Operating through the interstices of codified dance and ordinary movement, Paolo’s work explores this relationship within the context of our interconnected society, drawing inspiration from various artistic sources, the web, and emerging movements. Viewing choreography as a system of instructions applicable to diverse contexts, his work engages audiences through multiple perspectives, genres, and styles, working with, as well as from, simultaneous viewpoints to realize ideas into dance.

During his career as a professional dancer, Paolo performed for renowned companies such as Aterballetto, Tanztheater Nürnberg, WM|RD, and Cullberg Ballet. He interpreted works by Mauro Bigonzetti, William Forsythe, Jacopo Godani, Wayne McGregor, Rui Horta, Stejn Cellis, Jorma Elo, and Deborah Hay. In 2012, Paolo Mangiola participated in Wayne McGregor's TED talk and the same year choreographed Alpha Episodes for the Royal Ballet.

After concluding his performing career in 2013, he pursued and completed an MA in choreography at The Place, London and in October 2014, after having created his first full-length work We/Part for Ballletto di Roma, opening the Civitanova Danza Festival, he was appointed associate choreographer where he created FEM for the Belgrade Dance Festival. After three season, in summer of 2017, he was appointed Artistic Director at ŻfinMalta, the National Dance Company of Malta.

He has been instrumental in establishing the company’s place in the region and further afield in the international dance community. His vision during the seven years tenure, transformed ŻfinMalta into the first public cultural organisation in the island increasing its number of performances locally and abroad, placing contemporary dance at the forefront of Malta’s performing art scene, with an ever-expanding and dedicated local audience. He has attracted some of the most established and pioneering choreographers working in the international scene, curating works including Tânia Carvalho, Emanuel Gat, Roy Assaf, Rosemary Lee, Sergiu Matis, Nuria Guiu, and Francesca Pennini to name a few. Mangiola also managed to build an international cast of the highest calibre. Besides an extensive repertoire, he has created and overseen an inclusive and participatory education and outreach programme for people from all backgrounds and with any relationship to movement.

During his years at ŻfinMalta Paolo's choreographic portfolio developed exponentially with works created for conventional theatre settings as well as contemporary art galleries, urban spaces and heritage sites. His work has been performed in London, Rome, Milan, Belgrade, Chicago, Malta, Poland, Norway, and Germany. His teaching experience includes curating the contemporary dance department at the Scuola del Balletto di Roma, guest teaching of choreography and dance history at the University of Malta, and a full-time role as a choreography teacher at the English National Ballet School, London.

He has made significant strides in the realm of commercial work and large-scale projects too. He curated the movement direction for diverse films and advertisements, including Foundation for Apple TV in 2022 and the Lexus campaign in 2017. He choreographed the opening ceremony of Valletta 2018 European Capital of Culture, and the opening ceremony of the Special Olympics in 2022.

In 2023 Paolo was awarded the Premio per la Cultura Mediterranea for his outstanding contribution to contemporary dance.

Paolo continues to investigate the way in which dance, as a movement practice and as an art form, develops and changes through an ongoing dialogue with contemporary discourses in the context of our interconnected world.