NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – The Super Bowl is coming up this weekend, and as many folks tune in for the game, a lot of people will be watching the commercials.
For one local dancer, millions will see her work during a history-making 30-second spot.
Jessica Rizzardi is a local hip-hop dance teacher and performance ambassador for the Nashville Predators. Her life revolves around moving to the rhythm.
“It’s funny because it’s, like, I’ve never known anything else. Because when your parents put you into ballet at three years old, like, you just give it a try, I guess,” Rizzardi said.
So, it was worth the “try” when Jessica came across a TikTok contest looking for dance moves.
“So, I researched a little more, looked at their other videos, saw Victoria Justice was promoting it, got some info, and basically, all they said was choreograph a 20-second clip to our song, post it on TikTok with the hashtag, and good luck,” she said.
Rizzardi choreographed the dance in her childhood bedroom, and then, minutes before she was supposed to perform at a Preds game, she recorded it.
“I told my teammate, I was like, I need you to film this TikTok for me. I know we have 10 minutes before call time. Please? And she was like, ‘Okay, if you win, you have to give me some of your earnings.’ And yeah, we filmed it, I posted it, and I kind of forgot about it,” said Rizzardi.
That is, until two weeks later, when she found out she had won the $10,000 grand prize, and her dance moves would be featured in a Svedka Vodka commercial. That commercial would have an AI robot doing Rizzardi’s moves in the first-ever Super Bowl spot made in AI.
For one local dancer, millions saw her work during a history-making 30-second spot.
First things first, she had to tell her parents.
“So I was like, yeah, I got the weirdest call. And yeah, this guy called me and told me I had won $10,000, and my parents, like, whipped around. They were like, are you kidding me? They were like, what? I actually took a video. I was, like, secretly trying to record them, and my brother just looks, and he goes, he was like, of course,” she told us.
So, what was it like when Rizzardi saw a sneak peek of the commercial?
“So, when I saw that, I was like, ‘Oh my God, that robot is high kicking its face like that is so hilarious. Like, I never would have thought that I would ever see something like that.” Rizzardi said.
Rizzardi remembers a time when she thought about giving up her dreams of dancing. Self-doubt often comes with missed opportunities. They say dance is like dreaming with your feet, and Rizzardi hopes this dance and this dream never ends.
“For me and my old dance teachers, teammates, you know, friends, family, like, just people from all over the world in my life coming out and saying, ‘We’re so proud of you. You’re so deserving of this,’ and that’s really special,” she said.
Rizzardi is planning on spending the Super Bowl surrounded by friends and family, and you best believe, right after halftime when her commercial is supposed to air, all eyes will be glued to the TV.
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