Athletes compete, train and make sacrifices for their sport.
Artists connect with audiences through their creative expressions.
And as a dancer, I am both an athlete and an artist.
I train as long and hard as other athletes to perform with proper technique, artistry and strength.
Dancing is a sport that requires me to be vulnerable — to show the world who I am.
That’s exactly what I want to do with my life.
Dancing wove itself into my heart when I was little one-year-old Olivia bobbing up and down to the radio in my car seat.
I’ve trained with many studios and performed on world stages since then, but my love of dance feels as surreal as when I tied my first tap shoes.
After performing a little solo, five-year-old me thought “This is what I want to do for the rest of my life.”
And today, I’m dancing for Ohio State.
Devoting Myself to Dance
I’ve been dancing as long as I can remember.
I was the kid in the backseat jamming out to the music.
The kid who couldn’t hear a song on a commercial without dancing to it.
When I was two, my mom noticed my love for music and dance, so she put me in a creative movement class.
We did ballet, tap – all the basics that a little kid does.
But at a certain point, I knew I wanted to take this seriously.
I started competitive dance at the age of five and switched studios.
And honestly, that’s when my career took flight.
I trained between 30 and 45 hours per week growing up.
I sacrificed a lot of the normal stuff kids get to do.
I missed out on birthday parties, school dances, and football games.
So many hours to perfect my moments on stage.
I grew up quicker than a lot of kids, but I don’t regret it.
I’ve been able to travel the world and experience so many things thanks to dance.
In high school, I started traveling the country for auditions at prestigious schools. I considered joining BFA programs for dance until I attended a dance clinic at Ohio State.
My visit convinced me — I wanted to be a Buckeye.
Performing on the College Stage
In the dance world, everyone knows Ohio State is amazing.
They have all these national titles, but what everyone doesn’t see is what goes on behind the scenes.
When I visited Ohio State, I saw how insanely talented the girls are on the team, but I was even more impressed by their personalities.
They were so welcoming and kind.
I truly admired the way they put the team first.
Ohio State also sets itself apart from other programs because the school respects and invests in dancing as a sport.
In the recruiting process, I did not get my hopes up about anything because it is a very selective group of people. They only pick about six dancers per year to be on this team, so I knew there was a chance that I wouldn’t make it.
The day I got the call that I made the team was the best day of my life.
In that moment, I just knew that all the hard work and sacrifices I made growing up really paid off.
I felt blissfully happy.
The sacrifices continue in college, but it’s all worth it now.
On a regular week at Ohio State, we practice three days with three-hour practice blocks, and we lift three days a week, too.
On lifting days, we often start at 7:30 in the morning, and then we eat breakfast at the dining hall for student-athletes.
I may be a bit biased, but our breakfasts are truly one of my favorite parts of the day.
Then it's either yoga or Pilates.
Stretch.
Cross-training.
Class.
Sleep.
Wake up and do it all over again.
My schedule is a whirlwind, but I don’t mind.
I’m living the dancer’s dream.
Becoming a World Champion
This year, my team got to do something very special we’ve never done before.
We represented the United States of America at the ICU World Championships, which is the closest thing to the Olympics for dance.
The competition gave us a chance to dance and represent something much bigger than our university.
We went from the block O on our chest to U-S-A across our chest, which was the craziest feeling.
I felt so much pride on that stage.
We walked home with two world championships. We won a gold medal in jazz and pom, which was absolutely incredible.
But much more than that, what I loved about this whole experience was the international love that my team and I felt.
When we walked around this competition, the teams from different countries admired us, and they were all so sweet.
The atmosphere was so uplifting and supportive.
Everyone was hugging each other, taking pictures, waving, smiling.
It reminded me that the whole world can be connected through dance.
It was so cool to share the love for dance with these people, even though we didn’t speak the same language.
Looking ahead
My story at Ohio State is just beginning. I’ve only finished one year of college, so I have plenty of school - I’m studying business - and dancing left. I can’t wait to get back in the “Shoe” for football games this fall.
My future could look completely different than it does now, but I hope to dance professionally for a little bit while I’m still young and my body is healthy.
I eventually want to open up my own dance studio and teach dance to a bunch of kids to carry on my legacy.
But for now, I’m just going to continue to take it one day at a time and see where my journey leads me.
I’m so beyond grateful to be a part of the Ohio State dance team.
Those girls are my family.
I know that no matter what happens, I will always have them by my side.
Go Buckeyes!
