CCM Grad Sabrina Olivieri Joins Professional Dance Company
“No other college would have given me all these great experiences. If I had gone to another school, I would not be dancing professionally for Limón.”
Major: Dance
Class: 2019
Ever since she was a young girl, Sabrina Olivieri ’19 dreamed of dancing for Limón, one of the world’s most prominent modern dance companies.
Just two years after graduating from CCM’s Dance Program, Olivieri realized her dream. She was invited to join Limón2, the second company of the Limón Dance Foundation. The company is dedicated to developing promising modern dancers.
Olivieri credits CCM for helping her blossom into a professional dancer.
“CCM’s Dance Program gave me so many opportunities to grow as a dancer,” she says. “I was able to perform, to choreograph, and had small classes with professors who boosted my confidence. These experiences shaped me into the artist I am today.”
Most importantly, her professors took a deep personal interest in her, especially CCM Professors Terence Duncan, Christina Paolucci, Kristin Flynn, and Mairelaine Mammon, Olivieri says. Had she gone to a bigger college, she wouldn't have had so many chances to develop artistically.
“No other college would have given me all these great experiences,” she says. “If I had gone to another school, I would not now be dancing professionally for Limón.”
Duncan, an assistant professor and coordinator of the dance program, says he suspected Olivieri would be offered a position at Limón2 after seeing her perform at CCM’s Spotlight on Dance concert.
“Sabrina has grown considerably from a talented and driven student into a professional dancer,” says Duncan, “and I can’t wait to see what heights she will achieve next.”
Olivieri majored in dance at CCM, but also developed an interest in psychology. She later enrolled at Montclair State University, majoring in psychology. Eventually, she’d love to dance for Limon’s first company but, aware of how difficult that is, she’s also plans to earn a doctorate degree in psychology.
Olivieri’s past, though, revolved around dance. She started dancing when she was 2. She was a bow-legged girl whose feet turned inward, so her parents enrolled her in ballet school, hoping the training would help her. And it did. All through childhood, she excelled at dance and later enrolled in Somerset County Votech’s Gifted and Talented Dance Honors Program. During high school, she won the Governor's Award for Artistic Excellence and Leadership in Dance.
When it came time to apply to colleges, one of Votech’s dance teachers, Maureen Glennon Clayton, referred Olivieri to CCM. Along with teaching, Glennon Clayton is also a professional dancer and CCM alumna. Looking back, Olivieri says Glennon’s advice put her on the path to success.
“I’m at a point in my career where I never thought I’d be,” says Olivieri. “I want to continue to dance but I also love psychology. So if I can balance getting a Ph.D. in psychology and continue dancing, I'll be happy. I mean, anything's possible if you put your mind to it.”