PEABODY — Veterans Memorial High School senior Annabella Joyce has it figured out. She will attend the Boston Conservatory at Berklee for college this fall to help her achieve her dream of becoming a professional dancer.
Her mom, Crystal, has watched Annabella dance since she was 3 years old and said that getting to this point was not easy. Crystal, the owner and choreographer at Crystal Joyce Dance Academy, said that judges have varying preferences and expectations, which means dancers need to have a lot of perseverance, as they will likely get 10 “nos” before one “yes.”
“You have to be technical, you have to be flexible, you have to be strong, but then you also have to captivate an audience, you have to be a performer, you have to know how to show emotion,” Crystal said. “And that’s just the nature of the business.”
Crystal commended Annabella for honing her skills, increasing her confidence, and being able to find her unique style, especially over the past two years.
“It’s not easy, it’s the grind every day,” Crystal said.
She said that competitive dance, which Annabella started doing when she was around 8 years old, is “basically a year-round sport.”
At the conservatory, Annabella will work toward getting a bachelor’s in commercial dance. The three-year program aims to get dancers out in the working world as soon as possible. There is only a small window of time to work as a professional dancer, Crystal said, because dancers “age out quickly.”
“It’s more for dancers that really want to be professional in the world of Broadway, music videos, cruise ships, backup dancers going on tour with artists, that kind of thing,” Crystal said. “That’s what she loves to do.”
Annabella said that the program prepares dancers for the industry’s fast-paced working environment.
“I want to have a career as a professional dancer, no matter what it’d be like, on tour, or the main goal would be on Broadway, those types of things, just like big stages,” Annabella said.
Annabella said that to get to where she is now, she had to learn how to balance both school and dance, but is looking forward to having academic classes in college that will mostly focus on dance studies.
“Normally my weeks will be: I go to school during the day, and then dance all night, and then for dance competition weekends, we’re there Saturdays and Sundays, 16 hours a day, and Friday night too,” Annabella said.
While Annabella said it is a lot of work, she said it is what she loves to do, and she loves the fast-paced nature of the industry.
“I’m just super excited to have this opportunity,” Annabella said. “It’s close to home, and I’m very excited.”
