Rising up, Olivia Cece had massive aspirations for her profession, however Broadway wasn’t one among them. For one factor, she didn’t sing or act. In reality, she didn’t know something in regards to the world of musical theater. However when her shot at profitable Season 11 of “So You Assume You Can Dance” slipped by means of her fingers, her dance instructor Bette-Ann Rossi used the loss as an opportunity to gentle a brand new hearth. “I do know that is your dream, however I actually suppose you’re going to be on Broadway sometime,” stated Rossi, whom dancers affectionately referred to as “Miss Bette.” Because it seems, she was prophetic. Cece has gone on to have a thriving profession on Broadway. In reality, you may catch her in Coronary heart of Rock and Roll on Broadway proper now!
Born and raised in Rhode Island, Cece spent nearly all of her coaching at Atwood Performing Arts Middle. There, she met Rossi, a lady who would develop into an important instructor in her life. After recognizing Cece at a center college expertise present, Rossi invited the 7-year-old to bop at her studio. “It was an incredible college with superb coaching,” Cece says. “Miss Bette [was a ballroom dancer known for her old-school jazz classes. She was phenomenal.”
During her senior year of high school, Rossi told Cece she had cancer. “She told me to meet her at the studio early so it would be just us. Then, she showed me her hair falling out and said, ‘Miss Bette’s got a little bit of cancer.’ ” It was stage four, and just four months later, Rossi passed away. “She told me that I was one of her proudest accomplishments—it was one of the last things I remember her saying to me,” Cece says. Before her passing, Rossi gave Cece a necklace with a small bird on it. “She said I was her free spirit. She told me to go off and fly and do all the things that she and I had planned. I got that bird tattooed on my hand.”
And fly she has. Cece earned her BFA in the commercial dance program at Pace University. While there she expanded her training to singing and acting, and built relationships with major choreographers in Los Angeles and New York City. Through her senior showcase, she signed with Clear Talent and started working straight after graduation. Her first job was American Dance Spectacular, with Al Blackstone, followed by dancing on “Saturday Night Live” with Miley Cyrus (choreographed by Nick Kenkel). “Those jobs felt like gifts to me as I crossed the bridge from student to pro dancer,” Cece says. From there, her career took off. Her film and TV credits include Disney’s “Better Nate Than Never” and Nickelodeon’s “Blue’s Big City Adventure,” and her theater credits include Kaylee in the first national tour of The Prom, the 5-week workshop of Andy Blankenbuehler’s Only Gold, the first national tour of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Moulin Rouge! The Musical on Broadway. “I was asked to come in and do [Moulin Rouge] for a fast three weeks in December 2022, and I simply by no means actually left.” That’s, till February 2024, when Cece booked her present job within the unique forged of Broadway’s Coronary heart of Rock and Roll.
On reserving Coronary heart of Rock and Roll: “My complete audition was carried out in sooner or later. That they had us do a full ’80s jazz method combo with some stepping in addition to some improv earlier than they made a minimize. Then they requested me to remain for partnering earlier than they made one other minimize, and I used to be requested to remain and sing. I sang some Stevie Nicks for them and left feeling actually nice about all of it. I even wore garments from my very own ’80s-inspired dancewear line with Ilogear: a high-cut leotard with a bandeau-style sports activities bra and flared pants over it.
“I didn’t hear something for 4 weeks earlier than I acquired an e mail from my agent saying I used to be nonetheless within the combine. My mother stated she would pray for me, and if it was meant to be, it might be. The next weekend, I acquired the name from my agent. The workplace was about to shut, however she didn’t need me to have to attend. ‘You’re going to be within the unique forged of Coronary heart of Rock and Roll,’ she stated. I used to be completely thrilled.”
On the influence of Rossi: “Miss Bette will all the time maintain the largest place in my coronary heart and in my life for a lot of causes. I spent extra time on the studio than I did at dwelling. My household was going by means of totally different challenges at one level, and the studio was my rock. Miss Bette was a powerful, stable determine in my life, and the studio was the place I felt most seen and cozy. She not solely educated me and gave me every thing I may need as a dancer, however she was a job mannequin to me as a lady. We had a ravishing friendship. If I may have one individual on the market watching me proper now, it might completely be her. I keep in mind, whereas doing Moulin Rouge, I’d look out to the viewers and sing “Come What Could,” and I’d get emotional picturing her there, seeing what she envisioned, come to life.”
On her desires for the longer term: I’d like to proceed to be a part of new exhibits and processes in theater. I really like the artistic collaboration that I’ve discovered on this present, and hope to do extra of that. I’d additionally like to originate some form of principal monitor that actually highlights dancers. Past performing, I’d love to make use of my management and enterprise expertise to direct or run a program. I’ve my diploma, and I’d like to return and get my grasp’s. I may see myself working a college like Tempo or one thing sometime. It could be so cool to provide again and share the issues I want I had extra of after I was at school.”
