Joanne Olivo fell in love with dancing when she took her first class at 4 years old. By the time she got to middle school, however, it was musical theater that began to capture her attention.

But I always found myself a bit more interested in learning the choreography, the now 25-year-old Corona resident said.

Olivo continued in musical theater through her time at La Sierra High School and into enrolling at Riverside City College. While taking the required acting and music classes, she was also required to take dance technique. Olivo remembers being involved in a Performance Riverside production and RCCs dance concert at the same time. She then realized what captivated her more.

Dance gave me the freedom to express anything and everything while creating my own script and even interpreting movement as I wanted to, rather than being given guidelines in which I had to perform, she said.

After that first Riverside City College dance concert, Olivo began to take more dance technique classes and soon became part of the dance program.

The artistic freedom that I am given as a dancer is rewarding and learning from so many choreographers, teachers and dancers is a constant reminder of why I chose dance as a career path, she said.

Olivo has trained in ballet, jazz, modern and musical theater for six years. Those technique classes taught by Riverside City College dance faculty have been instrumental in her development as a dancer, she said. She went on to perform with Intersect Dance Theater Company, led by the late Sofia Carreras, whose choreographic process and style she counts as a tremendous influence.

I have recently started training at Infuse Dance Studio and am part of their company, Animus, which consists of all incredibly strong and diverse women directed by April MacLean, Olivo said.

One of Olivos favorite performances was a piece titled Pick-a-little-New-talk-a-little choreographed by Robyn ODell for the 2019 American College Dance Association.

This piece was selected for the gala that was held at the end of the conference and holds a very special place in my heart because of the subject matter being connected to the #metoo movement, she said. Robyn integrated the casts personal experiences as women, while also highlighting our strengths.

Olivo described another piece called Pataphysique, which was choreographed by Megan Fowler-Hurst that was performed in the Riverside City College faculty concert in 2016.

The dynamics of the piece and the theatrics involved in the movement is what made me finally see myself as a dancer, she said. I saw the connection between acting and dance and how they go hand in hand.

Olivo graduated with associates degrees in musical theater, social and behavioral studies, and fine and performing arts. She has since been accepted to Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, as well as the UC Riverside. She is continuing to look into other dance programs while training in Riverside.

Im trying to decide on the dance program that feels right for me and the type of artist I am, she said.

Her future plans include getting her masters degree and teaching dance. She believes in the power of dance to integrate real experiences and emotions, as well as its ability to serve as a form of therapy.

This art form also gives many different artists a voice and provides ways to raise awareness about specific topics such as womens empowerment, LGBTQ rights and the Black Lives Matter movement, she said.

Olivio went on to discuss how an audience member might be struggling with something that isnt largely represented, but when they see a specific phrase of movement it could express exactly what theyve been feeling without saying a word.

Thats why I feel representation of diversity is extremely important to show in the dance community so that it speaks to all kinds of people who come from all walks of life, she said.

Patrick Brien is executive director of theRiverside Arts Council.

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Dance lets this Corona resident express anything and everything - Press-Enterprise