Select a region
A 20-year-old from Jersey, who started dancing from a young age as she followed in her family's footsteps, has shared how she landed her "dream" job at Universal Studios in China.
Lucy Marett is currently on a 14-month contract as one of the dancers at the Universal Beijing Resort.
She says she was “over the moon” and couldn’t quite believe it when she received the offer.
“I was actually on the phone to my Dad when I received the email to book a time slot for my offer call and I really couldn’t believe it,” she recalled.
“This was a huge dream for me and I never believed it could actually come true.
"Even after receiving the offer, I never thought It would work out but my family were so supportive throughout the whole process, from my initial application to moving half way across the world, I truly couldn’t have done it without them.”
Dance has not only been a “huge part” of Lucy’s life from a young age as she first attended classes at the age of four, it’s also a family affair.
Pictured: Lucy has been dancing since the age of four.
As Lucy explained, she was “surrounded by dance within her family” and eventually followed in the footsteps of her older sister, who had also been dancing since she was little.
“My mother was a previous keen dancer and also my aunt and godmother is a dance teacher on the island,” Lucy said.
“During my time training on the island at Carousal School of Dance and Jersey Academy of Dancing I was given so many amazing opportunities to perform on stage in productions, such as Green Room Club’s ‘King and I’ and their annual pantomime productions, as well as at the Jersey Eisteddfod.
"This is where my love for dance and performing really blossomed and became a passion, I knew this is where I wanted my future to take me!”
Determined to pursue dancing further, Lucy moved to Manchester after her GCSEs at the age of 16 to study professional dance at the vocational college Northern Ballet School, which was her first choice.
Pictured: Lucy performed several times at the Battle of Flowers.
“I trained here for three years and graduated in 2021 with a Level 6 Diploma in Professional Dance which is equivalent to a BA(Hons) degree,” she said.
“I thoroughly enjoyed my time training in Manchester, it was hard work, physically and mentally demanding but getting to dance everyday and be inspired by my teachers and peers felt like a dream.
“My second and third years at college were disrupted by the pandemic. Full-time dance training in my living room and garden was far from ideal, however.
"As much as it was lovely to be home with my family, I was absolutely delighted to be back in the studio to complete my training and perform and graduate in front of a live audience.”
Pictured: Lucy, here at the Eisteddfod, said her love for dance and performing "blossomed and became a passion" thanks to the opportunities to perform she had in the island.
Explaining what she loves the most about dancing, Lucy said it’s simply “something she has to do”.
She did plenty of dancing whilst at Northern Ballet School – 25 to 30 hours a week in the studio – but this has slowed down since she has been working professionally. She uses any downtime during the week to maintain her physical fitness in the studio as well as out on excursions and in the gym.
“Dancing has always been such a huge part of my life, I couldn’t imagine not dancing. It brings me so much joy, the sense of accomplishment when I nail a new skill and feeling the buzz from a live audience, I can’t help but smile the moment I set foot on stage.”
Since graduating, Lucy has worked as a dancer with Costa Cruises, spending seven months cruising around the Mediterranean, the Azores and the Adriatic as part of the production team on board.
She very much enjoyed the experience as it gave her the opportunity to “work alongside many dancers of other nationalities and to explore the most amazing ports whilst doing what she loves”.
Pictured: Since graduating in July 2021, Lucy has had several different contracts and worked around the world.
Last Christmas, she worked for the Vegas Showgirls Germany, performing at several venues in Germany and Belgium.
Between these contracts, when back at home in Jersey, Lucy has also performed with 3rd Above Entertainment, Performers and JLEE Productions for varying corporate, charitable and community events like the Battle of Flowers.
“I feel so fortunate to have these connections at home which allow me to continue performing in between my overseas contracts.”
For her latest gig, the audition process took over four months to complete and then she had to wait another two months for her visa application to go through and be able to fly out to Beijing to begin her 14-month contract.
“Back in June 2022, I submitted an online application for Universal Studios in response to their advertisement for classically trained dancers for their resorts in both Osaka, Japan and Beijing, China,” Lucy said.
Pictured: Lucy says she could never imagine not dancing.
“The audition process was lengthy and detailed, spread over numerous months as they were auditioning dancers globally through video submissions and interviews. Finally, in October, I found out I was successful with my application but it wasn’t until January when I received my visa that I realised this was becoming a reality.”
While she can’t share many details about her job, Lucy said she is “very happy to be dancing and sharing the stage with performers from all over the world”.
“We have access to gyms and studio spaces to use in our downtime, so this is helping me to stay active, set new goals and work on myself,” she said. “I am really happy to finally have the time and resources to work on improving my independence and really taking the time to focus on myself in a super supportive environment.
“My days off have allowed myself and my friends to visit temples and other historic venues here in Beijing, as well as Shanghai Disneyland and even climbing the Great Wall of China, which was just so surreal, a huge bucket list moment for me.”
Pictured: Lucy said she would love to extend her contract in Beijing.
The young dancer is enjoying her time in Beijing so much that she said she would love to extend her contract further if the opportunity arises. However, she also hopes to one day have the chance to kick it up with a well-known precision dance company in New York.
“There are so many incredible opportunities out there for performers like me, but a dream job of mine is to join the Rockettes at Radio City Hall!”
This article first featured on Bailiwick Wellbeing, your free weekly guide to wellness in work and island life, delivered straight to your inbox every Friday. Sign up now here so you don't miss the next edition.
Comments
Comments on this story express the views of the commentator only, not Bailiwick Publishing. We are unable to guarantee the accuracy of any of those comments.