the ovation of the public and the tears of the jury, exceeded the auditions of the famous dance program, in its German version. It seemed impossible, but it was really him, it was Daniele Sibilli.
I had met him a few years before in Naples. Even then, when the dance lesson was nearly finished and we were divided into groups to repeat the choreography, everyone stopped and watched him magnetized by his skill. He had something special, which could be seen even without having a technical eye.
The control over his body, the softness of his back and the dislocation of his arms, his ability to isolate individual muscles and generate fragmented movments which were at the same time were fluid; the beautiful quality of his movements and his strong musicality, made him a magnetic dancer.
Very often, when he danced, it would create a silence in the studio filled with energy; everyone held their breath and then exploded in a liberating applause at the end of his performance
After the episode, I told my German friends about Daniele, because his story is as special as he is.
Born in a tough neighborhood of Naples, since a young age Daniele showed a natural inclination towards dance. His mother, a courageous and sensitive woman, picked up on the child’s natural inclination, and despite the economic sacrifices, the hostility and prejudices of the surrounding environment, she enrolled her Billy Elliot – she always referred to him in this way – in a dance school, and even paid for all the necesssary uniform. His friends, however, dissuaded him from attending the course, convincing him to follow the more attractive life of the street.
Fortunately, his passion was so strong that it did not take him long to get involved again and for dance to become a real and vital need.
With the help of two his friends, and concealing it from everyone else, Daniele started to attend a small school, which although very precarious and improvised (it had marble floors, as opposed to linoleum or wood!!!), gave him the opportunity he needed to take his first steps and start dancing to the rhythm of the music
At his first show, on January 26, 2003 – the day that Don Lurio died – everybody began to sing and call him by the name of the famous American dancer. It had been clear from the first moment that the boy had an unusual talent.
However, in order to become a good dancer, Daniele needed a real school. Those who obviously knew what they were talking about, suggested that he go to study dance at a more prestigious and professional establishment. But he couldn’t, he didn’t have the opportunity.
After primary school, Daniele’s lucky star led him to meet a special teacher. Professor Anna D’Amuro, who, after having watched Daniele dance in a school show, was so impressed by young man’s skill that without saying anything, took him to audition at the Lyceum Mara Fusco.
Needless to say, the promising Daniele was granted a scholarship. And from that moment on his life began to change significantly.
Despite his initial difficulties, and his reluctance to leave his friends and the street life behind, Daniele began to learn many new things. With the guidance of his excellent teachers and of his new friends, he refined his technique and he even triumphed with his knowledge of the Italian language. With the help of his closer classmates (Roberta Iacono and Deborah Esposito, a fantastic dancer who works in theater and TV), in addition to the dance routines, Daniele also enriched his vocabulary by learning new words and expressions that annotated his book. Together with Aniello Schiano di Cola (who became like a brother to him), the two boys would not only sweat it out in the studio, but Daniele also learned things previously unknown to him. Thanks his modern dance teacher, Ferdinando Arenella, who took him under his wing and immediately recognized his talent, Daniele received major awards including: first place in the Spoleto Dance competition; the talent award at the Danza in Fiera competition, and the pride of having passed the trial stage and then entered into Cirque du Soleil’s official data-base.
The day he received his diploma was a real triumph! I was present when, with wings on his, back Daniele left the audience breathless at Politeama Theatre.
Since then, ‘cause I moved to Berlin, I only knew about some of the most important in television shows or theater that he had participated in. So, when we finished watching the program, I called him immediately to congratulate him and give mine and my German friends support for his participation in Got to Dance.
On that occasion he told me that he was already engaged in other, more ambitious projects, and therefore I would not see him again in the German transmission. He was chosen as an X-Factor UK dancer, under the direction of the international choreographer Brian Friedman. Experience that, amongst many other gratifications, also gave him the opportunity to work with Sisco Gomez and Tessandra Chavez.
Recently he has also participated in the last edition of the EMA, Europian MTV Music Award in Glasgow, where Daniele has performed in the ballet of Ariana Grande and Kaisa in front of a gripped/enthralled/ audience.
Currently Daniele is one of the finalists of “So You Think You Can Dance” Ukraine, where he is being met with great success and lots of positive feedback.
In the future, in addition to teaching, he would like to dance with international stars around the world.
When I asked him what is it for you dance, Daniele replied: dance saved my life!
I live to dance, I can’t live without it.
