A cursory check of senior Gio Romero’s Instagram is enough for everyone to see the obvious: he’s talented and passionate about dance. His most popular Instagram Reel has more than 17 thousand views, where he shows off his body control to match the harsh beats of Tyler, the Creator’s “JUGGERNAUT.” But what isn’t immediately apparent is how a decade’s worth of practice has shaped his journey.
“When I was little, I always wanted to be the center of attention,” Romero said. “I would perform at my cousin and aunt’s weddings and I just took it from there.”
Inspired by the Step Up movies and dance videos on YouTube, along with receiving a little push from his mother, Romero started to take dance classes. However, there were moments when he was unsure about his next step.
“There was like a two-year gap around the age of 10 where I was like, ‘Maybe I don’t want to do this anymore,’” Romero said. “I quit for a year. But I ended up finding my previous studio and [that] sparked my interest [again].”
As his abilities progressed, he started to join competitive dance teams. This led to Romero making a crucial decision in his dance career.
“My previous coach was not a very good [person],” Romero said. “That was a big growing point and I had to realize how people were treating me in both real life and dance.”
After leaving his previous studio, Romero joined APT, the junior team for professional dance team The Company.
“APT is run by the Kinjaz, [a popular hip-hop dance crew], and my director is Pat Cruz, who’s a very good dancer in the industry, so it’s been really fun,” Romero said.
His current dance team practices twice a week and each session is two hours long. For his own freestyle moves, Romero follows the natural flow of music.
“[Like how] music producers … listen to music a certain way, you pick out certain things that a lot of people wouldn’t be able to hear [and then] utilize your body … to make movements to stick to those sounds,” Romero said.
Romero uses body isolations, in which he individually moves individual parts such as an arm or his neck while the rest of his body stay still.
“[I watched] people on social media and YouTube, and then I really like how they move so I’m just testing it with my body, and I guess it worked out,” Romero said.
“[Like how] music producers … listen to music a certain way, you pick out certain things that a lot of people wouldn’t be able to hear [and then] utilize your body … to make movements to stick to those sounds”
Romero aims to pursue dance as a hobby through college and beyond, and has already started connected with professionals in Southern California.
“Orange County is the heart of mainstream dance and networking with dancers [there] who have a decent following is really cool,” Romero said.
He also shares his passion with others by teaching them to appreciate it like he does.
“People critique dance a little too much,” Romero said. “It’s more of an art than anything. I have been judged for dancing [but] the SoCal area is a great community.”
Romero’s interest in dance will continue, a lifetime bond with the art form he has spent so much time practicing.
