Giarnese looks to his family as a source of inspiration and support.
Impassioned actor, dancer, and singer Alex Giarnese ’25, has been a constant figure in the performing arts programs during his years at Andover. From participating in a multitude of dance groups such as Hypnotiq (Hypno) and Andover Dance Ensemble, to being a member of Downbeat and, most recently, performing in Shrek the Musical, Giarnese makes it a priority to express himself through the arts.
Since he was first introduced to dancing and singing by his family, Giarnese has found his love for performing an integral part of his life.
“I first started dancing when I was five years old, and I was in a boys hip-hop class at a studio in my home town. I felt drawn to it because both of my brothers were in the show choir at my middle school so I grew up around a lot of singing and dancing with my brothers. Also, my mom is a very musical person, and she inspired a lot of my involvement in the arts. She grew up singing and dancing, so I did it as well. That drove me to try the hip hop class for the first time and that grew into me experimenting with different styles and eventually going into acting,” said Giarnese.
Alongside beginning his singing and dancing career, Giarnese’s mother is also his biggest supporter. Giarnese emphasized her role as a source of constant inspiration and support, especially when he faced difficulties with his identity within the performing arts.
“Being a guy in theater and dance can be tough sometimes because it’s not always seen as normalized. [My mom] has always been super supportive about what I want to do and what makes me happy. That has been really inspirational for me because, if all else fails, I know I will always have somebody who not only shares my love for the arts, but also supports me and my dreams,” said Giarnese.
With his inspiration and support system from his mom, Giarnese was able to grow both as a person and a performer. Despite facing conflicts along the way, Giarnese described his journey into becoming someone who can express himself with confidence and genuineness.
“[After] coming to Andover, I’ve matured a lot as a person and I learned to be a lot more comfortable in my own skin and interests. Being in the arts as a guy has really helped thicken my skin a bit and make me into the person I am today. I really do think that I have grown resilient and grown into a person who cares much more about following their dreams and doing what makes them comfortable than being a person who cares about what other people think of them,” said Giarnese
According to Giarnese, the most memorable production he’s been a part of at Andover has been Shrek the Musical. He reflected on how everyone involved in the performance worked together to communicate a shared message and how fun the experience was for him. Giarnese detailed how working on this performance has been a milestone in his performing arts career at Andover.
“My favorite performance has been Shrek the Musical. I really think that it was so fun because not only were we conveying such an impactful message, but we were also telling a story and that was really amazing and fun. Everybody, all 31 people of the cast, were so engaged and committed to getting this story and message across to the audience. That is something I’ve never really experienced before as I’m new to acting and theater, so it was really awesome to see the entire cast come together to build such a beautiful story,” said Giarnese.
Amina Gorman ’26, a performer who has worked alongside Giarnese over the course of the last year, described Giarnese’s growth as a performer. She detailed his strengths and constant improvement through multiple forms of performing arts.
“I think that Alex is an extremely talented and flexible performer. He is able to embody his character so well and I always end up thinking of him when the character comes to mind. I’ve only known Alex for about a year, but through the two productions I’ve been in with him, I believe he has grown and continues to grow tremendously as a performer. Of course he is an amazing dancer as always, but his singing style has continued to develop as he has grown more confident. As an actor, I’ve seen him come out of his shell and make his role his own and I couldn’t be more proud,” said Gorman.
Juggling three different forms of performing arts, Giarnese emphasized his dedication to working on his confidence, outward self-expression, and performing ability and experience. All of his performances join together under one common goal, to inspire others to find confidence in doing what they love to do.
“Personally when I’m dancing, singing, or acting, I always want to tell people through how I express myself to express themselves in a way that makes them happy. I always want people to be able to be themselves. and I always hope that with my performances, maybe there was a kid in the audience who said, ‘Wow, that was really amazing, and I really want to do that.’ I always hope that my performances inspire others to follow their dreams,” said Giarnese.
