Laventry Easter is following his dreams around the world as a dance for Carnival Cruise Line
By Sarah Vammen

“Fate loves the fearless.” These words by poet James Russell Lowell are the driving force behind everything Laventry Easter does. He thrives most when overcoming obstacles and achieving his goals. “I know what I want, and I achieve it,” Laventry said. Working as a professional performer on the Carnival Paradise cruise ship, the Arkansas High School graduate owes his career to his tenacity and courageous spirit.

Unlike most professional dancers, Laventry did not begin dance lessons or rigorous training at an early age. “I started praise dancing at the church,” he said. When he was 14, he decided he was ready to take real dance lessons. “I emailed and called every studio I knew of in Texarkana,” he recalled. Unfortunately, every studio he called told Laventry that he was too old to start dancing, that he would have to take classes with three-year-old students, or that their studio simply didn’t accept boys. “I was crushed,” Laventry said.

But Laventry didn’t stay down for long. “I went to YouTube and trained myself,” he said. “I taught myself to do pirouettes, leaps, and whatever else I could learn from YouTube.”

After a year of learning from YouTube, Laventry set out again in search of a dance studio for formal training. This time he found Joni’s Gymnastics and Dance Center. “They said to come in and show them what I could do,” he said. “I showed them everything I could, and Mrs. Joni [Wright] offered me a spot on the competition dance team that same night.” Laventry’s dream was coming true. “I’d never been more grateful in my life.”

After graduating from Arkansas High School in 2015, Laventry continued his academic career at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR). It was there where his love for dance reached a new height—when he found teaching.

“[Teaching dance] was a passion I never knew I needed,” Laventry said. “Something about being in the background and training the next generation of performers gives me a kind of joy I can’t find on the stage.” In his newfound teaching career, Laventry particularly enjoyed sharing the art of dance with students who were unable to afford classes by providing free or discounted lessons. “Dance can be expensive, and I don’t want a potential professional ballet, hip hop, tap, or contemporary dancer to miss out on this joy of living their passion,” he said.

Laventry continued teaching and performing until 2020 when COVID-19 shut down all of his teaching and performing jobs. “Suddenly I had nothing but my unemployment checks and the hope I could one day continue performing and teaching,” he said. Looking for new ways to earn income, Laventry remembered the performances he saw while on cruises with his family. In July 2020, he submitted an online audition to Carnival Cruise Line. He was quickly offered a position as a dancer/singer with the company via email, but then their hiring team went silent for two years.

As the world opened back up, Laventry began teaching dance more than ever. Though he loved his teaching career, he felt the stage still calling to him. Then, one day in 2022, Carnival reached back out to Laventry with an offer to join a ship—in just three weeks’ time.

“I agreed quickly but didn’t understand how much I had to do to get to the ship,” Laventry said. Between gathering all the required documents, moving from his apartment, and preparing for dance-recital season, taking the job in such a short time was not feasible. Laventry had to decline the offer, though he was worried that they would not extend another. Still, refusing to give up on his dreams, Laventry continued gathering all the needed documentation just in case. Two weeks later, Carnival offered him another contract to join the Carnival Ecstasy. He accepted immediately and began rehearsals in Florida.

From there, Laventry’s cruise entertainment career took off. “I’ve sailed out of Long Beach, Miami, Mobile, and San Francisco,” he said. “I’ve become friends with so many people from different countries around the world. You truly learn that we are all the same.”

Today, Laventry is performing on the Carnival Paradise ship. “We have four shows we perform on this ship—the ‘Welcome Aboard’ show, ‘Epic Rock,’ ‘‘80s Pop to the Max,’ and ‘The World Works Here,’” he explained. “I get to perform 90% of the time I’m on [board].”

Though the preparation is grueling, the hours are long, and the schedule is intense, Laventry loves his life aboard the ship. “When you get into your groove, you meet so many wonderful guests, and I find joy in helping people have a great vacation,” he said. “And, because the shows are so well loved, we are famous on the ship.”

Always a dreamer and big thinker, Laventry is already plotting his next move. He still loves performing and is grateful for the opportunities he has experienced dancing at sea. “Not everyone can say they’ve performed in front of thousands of people, and I can,” he said. But Laventry’s sights are currently set toward his home state of Arkansas, where he plans to resume his teaching career—and more.

“[The state of] Arkansas has lost its only dance major, which means most dancers are going to be seeking professional training outside of the state,” Laventry explained. “I want to bring that back by creating more professional job opportunities for artists in Arkansas.” He also dreams of owning an agency, training a professional dance company, and running a studio for youth dance training.

Whether he is teaching back home in Arkansas or singing and dancing out at sea, Laventry will carry the lessons he has learned from dance. “Dance has taught me that you will get nowhere without working for what you want,” Laventry said. “Only the fearless will succeed. I am fearless.”

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