Today we’d like to introduce you to Angiie Dimitriadou.
Hi Angiie, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My story begins when I was 2 years old and started belly dancing at home, wearing a belly dance outfit designed and sewn by my grandmother. My mom used to play a wedding recording on TV every single day, a recording of some family friends. They had a belly dancer, who caught my eye from the very first moment I saw her dancing live at the wedding. Every day I watched the same footage of the belly dancer until I started to dance like she did in the video. My grandmother made a belly dance costume: a yellow skirt, an old bra she took from my aunt and redesigned with beads that hung along the stomach, and of course bracelets for the upper arm, also with hanging beads. Sometimes I performed in front of my family, and the funny part was that one day my grandmother put some money in my bra, making me feel like a real belly dancer on a wedding mission.
As I grew older, around 8 years old, I also started sewing my own costumes, making movies with friends, and editing my own videos, which really sparked my creativity.
When I was 15, I started dancing Dancehall, a dance style from Jamaica. Before I started dancing for real, I always imagined myself as a singer and dancer, and I loved performing in front of people. I always made it feel that way because I loved to fantasize and dress up to record videos or take pictures with my friends, pretending we were singers or actors. To fulfill some of those childhood dreams, I had to make them real, and that’s why I finally started take dance classes at 13. My parents had a hard time paying for two sports because I had been practicing karate since I was 7 years old.
I started dancing street dance for one term and after 2 years when I was 15 I started dancing Dancehall.
The time came when I had to audition for a dance group called Revolution Dance Crew in Dancehall. Everything went well, and I was beyond excited to be part of a dance group, which I had dreamed of for so long. That day marked the beginning of my professional era.
Today, I am a solo dancer, choreographer, designer, editor, content creator and creative director who does her own thing and wants to collaborate with more creative talents. My niche in dancing is that I am acrobatic and love to incorporate it into my dance or choreography. I dance with a more feminine vibe, often using heels, and sometimes pole dancing. I have learned so much from my journey and have taken all the valuable lessons along the way. I haven’t reached my ultimate goals yet, but I surely will.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
To be honest, the road hasn’t exactly been smooth for me. I always feel like I need to do more and more, and even though I’ve been striving for 15 years, I haven’t had my breakthrough yet. I remain hopeful and believe my moment to shine will come, but I don’t know when. Therefore, I keep fighting, no matter what.
Most of the struggles I’ve faced involve projects that seem to have setbacks. For example, a music video I’m featured in or something I’ve designed might get taken down or not even get published/finished. When I participated in Sweden’s Got Talent, they didn’t publish our performance on social media, even though we advanced to the next round.
Another struggle is the lack of genuinely supportive people in the industry. I don’t really feel like I belong because I don’t share the same energy, but I still want to reach higher. Unfortunately, it seems like you often have to step on people to get ahead, but it’s difficult for me to act that way because of my personality. The sad thing is, it will probably take me much longer to reach my goals with this humble mindset. I truly believe that somehow, someday, I will overcome that obstacle, and I’ll feel good knowing I did it by staying true to myself and others. I know I’m speaking in a raw way, but that’s my truth. I wish the environment was different, and we could all uplift each other instead of faking, being negatively jealous, or even hating one another.
My advice to my readers is to stay true, be honest, humble, grounded, and be happy for others. Your time will come, and when it does, you’ll shine brighter than ever.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I do many different things. I like to call it ‘Multi-art,’ which means I excel in more than one area. I am a professional dancer, choreographer, designer, editor, creative director, and content creator. I love being creative and making art.
I thrive when I’m busy and enjoy multitasking when I create. It’s hard for me to specialize in just one thing. But if we focus on my dancing, my specialty is jumping into a split from a height of about 3 meters (about 9,85 feet). I am known for being very flexible, agile, brave, strong, and acrobatic, which I am proud of as a dancer and a woman. I think this sets me apart from others. My jump ‘n’ split from heights is one thing that makes it even rarer to see in others.
I am able to do that stunt because of my karate experience, which I have practiced since I was 7 years old. You learn self-control and discipline. Because of building muscles and enduring much pain, I gained a deep trust in my body. Today, I have a black belt, second dan, in Mix Do Budo, and I am so proud of who I’ve become with each sport and art combined.
As a designer, I am known for being very bold and thinking outside the box. I like to create what my mind envisions and go beyond the borders. I love creating clothes with chains, beads, and rhinestones. I am proud to create whatever I want and adapt my creations into my dance videos, photoshoots, and performances. I really think it’s great to maintain different parts of a project and combine all the talents together.
As a creative director and content creator, I specialize in being supernatural or imaginative. I like to be deep and have a meaningful story behind my art. I also use different things that symbolize or mean something I want to tell, for example, having a horse in the project as a symbol of freedom. I like to pay attention to every detail in the project and acknowledge them.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
What I like about the city is the open-minded people and the opportunities for growth. What I like the least is hard for me to say, but probably the streets where you find poor people. It’s very sad to see the huge contrast in every area. It breaks my heart to know that there are people who don’t have anywhere to go or anything to eat.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therealangiie/profilecard/?igsh=MWx0ejQ4anJsMXB4Ng==
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@theerealangiie8734?si=rqiPKvXi3L-Rf9Zo
Image Credits
Edit: Angiie Dimitriadou
Photography: Alejandro Cespedes,
Penelopi Imvriotou,
Nelly Nka,
Marcus Malm
