Today we’d like to introduce you to Valentina Priolo
Hi Valentina, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’m Valentina, an independent artist with a deep passion for contemporary dance theater and graphic design, currently based in Charleston, SC.
Originally from Italy, I was born and raised in Palermo, a small yet vibrant city in Sicily, southern Italy. It’s a place I’ve both loved and found challenging—a city of vibrant colors and aromas, full of contradictions and where the people are loud and spirited. As I grew up, I gradually realized that the city felt too small for me. My passion for movement continually drove me forward, inspiring an enduring commitment to the art of dance.
I was a small, slender, and shy child when I discovered that dancing was the only way I could feel truly free. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the chance to study dance in the way I longed for. My first serious ballet class came when I was 17, just after finishing high school. It was late, I knew, but I had finally reached a long-awaited goal. From there, I was drawn to contemporary dance—not the competitive variety that’s popular today, but the artistic expression that lives in dance history books.
Thanks to dance—and a bit of my own boldness (I even decided, albeit a little late, to start competing in aerobic gymnastics!)—I was fortunate to travel across Europe, immersing myself in classes with highly recommended teachers.
I was lucky to meet exceptional mentors who not only provided me with technical skills but also challenged me to step out of my comfort zone, recognizing my perseverance to pursue my dreams. I began auditioning, and before long, I was accepted to study “Choreography and Interpretation Techniques” at the Conservatory School “Institut del Teatre” in Barcelona, Spain.
My study periods in both Italy and Spain were intense and transformative, filled with unforgettable performances and artistic connections that deeply enriched me both personally and creatively.
But my desire to explore new places and grow didn’t stop there. While living in Barcelona, I decided to take a one-month trip to NYC—a trip that would change my life. Initially, I didn’t have the best impression of the city… European cities have an inherent artistic and cultural charm, and New York felt stark in comparison, especially culturally. Yet, a city of many contradictions, New York slowly grew on me as I began to understand its history—especially since it was there that I would later meet my husband.
I moved to New York to expand my dance theater training at the Limón Institute and to explore the vibrant, multicultural New York dance scene. The Limón Technique is a modern dance style created by Mexican-American dancer and choreographer José Limón. It emphasizes natural movement and expressive, dynamic motion, with a focus on breath, weight, and the use of gravity. It has always been my favorite modern technique, as it allows dancers to convey authentic emotion through physical movement. Living in the city, I had the opportunity to integrate my rich European theater background into Limón’s “fall and recovery” philosophy, coining a new dramatic and visual movement language that borders on both the quotidian and the existential.
During that time, I also met some incredible people, particularly Antonia Ka, an award-winning physical theater scholar and choreographer who is the artistic director of Overground Physical Theatre Company—a New York-based experimental physical theater company that draws on expressionistic post-modern European “Tanztheater,” contact improvisation, and ultra-contemporary performance art to create a transpersonal experience. I began collaborating with the company immediately as a performer and repertory director, dancing in wonderful venues and theaters such as BAM Fisher, New York Live Arts, Alvin Ailey Theater, Danspace Project, Judson Memorial Church, Here Arts Center, and Dance New Amsterdam, just to name a few!
My interest in graphic design also blossomed during the decade I spent living in NYC. I decided to leverage my skills and eventually expand them with a focus on design. While pursuing my bachelor’s degree in graphic design at the Fashion Institute of Technology, I honed my critical thinking abilities and refined my creative approach. My academic and professional journey has primarily centered on editorial design—encompassing book design, typography, and page layouts—along with branding and identity, as well as web design to enhance user interface experiences.
When the COVID pandemic rendered the city almost unlivable, my husband and I decided to move to Charleston, a place we had visited several times and really enjoyed. It was a difficult decision, but one that was necessary for our family’s well-being. We have a nearly 8-year-old child, and thus began a new adventure.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Not at all! Deciding to leave my life in Spain behind and move to the US with nothing certain was one of the hardest choices I’ve ever made, and I always say I wouldn’t do it again! It was April 2011. I moved quickly, arriving with only two suitcases and a six-month tourist visa… I never imagined that this journey would stretch on until today. I never could have guessed I’d eventually receive a green card as an artist and gain dual citizenship.
New York is a city of staggering proportions, and I still remember the blend of fear and excitement I felt when I arrived a few months after my first visit, knowing I would be staying for an extended period. I didn’t speak English and relied on Spanish to find my first basement apartment. Starting from scratch was incredibly difficult—something I had chosen without fully realizing it. I lived day by day, knowing that if I didn’t find someone to sponsor me, I would likely have to return to Europe.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Since COVID hit, I feel like my dancing has been on pause. At the time, I was completing my BFA at FIT in NYC online, and soon after, we moved to Charleston. Here, I’m still working to find my place as a dancer, but I see this less as a challenge and more as a time for self-reflection as an artist. What do I want to pursue from here?
Traveling has always played a crucial role in my artistic growth, and right now, I feel a strong need to reconnect with the artist friends I left in Italy and Spain. I feel driven to continue creating as a choreographer and to develop further as an individual artist. Proposing my work and vision as a choreographer won’t be easy, but that doesn’t scare me. I may not be the next Pina Bausch, but as she once said, “It is almost unimportant whether a work finds an understanding audience. One has to do it because one believes that it is the right thing to do.”
For this reason, I intend to keep creating, starting with a few duets in collaboration with dear friends: Raffaella Crapio, a choreographer and performer based in Barcelona; Paola Cassarà, a choreographer and dance educator; and Mario Bajardi, an extraordinary musician—both based in Palermo. I’ve also realized that I’d like to deepen my dance studies, potentially by pursuing a master’s degree at the University of South Carolina.
Currently, I’m freelancing part-time for a Charleston-based design studio, a role that gives me a wonderful balance of creative work and flexibility. It’s an incredibly rewarding opportunity, allowing for creative expression and hands-on experience while giving me the time to pursue other interests and commitments.
I take pride in being a versatile artist and in what I’ve accomplished on my own to be where I am today. What I think sets me apart is my unique approach. The journey to happiness is never-ending, and our pursuit of what fulfills us at each stage of life is ongoing. These days, we’re often told that achievements need to happen within certain timelines or that age works against us. In fact, age is what brings us knowledge and makes us wise. I’ve often reached my goals later than others, but I truly believe that everything and everyone has their own right timing. I’ve been called rebellious many times, and I take it as a compliment—because it’s this very spirit that has brought me to where I am now.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Probably, the fact that I am both a dancer and a graphic designer. When you study both fields, you come to realize they complement each other. For my final thesis at FIT, I had the opportunity to bridge dance and design. I created my first dance film, RE_EMBODIED, which I conceived and edited entirely on my own. At that point, dance became more than just a fleeting moment; it transformed into art presented on screen.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.vpriolo.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vale_priolo/
- Other: https://vimeo.com/valentinapriolo
Image Credits
Andrew Bisdale, Kalin Ivanov, Maria Luisa Ferraro.
