Everybody who is anybody in competitive pro/am ballroom dancing should know Giovanni, the last name optional!
With his teacher Jolanta Mosteika, Giovanni has dominated Rhythm for more than a decade (initially age-group B, and now C), defeating all the men and women in his way to win at the USDC and OSB for ten consecutive years!
1. Introduction
Growing up in the south of Italy, Giovanni never imagined that one day he would be someone admired by the people in the competitive pro/am ballroom dancing community.
A long time has passed from the days when, at parties, he would eagerly await a “slow” song so that he could dance with one of the prettiest girls there without moving much. At most parties, he was the guy holding a drink, watching other people dance, and wishing he had some moves, too.
“Guys hardly ever take dance classes,” he says.
When he was a child, his sister took ballet. Her teacher asked him to try it. But his dad scuffed, saying, “No, that is for girls.” That was it!
2. Getting started
Fast forward 25 years to 2006 … While dating someone who kept telling him that he did not know how to dance, Giovanni ventured into a FADS on New York’s upper west side. His goal was to learn Swing and Foxtrot, the two dances that he heard playing most frequently at parties.
He was asked to fill out a form. To the question of the main reason for him wanting to learn to dance, he wrote, “to make my partner look good.” To this date, his biggest challenge has been to make Jolanta look good.
He showed up at the lesson with his Latin shoes, a remnant of his experience with Argentine Tango. With a 5-lesson package, he believed it would be more than sufficient to master both dances.
Before the 5-lesson package ended, his teacher quit, which was a relief as he was not enjoying all that much. However, that event shaped his dance career: Jolanta, the studio owner, saw in this overweight Italian guy someone she could shape and mold into a champion.
He went from one lesson a week to two. He joined a gym and started exercising on a regular basis. As a result, slowly but steadily, he lost the extra thirty pounds. The number of weekly lessons eventually increased to two a day, and he started making serious progress …
One year later, he did his first competition in Bronze and was very excited to place 2nd. It took a while for him to realize that there were only two couples competing. However, second sounded a lot better than last.
3. First win at USDC 2008
He continued to work hard, progressing steadily. Working with several coaches took some pressure off Jolanta. Being Italian, Giovanni’s ability to argue is innate, but Jolanta managed to keep him in check.
She emphasized on the Cuban motion and the basics, and their competition results improved accordingly. Finally, the time came to test their progress at the national level: their first USDC in 2008. All the sweat and tears paid off: They won all dances and placed 1st in Bronze Rhythm!
Winning Bronze at the USDC meant they could no longer compete in Bronze. Jolanta decided that Giovanni would jump to Open Gold but compete only when she felt he was ready.
4. “Disasters” at USDC 2009 and 2010
Giovanni placed 4th in Open Rhythm at USDC 2009 but did not even make the finals at USDC 2010!
What a shock to him!
He remembers quitting for a few days and then going back into the studio, turning all his anger into very productive training sessions …
5. First title at USDC 2011
Giovanni and Jolanta placed 1st in Open Rhythm at USDC 2011!
Two months later, they placed 2nd in Open Rhythm at OSB 2011.
With that, success started to come a little more easily: He now had name recognition!
In other words, he was no longer just a male student with a red number that made it okay for judges to dismiss him – He now deserved a second look, at least!
Competing as a male student is an uphill battle in this dancesport. Two examples:
- The man is always “right”: he leads her in [almost] every move, he must listen to the music, and, most challengingly, he must manage the traffic on the often-crowded dance floor. When the man is an amateur, the couple is inherently inferior to the couple with the man being a pro!
- Women wear flashy dresses, while men wear “boring” black shirts and pants.
In short, male students in pro/am ballroom dancing must be so much better than their female counterparts just to be acknowledged!
6. The journey continued
After 2011, Giovanni and Jolanta faced a different and more difficult challenge …
6.1 2012
2012 began with a tall order:
- They had to prove that their 2011 win was not a one-off, a flash in the pan.
- They aimed to register their first win at OSB 2012.
It was nerve-wracking at USDC 2012, but they pulled it off, winning all dances!
Two months later, they registered their first win at the OSB!
6.2 2013
As 2013 began, the pressure was on. Winning a third time in a row at the USDC would mean earning the title of undefeated, which, as far as Giovanni knew, was no small feat. Luckily, they won again, not only at USDC 2013 but also at OSB 2013!
6.3 2014-2022
They won at the USDC annually from 2014 to 2023, except for 2022, when Nichelle Kennedy won.
OSB 2022 marked their 10th straight win at the OSB.
Two BoB titles at the OSB in 2015 and 2016.
6.4 USDC 2023
At the age of 55, Giovanni decided that it was time to move to age group C as a newcomer. He would be competing against Nichelle Kennedy and Lynn Magnesen, two former champions – All three of them wanted the same thing: the title!
