By Tabby Hardman

When she was 5-years-old, Katia Giovo’s mother enrolled her and her twin sister in dance class.

“We were so wired and crazy and she figured an hour of us running and jumping around a studio would be beneficial for her—as well as us,” said Giovo. “She came to pick us up that first day hoping we would be exhausted, but instead we were awestruck and in love, crying hysterically as she dragged us out of the studio by our Wal-Mart tutus—since that moment I guess I’ve been convinced that’s all I ever wanted to do.”

Giovo was born in Genova, Italy, then moved to San Jose, Calif.  when she was 5. A few years later, they moved to Boca Raton, Fla. before settling in Alpharetta, Ga. when she was 11.

But wherever she lived, she danced.  She took formal ballet lessons until she was in high school — when her parents couldn’t afford to pay for lessons anymore.

But her high school’s dance teacher knew how badly Giovo wanted to dance.

“She would leave the studio door open at nights so that my sister and I could sneak in after hours and practice by ourselves,” Giovo said.

Now, the 21-year-old is currently enrolled in the George Mason dance program — focusing on modern dance and ballet.

“Dance is basically a synthesis of everything, the human body, lights, sound, graphic art, costuming, acting – it’s your thoughts, your emotions, your focus, your body, all brought to basic elements, blended together, and turned into something that not only expresses it, but relates it to an audience,” said Giovo.

Chasing her dream is worth the wait and the discipline, she said.

“My ultimate goal is to be a professional dancer, a far-fetched, rarity in this world that arrives after a long road of competition, rejection, struggle, and possibly even failure—but I want to get there,” Giova said. “After that, I want to choreograph my own works, and set them on other dancers.”