Digo Padovan at NHM

Credits: Eric Butler/ Butler Boy Productions, Las Vegas

He's a choreographer, the pride of Brazil, world renowned dance artist whose list of work includes successful events with Julio Iglesias, Thalia, Toni Braxton, Shakira, Guy Ritchie, Madonna and other popular celebrities. He's also a model, the face behind iPod Rockstar, H&M clothing commercials, Redken, Pepsi, Le Reve, Cirque du Soleil and Nike. After five days of successful countdown, Next Hottest Model proudly welcomes Superstar Choreographer, Digo Padovan. An exciting exclusive interview only from the Blogosphere's Most Admired Modeling Blogazine, Next Hottest Model. Who is the real Digo? Find out cause Digo Padovan is the Next Hottest Model.

Always Exciting. Always NHM.

Credits: Eric Butler/ Butler Boy Productions, Las Vegas

"Being able to bring something new to life through movement is one of the best things about being a choreographer. It’s very much like imagining a new chapter in a story, or a world that you’re painting, and living that chapter or going to that world by creating it through physicality… Being able to be creative for your career is also very fulfilling for the soul – I love all creative pursuits and often encourage others to keep creativity a large part of their lives."

Credits: Eric Butler/ Butler Boy Productions, Las Vegas

"I think the most trying, most stressful moment in my career was when the Brazilian Sports Aerobic team that I was competing with had incredible difficulty getting to a competition in Japan. We were training (very intensely) in Oklahoma at the time. We’d already pre-qualified for the competition, so didn’t have to be in Japan very early and decided to head out there closer to the actual competition. Plus, in all honesty we couldn’t really afford to stay in Japan all that long without sponsorship. A tornado hit Oklahoma and our flight got cancelled (which, of course, is already stressful enough!). They put us on connecting flights just to get there which took us literally all over the world! And since we had so many connecting flights, we had no time for sleep. We traveled for two days straight and got there just before the competition, stressed and exhausted. But, if there is one thing that our training taught us, it’s extreme discipline, for which we were thankful. We had to put our minds into that “winning” state. We had to meditate and focus. We had to remind ourselves MENTALLY all that we learned, all that we lived prior to this experience. Our bodies could barely get through the routine, but through serious meditation, we were able to calm ourselves and through mental motivation alone we actually won."

Credits: Eric Butler/ Butler Boy Productions, Las Vegas

"I’ve led a very independent life. Having that kind of freedom in heart and mind allows me to see that there are many more options than what I might be denied. I don’t see things as rejection – I see it as a door that just wasn’t open for me at the right time. But there are so many more doors, so many more paths open to explore. When you can see that as truth, feeling rejected or dwelling in that rejection is practically pointless."

Credits: Eric Butler/ Butler Boy Productions, Las Vegas

"You absolutely have to make time in your day, regardless of how busy and stressed you are, just for yourself. Take a moment and reflect. Just enjoy where you are and what you are doing and be thankful. It seems easy in writing and thought, though I know it’s not. But you can truly go crazy with the burdens that life can bring if you don’t take a step back and re-group or re-focus for just a short time. Bringing things back into perspective can change how you handle the rest of your day emotionally and physically, as well."

Credits: Eric Butler/ Butler Boy Productions, Las Vegas

"My advice to anyone, really, is to make an effort to expand your horizons. Take the initiative to expose yourself to culture, to different art forms. A model who takes the time to learn just a little bit about photography can become a better model because he or she will know HOW a photograph needs to happen. A photographer who learns a little about dance will be a better photographer because he or she will be more in tune with capturing the perfect movement, or gain a better understanding of human physique and work that into their photography. Any exploration into different cultures and art forms can only enrich your own life experience and there are a million ways that you can apply what you learn to what you do."

Credits: Eric Butler/ Butler Boy Productions, Las Vegas

"My childhood dream (at five years old) was to come to the United States and dance for the Mickey Mouse Show! LOL. Well, I’ve made it to the United States, so that much has come true. And for now I’m performing with Toni Braxton in her sold out Las Vegas show, Revealed, which is great. Though Vegas is not exactly the Mickey Mouse Show, I guess I can say I’m pretty happy. ;) There is so much more going on in the near future, you never know!"

He started dancing when he was very young. His sister after her dance classes would go home and teach him and her dolls the latest routines that she had learned. At that time, he already knew that this is the field where he will excel, not only does he had the talent but at the same time too, this is his primary interest. "I continued serious instruction throughout my childhood and moved into gymnastics when I was a teen. I got noticed early on for incorporating gymnastic athleticism into my dance routines and the Brazilian Sports Aerobics teams asked me to come train and compete with them. We won many international competitions with my choreography and participation. Since then, I just continued dancing and choreographing, studying different styles and cultures, and working with some great celebrity artists and corporations." What are five things that Digo can't possibly live without? "Love – love is everything. Period. My family – without their support I would not have achieved the things I’ve achieved and overcome the obstacles I’ve had to face. Sushi – it’s delicious and a perfect food LOL. Books – my new passion, I read every spare moment I have. I love to get lost in words, in other peoples worlds. Music – music motivates so much in our lives. It motivates me to create, which of course leads to dancing… I can’t live without music playing every day." This is also a great year for Digo, and definitely lots of exciting things going on for his career. In April he plans to kick off his worldwide hip hop dance workshop "D-Tour" "I’ll be traveling to some great places! Starting off in Australia, then Japan, New Zealand, Hungary, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, London, Canada, and of course the U.S. At the same time (as if that weren’t enough), I’m hard at work on my biography and begin photo shoots with world-famous photographer Pedro Virgil in Australia in late April for that project. Pre-production for my very first musical is beginning in Sao Paulo, Brazil, with the show slated to open in the fall. AND, I’ve been in-studio, recording my first dance single that we hope to release in the summer!" Discover Digo, click Digo Padovan

Digo's humble beginnings are truly inspiring. He started from the bottom of the ladder and worked his way up. Faced with different challenges in life and career, he look beyond these challenges and focused his attention towards his dreams. Dreams do happen, it happened to him. Today Digo Padovan is a world renowned choreographer, dancer and model. But at the same time he's still the same boy who wanted to dance at Mickey Mouse show. The only difference is that this time, Digo is sharing his talents to the world.

Special thanks to Digo's photographer Eric Butler and to Allen Hong for all the support and help in Digo's feature.

Credits: Eric Butler/ Butler Boy Productions, Las Vegas

"I'm a warrior of life. When you think of yourself in that way, it motivates you. It energizes you. I’m a choreographer. I’m a dancer. I’m creative. All of these 'labels' define me, but being a warrior of life, drives me forward.

Always Exciting. Always NHM.