“I longed for dancing since I was a child. I was fascinated by the grace, the beauty and the elegance of the dancers. I thought it was a fantasy that cannot be realized. I’ve waited 18 years, but now that dancing is no longer a dream I am very happy!

Dancing is a great thrill for me. I can show through motion what music makes me feel. While I am dancing everything around me disappears!”

Giovannella, young founder of the Mitofusin 2 Project, finally got her wish and nowadays she is being rewarding by big satisfactions. Together with her partner Jessica, she won the silver medal at the Paralympic National Sporting Dance Championships (Rimini, 2013 July) making a duet on the music of Bach with the choreography of Marilena Goria.

She started dancing on wheelchair two years ago when she met Marilena, her teacher. Marilena Goria is a dancer and a choreographer who founded and runs “Ballo anch’io” (I can dance too), an amateur sport club affiliated to the Federation of Sporting Dance where people with disabilities can be taught to dance.

Nowadays Giovannella plays competitive sporting dance, together with a group of talented athletes, with great commitment and passion. The benefits she is profiting from doing that are countless, both physically (a real improvement of the muscle tone of trunk and arms, better posture, improvement of ability to breathe) and mentally (better mood and enhancing of her quality of life).

She has already achieved some very encouraging results (through hard work!), but there is still a long way to go. Lots of practice needs to be done and many challenges still lie ahead, such as the forthcoming selections for the television broadcasting Dancing with the stars.

Playing sport and having fun (while making your dream come true) is a good thing! Sport is for everybody, even for people who suffer from Charcot-Marie-Tooth 2A. Everybody can dance, each according with their own abilities, but all with the same fun and satisfaction!

Look at the pictures