Gwinnett performing artist Rachael Graham is “living the dream” onboard the cruise ship Disney Dream where she performs at night and explores the Caribbean when possible during the day.
Gwinnett performing artist Rachael Graham is “living the dream” onboard the cruise ship Disney Dream where she performs at night and explores the Caribbean when possible during the day.
“I am absolutely loving it! This is truly the dream,” said Rachael Graham, the young Gwinnett dancer who recently turned 20.
Her statement is not only about living her dream, she’s living on a dream: a ship named the Disney Dream.
Three nights a week, Graham dons her beautiful costumes as either the character Tiana or as a member of the cast of “Circle of Life” from Disney Dream’s production of “Believe.”
The show “Believe” was created for two Disney cruise ships, the “Fantasy” and the “Dream” and incorporates favorite songs from Disney’s best-loved movies.
A graduate of Providence Christian School, Graham was trained and performed with Gwinnett Ballet Theatre. She and her friend Sasha West were the first African American “Sugar Plums” in GBT’s production of “The Nutcracker” in 2017.
From there she studied Dance at Florida State University until COVID-19 hit. She opted to come home and stayed “ballet fit” taking classes at GBT.
After auditioning for a performing job with Disney, she was picked to attend their “Mainstage Performer’s Program” and trained in Canada for the Disney Cruise line.
“My day-to-day is a shift or two where I work the ‘meet and greets’ for many of our friends such as Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy, etc. At night is when I do two performances of one particular show.
“We have three mainstage shows: ‘The Golden Mickeys’ ‘Beauty and the Beast’ and ‘Believe.’ I’ve been doing mostly four and five night cruises, and I perform three nights out of the five.”
Performing is only part of the total experience.
“When I’m off and have a break during the day, I get off the boat as much as possible. For example, I go to the beach with my friends, or we go have a quick lunch break in Cozumel,” she said.
“We sail mostly in the Bahamas and Mexico. I’ve had the privilege of meeting so many people from different cultures. We have over 80 countries represented in our crew which is really cool.”
Other benefits are more personal.
“I am lucky to have a cast that is so uplifting and hilarious, so much fun to be around. These people have become my best friends in such a short amount of time. They are truly my Disney family,” Graham said. “I have a newfound independence and confidence. I am the youngest in the cast, so it was easy for me to feel small at first. But everyone here has shown me that I bring as much to the table as the next person, regardless of age or tenure.”
The best part of the job?
“I get to see all of the kids’ faces when I come out on stage to portray the character of Tiana. Their faces just light up and they look so happy! It’s the best feeling. I love having the privilege to bring a little Disney magic into these families’ vacations.”
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