Giovanni and Jolanta knew they had to stay very focused, and they entered only one event (i.e., the scholarship) to minimize the level of stress. This novel approach and relaxed attitude brought out an incredible performance. The judges agreed, and they won!
6.5 Summary
Giovanni and Jolanta have done something that nobody else has ever done: 10 consecutive titles in Open Rhythm (B) at both the USDC and OSB, with more to come in age group C!
7. Discussion
Three big topics:
- A role model.
- Competitions.
- Coaching.
To briefly highlight each …
7.1 A role model
Philip Widlanski played a critical role in Giovanni’s climb to the top. Philip, also with Jolanta, placed 1st in Open Rhythm at USDC 2009, the first male champion!
Philip and Giovanni trained together on weekends and attended many competitions until Philip retired in 2012 after winning his second title in Rhythm (C) at USDC 2011, where Giovanni also won his first title in Open Rhythm (B). It was the first time ever that two male students had won the title!
The Dance Beat caption read as follows: “Oh, man! The surprise in the A2 and B categories of the same style was that they were both won by men! Giovanni Fortezza won the A2 and Philip Widlanski took the B but with the same teacher, Jolanta Mosteika.”
Note: A2 and B age groups have since been changed to B and C.
It was quite an achievement and the coronation of years spent training and competing. One of their most notable weekends was a victory for Philip and Giovanni at the Wisconsin State on a Friday evening, with Jolanta dancing 12 Rhythm rounds nonstop, followed by a win at the FADS Nationals in Las Vegas the following day.
7.2 Competitions
Giovanni believes that there are two types of competitions: (1) the ones you must go to and (2) the ones you want to go to. The USDC and OSB belong to type (1), and the rest (e.g., NYDF, Wisconsin, Millennium, Capital, and many more) belong to type (2).
For type (1), his focus has always been on arriving in the best physical and mental state to compete.
Type (2) serves as a test bed to check on routines, partnership, attire, etc. Giovanni prefers to attend the comps that make him feel welcome, where the judges are smiling, and where the competitors respect each other on the dance floor. He believes that dancers are, first and foremost, people spending vast amounts of money to look good and dance to the best of their abilities. He respects his competitors and hopes to have their respect on the floor in return. He competes to spend time with competitors on the floor and friends off the dance floor.
The OSB is the most exciting competition in the calendar year. It is the culmination of the year’s work, it is fun and exciting, and it is the party that brings the year to a close. Everybody who is anybody shows up there. If you are looking to compete, it is the place to be. Giovanni loves the energy, and Sam Sodano, its organizer, makes you feel most welcome.
One of the unique things about the Open events at the OSB is that the recalls to the finals are not posted, which makes the atmosphere electric for the semifinalists. Giovanni’s first attempt at the Open final at OSB 2009 was one of the most exciting experiences in his fledgling dance career: It ended up as a 7-couple final, and having the highest number Giovanni was called last. He placed 6th that year but he felt like a winner, as far as he was concerned making the final at the OSB was almost as good as winning!
Giovanni and Jolanta participate in about 20 competitions a year, leading up to two main competitions: the USDC and OSB.
7.3 Coaching
Coaching is an integral part of the development of a ballroom dancer. Coaches connect with you at a different level: They can explain concepts in multiple ways. Coaches have played a pivotal role in Giovanni’s development – He is very fortunate to have worked with several great ones who truly understand Rhythm, teaching it from the basics to the most complex moves with no shortcuts. He has worked with many of them who have followed him from Bronze all the way to Open Gold. The coaches who have watched Giovanni grow are among the best in the business: Marianne Nicole, Rufus Dustin, Linda Dean, and Tony Meredith. All of them have helped Giovanni develop his basics, routines, and performance. Some have even helped him select the best outfits.
8. Giovanni’s teacher
Jolanta has been his teacher throughout his dance career for the past 17 years. They have developed a strong partnership on and off the dance floor!
9. Giovanni and me
Shortly after becoming my teacher in 2017, Jaana showed me a video on YouTube, saying “this is Giovanni, and he always wins”. Since then, she has been keeping me in check whenever I “disagree” with her by saying things like “This is how Giovanni does it” and “This is a real judgable material Giovanni does” – end of disagreement! At one competition, Giovanni and I chatted. Today, we are good friends.
10. Closing
Giovanni is a fine artist at heart. After realizing that painting was not going to pay the bills, he went into design, a discipline that has allowed him to create and still make a living. He found ballroom dancing a natural extension of his painting, using choreography for expression as he would paint on canvas. Ballroom dancing keeps him focused on his job. It also keeps him fit. His workout regimen is extensive: he dances two hours a day before work and does a full exercise workout two or three times a week. He is in the best shape of his life and looks forward to winning more on the dance floor for years to come.
