This Dancer, Nicole May Palmiotto, Made A Career Out Of TikTok And Now Has Over 3.5 Million Followers
Please introduce yourself, what you do, why you do it, and what you want people to know about you.
My name is Nicole May Palmiotto. I was born and raised in Northern California and recently graduated from the University of Southern California (USC) with a masters degree. I have been dancing ever since the age of three years old, professionally, on competitive dance teams, on my high school dance team and as a solo performer.
I now get to share my passion every single day with my supporters by being a content creator. TikTok and Instagram are my main platforms where I share my passion for dance and express myself. I am most known for dancing in public places and dancing on a palm tree street.
I love being a content creator because I get to share my passion with my supporters every single day, while also making a positive impact on others. Whether that’s providing entertainment, putting a smile on someone’s face, or making someone’s day a little bit brighter, that is truly the most rewarding thing about my career.
What qualities make you different and unique from everyone else in the industry?
My relentless pursuit to never give up along with the audacity to create content in public settings are two attributes that I believe make me unique in this space. From creating content on Youtube at the age of 11, to now having this be my career 10 years later, I always knew that if I was relentless and determined that my aspirations would come to fruition.
I credit my relentless mindset for always believing in myself and pushing ahead. Without this characteristic, I wouldn’t have been able to step out of my comfort zone and perform in abnormal public settings.
I’ve always taken pride in doing things against the grain, which has led me to where I am today.
Describe THAT moment when you realized you wanted to do what you do now. Who did you tell first? What has it been like since that moment?
In November 2019, my now Fiancé told me about an app called TikTok. He knew it would be a perfect avenue for me to start sharing my love for dancing. Ever since then I started creating dance videos and posting on TikTok every single day.
The virality of my first few TikToks spurred my account in ways I could never have imagined. It was difficult to fathom how quickly my account was growing. I now have 3.5 million followers that I get to share my passion with every single day.
TikTok has completely changed my life. I still wake up every day feeling like I am in a dream. The crazy part about all of this is that my first ever viral video on social media was to the song “Tik Tok” by Kesha. Sometimes the world works in mysterious ways.
My goal is to inspire others to follow their dreams to the fullest. Don’t let any obstacles obstruct your pursuit of doing what you love. Believe in yourself and nothing else matters.
What has been the biggest challenge you’ve had to face and how did you overcome it?
Social media is revolutionary. It has created an outlet for people across the world to express their opinions, connect with one another, and share content. I am extremely grateful for social media. It has changed my life and allowed me to showcase my passion to millions of people all around the world. While social media has enabled me to live out my dreams, it certainly comes with some unique challenges.
Dealing with negativity in many different forms on a daily basis has been a challenge for me. Growing up in a competitive dance space, I’ve always been accustomed to receiving both positive and negative feedback. However, receiving negativity and hateful feedback on social media is something I’ve never been accustomed to. Since I love interacting with my fans, I always make it a ritual to read and respond to as many messages as I can.
I do a better job nowadays of overlooking the hateful messages by spending my time focusing on the positive and constructive feedback that I receive.
If you had to pick the TOP 3 people you’d want to meet that could take your career (or business) to the next level…who would those 3 people be?
I would love to meet Julianne Hough, Jennifer Lopez, and Beyoncé. These powerful women are extremely successful and passionate about their careers. Their charisma, knowledge, talent, and tenacious work ethic embody the person I hope to become one day. They are extremely inspirational and I would be honored to meet and learn from them one day.