By Ed Karvoski Jr., Contributing Writer
Shrewsbury – It was an exciting year for Nick Silverio after graduating from Shrewsbury High School (SHS) in 2013. He studied business as a freshman at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania while performing with its Arts House Dance Company. After auditioning in Philadelphia, he earned a ticket to Los Angeles to compete on the 11th season of FOX-TV’s “So You Think You Can Dance?’”
He was inspired at age 3 by John Travolta’s onscreen moves.
“Watching the movie ‘Grease,’ I’d get up on our coffee table and dance in my diaper,” he shared. “My mom decided that this kid clearly loves to dance.”
His mother enrolled him in a children’s ballet class. Since then he has also studied acrobatics, contemporary, hip-hop, jazz, modern, musical theater and tap.
“I’m always at a loss for words whenever people ask what style I dance,” he said. “I think it’s important for dancers to not favor only one style.”
Beginning at age 7, Silverio participated in dance competitions for 10 years. The honors he received range from Mr. Dance America 2012 in the Kids Artistic Revue National Showcase to the VIP Male Senior Winner 2013 and 2014 in JUMP Dance.
“Dance competitions are very time- and energy-consuming,” he noted. “Some competitive dancers are homeschooled.”
Silverio attended Shrewsbury Public Schools where he was active in stage productions in middle and high schools. He’s grateful for music and theater training from local teachers Michael Lapomardo, Jennifer Micarelli-Webb and Bonnie Narcisi.
While at SHS, Silverio played lead roles in “Almost, Maine,” “Legally Blonde: the Musical” and “Romeo and Juliet,” and performed with the A Cappella Choir and Tri-M Music Honor Society. Serving as National Honor Society president, he managed his time to include extracurricular activities with other dancing endeavors.
“I’d go to school, then do homework for an hour or two, and then dance for six hours,” he relayed.
Silverio studied for five years at Elite Academy of Dance. He welcomed the opportunity to perform at his dance alma mater’s recital when he returned to Shrewsbury in June.
“Elite is like my home away from home,” he said. “Lauren Mangano, the artistic director, is like my second mom. She raised me as a dancer.”
A major reason he chose to study business at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania is because of its Arts House Dance Company. There, he’s getting an education in both of his passions.
“I’d love to be involved in the financial part of the dance industry,” he explained. “It has lots of untapped potential that’s not being utilized.”
Some Arts House dancers arrived with supportive posters when Silverio auditioned for “So You Think You Can Dance?” Other students were the first to congratulate him with his L.A.-bound ticket in hand.
“All I wanted was to get that ticket,” he said. “I didn’t care as much about the competition as I cared about the connections that I was making with people. I made some good friends from this experience.”
Silverio signed a one-year contract with a talent agency in New York City, where he recently moved. After taking a gap year, he plans to return to school in Pennsylvania. First, he spent the summer in Shrewsbury and appeared in the Regatta Players production of “Broadway Classics” in July.
There’s another return visit he’d like to make.
“I’d absolutely audition again if there’s another season of ‘So You Think You Can Dance?’” he said. “I learned from the show to be prepared – whether it’s in dance or in life. You need to be ready for anything.”