Originally from Stoystown, Pennsylvania, Olivia trained in a plethora of styles from the age of two with Andrea Dorobish of Somerset Dance Company. To foster her technical studies, she then moved to Laurel Arts Dance Center and Soul on Sole in Somerset, Pennsylvania, where she disciplined in ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary, pointe, and hip-hop. Upon graduating high school, she chose to further her undergraduate studies at Shenandoah University in Winchester, Virginia, where she anticipates receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology in the spring of 2017. While studying in the dance program at Shenandoah Conservatory, she has been given the opportunity to perform in New York City, at both the Alvin Ailey Citigroup Theater and the Salvatore Capezio Theater for the 2014 and 2016 New York Jazz Choreography Project. Olivia has also had the privilege performing in other festivals outside of Winchester, including the 2014 Jazz and Tap Dance Festival in Annandale, Virginia, the 2016 American College Dance Association Regional Conference at West Virginia University, and the 2016 VelocityDC Dance Festival at Sidney Harman Hall. In 2014, Olivia was pleased to be the recipient of the Gus Giordano Scholarship for Excellence in Dance. Following graduation, Olivia is looking forward to beginning her professional career in dance and psychology.
I have always known that I had a rhythmic soul. Dance is within me; it is inescapable from my body. I am very blessed and lucky to say that in my art form, I am able to entertain others by doing what I love every day. Not many people get to say that. As a performer, I strive to use dance as a tool to connect with other people on a more personal and intimate level. The stage is my empty canvas and my body is the paint brush. Each performance is a new language and story.