Besides both facing Strictly drama, Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima share a couple of other things in common.
They both hail from Sicily and attended Europe’s biggest dance school, Team Diablo. So could this give insight into their alleged bad behaviour?
It has been reported that Graziano has been sacked from the BBC series amid claims of gross misconduct. It was later alleged that he had kicked, spat at and hit 2023 partner Zara McDermott during training. He’s said that he regrets the events that led to his departure from the show.
Graziano’s unexpected axing followed claims the BBC would be looking into “wider” issues than Giovanni Pernice. Giovanni had also been accused of mistreatment of his 2023 dance partner, Amanda Abbington. He has denied the claims.
Strictly stars Graziano Di Prima and Giovanni Pernice attended same dance school
The two professional dancers both left their family behind to pursue their dreams of studying at a “serious” dance studio. Thus leading the pair to Team Diablo in Bologna, in the north of the mainland.
According to claims in The Sun, students at Team Diablo “practice for up to 12 hours a day, are drilled to perfect their routines and have been said to lose dangerous amounts of weight”.
Former Strictly professional Joanne Clifton also attended the school and has lifted the lid on just how brutal their training could be. She even claimed she was “hospitalised” after trying to meet expectations at the school.
She told The Sun: “The problem was there were too many dancers — including me — who thought being skinny was good. As well as doing my best to limit my intake of pizza and pasta, and drinking up to 10 espressos a day, I cut out meat, which led to me being hospitalised with anaemia.
“That feeling of low energy was horrendous and impacted on my training. For a period of four months, I remember collapsing unexplainably — my body was telling me to change something.”
Joanne also recalled: “From the age of 16 to 28, I danced in Italy with Team Diablo. Unlike the UK, in Italy there’s a club system for dancing, with a coach who manages every part of your training. So on top of endless hours of stretching and training, our diet was regulated. I wasn’t anorexic, but I was obviously too thin.”
‘Toxic’ environment
A number of dance schools across the world have garnered similar reputations. The BBC reported a “toxic” atmosphere at the Royal Ballet School and Elmhurst Ballet School, on home turf. However, both institutions denied the claims shared by former pupils.
Although the environment of these competitive school seemed to fulfil “toxic” descriptions, many students went against all odds to ensure their places there.
According to reports, Giovanni battled homesickness whilst at Team Diablo. He said: “It was hard as I was just a boy, and without my family by my side every day, I felt as if I lost 50% of my strength. At first there were times where I did cry on the phone to my mamma.”
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Statement from Team Diablo
As reported in The Sun, representatives from Team Diablo have defended the apparently tough training.
However, the schedule has still been depicted as extremely intense. Anna Matus, a teacher at Team Diablo, reportedly claimed: “They can be here for eight, sometimes 12, hours a day.”
The publication also explained that a staff member from Team Diablo denied students are pushed too hard. However, they did admit that preparation for competitions was not “taken lightly”.
Monica Cinti, secretary to the director, told The Sun: “Teaching methods are not harsh, but require serious preparation.
“There is a regulation to follow, technical and ethical, such as one must not interfere in the work of others. Here, we create world champions. In the last three to four years, we have had a boom in members and world champions.”
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