If you're on #compkid TikTok, odds are you've seen a skit posted by Nick Silverio (@nicksilverioo). Silverio was a competitive dancer with Elite Academy of Dance in Shrewsbury, MA, before studying business at the University of Pennsylvania and continuing to dance throughout college. Now he works as a professional dancer, choreographer, and competition judge in NYC, and—like so many of us—turns to TikTok to fight quarantine boredom. His account has grown to almost forty thousand followers and has garnered over a million likes.
We asked Silverio to tell us a bit about his new creative outlet.
Dance Spirit: When did you join TikTok?
@nicksilverioo Make sure to get all 4 corners of the room ##ballet ##balletbarre ##compkid ##dancer ##dancecompetition
♬ original sound - nicksilverioo
Silverio: Oh my gosh, I joined TikTok in quarantine because I was losing my mind. I had always said that I never would, because I was like, "I'll never dance on TikTok," which is still true. I have yet to dance on TikTok, but I wanted to make people laugh.
DS: So no "Renegade" for you?
@nicksilverioo She’s “in the pipeline” for shaping sound ##dancer ##compkid ##dancecompetition
♬ original sound - nicksilverioo
NS: No! No "Savage," no elbow hits. I don't want to. But I do want to make people smile, especially dancers, since that's sort of my brand.
DS: What inspires your TikToks?
@nicksilverioo Mom can you push my leg up? ##dancecomp ##dancecompetition ##compkid ##stretching (song: “Stretch” by Louise)
♬ original sound - nicksilverioo
I literally lay in bed at night and think about all the little details that come along with being a dancer that we don't think twice about, but then if you really think about them they're hysterical. [And] I'll wake up at two in the morning wearing my retainer and [I'll] record voice memos of my ideas, and then I'll play them back in the morning and record them as TikToks.
DS: How long does it take for you to create one, from start to finish?
@nicksilverioo Competing against literally no one ##dancecompetition ##dancer ##compkid ##dance
♬ original sound - nicksilverioo
NS: I'd say about an hour, but some take two to three hours. I always end up spending more time on it than I expect.
DS: Are you surprised by how popular your videos have become?
@nicksilverioo In the adult jazz division ##dancer ##dancecompetition ##dancecomp ##compkid
♬ original sound - nicksilverioo
NS: Yes! I didn't think anyone was going to watch them, and my sixth video has over a million views. I'm surprised because I thought only dancers would get it, but I think a lot of other people also relate to the humor.
[Lots of] dance moms share them on Facebook. The moms have been so supportive—Maddie Ziegler's mom Melissa reposted my dance moms TikTok on her Instagram, and I was like, "What is happening?"
DS: Who is your favorite person to keep up with on social media?
NS: One of my most recent videos, "The dancer you don't want to run into at nationals" was inspired by Caitlyn Reilly (@itscaitlinhello). For dancers, I'm obsessed with Christopher Davis (@iamchrxstopher). He's from L.A., and he's the funniest but also the sickest dancer.
You can follow Nick on Instagram and TikTok @nicksilverioo