Hello fellow USA Dance members. It’s Alessandro Scalora and I’m writing to you from my new home in Catania, Italy. While I wasn’t born in the USA, I grew up in USA, and everything I do, I do it the American way. From getting Starbucks every morning to getting stuck in Atlanta traffic for hours on end. I grew up in the American public school system, so every day we recited the Pledge of Allegiance, and in high school, I took part in the JROTC (Junior Reserves Officer Training Core) unit and often led the flag detail to raise our American flag high.
I learned how “business” works in the USA. I study Grant Cardone and take part in Grant Cardone University. In this university, I’ve mastered topics such as ‘Mastering the Close,’ ‘Professional Prospecting Strategies,’ ‘Sales Fundamentals,’ and ‘The Perfect Sales System.’ Learning these different topics helped me a lot in the USA.
Everything changed July 6, 2023, at 3:05 p.m. I gave my now coach, Salvatore Todaro, a call and said I’m not going back to the USA; I’m staying here. He immediately gave me a job at the Todaro Dance Academy, which is run by three professionals: Raimondo (Salvatore’s brother) Todaro, Salvatore Todaro, and Violeta Yaneva. Raimondo Todaro was 18x Italian Champion in the 10-Dance division, and he became vice-champion of the IDSF World Cup in Turin, Italy in October 2001. He’s also won five editions of Italy’s Dancing with the Stars. Today he is a professor on the Italian hit TV show ‘Amici’. Salvatore and Violeta are World Championship Finalists, World Cup Champions, 2x World Games Finalists, and multiple times Bulgarian Champions in the Ballroom Division. Today, they are A-class Adjudicators in the WDSF. As you can imagine this is a very successful academy.
I’ve been serving as a DanceSport Delegate in the USA Dance for a few years now, and moving to Italy did not change my wish to serve the federation. Although moving to Italy did change one thing. The time of meetings! While I was in the USA the meetings were always at a reasonable hour (8 or 9 p.m.). Once I moved to Italy, the meetings were at 3 a.m.! I always prepare my alarm clock the night before for 2:30 a.m. so I had enough time to wake up and freshen up. Daphna Locker, the VP for DanceSport, always runs productive meetings, so I never feel bored or tired. I would be telling you a lie if I said it wasn’t stressful. It can be. But, as General Ann Dunwoody says, “Live to a higher standard.” (The American in me always comes out).
Living in Italy has helped me improve my dancing a lot! Especially being an athlete within the World DanceSport Federation (WDSF). It is no secret that the WDSF is not the dominant dance federation in USA, so living in Europe, where the WDSF is much more dominant, has changed my dancing. I’m just a few hours away from Barcelona, Paris, Sofia, Timisoara, and all the other top DanceSport hubs. I’m extremely proud to be representing the USA wherever I go and as many times as I can. Seeing our flag or the letters U-S-A on the big screen at European events makes me extremely happy. Whether it’s me or my American dance colleagues, we’ll make sure that the next generation of dancers will be used to hearing the Star Spangled Banner during the prize presentations.
I can’t wait to be back in the USA competing. The 2024 National Championship was the first USA Dance National Championship that I missed in eleven years! I’m planning to be present at the 2025 USA Dance National Championships, so I’ll see you all there. PS. Bring Starbucks!
