Getting paid well to do what you love most is the dream of many. Yet even that has a shelf life if it takes you away from family, friends, and home: if it prevents you from building a life with a back yard and a mortgage and maybe even some kids.

Annie Laura Dauzat and David Cross have spent nearly a decade entertaining guests on glamorous cruise ships, as members of the professional crews of dancers, singers, and actors that present nightly onboard shows for passengers.  

But after dozens of picturesque ports in the Americas, Europe, Australia, and Asia; after sun-drenched days in San Juan and Cozumel and leisurely nights in the Bahamas and Quebec; after luxurious trips on Princess, Carnival, Disney, and Royal Caribbean lines, they are ready to conclude this chapter and begin a new one. 

In short, they are getting married. And after all this global port-hopping, they could think of a no more auspicious place to tie the knot than in a tiny boutique hotel in New Orleans. No bridesmaids, no groomsmen, no organist: just Annie and David, their vows, and family and friends. 

What better evidence of true love than a readiness to give up a life of sea and sun to spend quality time on the ground?

“We’re ready to ride off into the sunset,” said David recently, with a laugh, during a break in San Juan on the couple’s 17-month contract on Princess Cruise Lines. “Our plan after the last trip is to buy a house and move back to Kansas City.” 

David is a Kansas Citian who earned a bachelor of fine arts degree in dance performance from The UMKC Conservatory, Annie a Louisiana native with a bachelor of science in musical theater and dance from Northwestern State University of Louisiana. Neither has had a fixed home for very long since graduating. 

“Being on board ship and being able to work together has been pretty great,” Annie said. “But we definitely miss family. This past Christmas was our first away from home, and that’s really hard.” 

David missed the arrival of his sister’s first baby, which hits him harder today than it might have 10 years ago. “I would like to be around for things like that now.” 

Their wedding in June 2025 is the culmination of a beautiful seven-year courtship. But even before David’s wildly romantic proposal last year — on a hilltop in the Canary Islands, with the setting sun lighting up a multihued seascape — they had discussed the possibilities of a permanent bond.  

“We already knew that we were committed to each other, and that we were going to be there for each other, be each other’s foundation,” David said. “Marriage just kind of solidifies it.” 

The moment was perfect. “The sun was setting and it poured rain for a few minutes,” Annie said. “And then it stopped and the sun came out. It was gorgeous, quite poetic.” 

It was at a dramatic lookout above Las Palmas de Gran Canaria that he finally asked for Annie’s hand, having already secured her parents’ approval, Old-World style. “I had the ring in my pocket all day, and we got off the boat and I immediately started looking around crazily for a good spot,” David said. 

After braving COVID-19, eight months of “long distance,” and David’s double-meniscus knee surgery, they felt well-tempered. “We’ve shown that we can get through almost anything, and I can’t picture doing this with anyone else,” Annie said. 

Back in Kansas City, they have planted seeds for careers in the city’s bustling arts scene. Both are involved with Quixotic, having performed in Sensatia, Dark Forest, and Terra Luna and having served as part of the creative team for Whiskey Dynamite. 

The couple’s first encounter was humble enough. It was the fall of 2017, and both were contracted as dancers in a theatrical presentation (Illumination Sensation) at the Texas State Fair in Dallas. As they began to chat, they quickly found common ground. 

David remembers being captivated by Annie’s eyes, “a really pretty light-blue color that caught my attention.” Annie was intrigued by David’s habit of arriving to work early so that he could sit in his car and talk to his mother on the phone. “I just thought that was the sweetest thing ever,” she said. “Since that moment we just started hanging out together — and we’ve never really stopped.” 

Alas, fate intervened before they could be together: David had an eight-month contract on a Disney Cruise that began the following January. “It made me really sad,” David said, “because I was getting ready to leave on this contract and would probably never see her again.” 

Happily, the latter proved not to be true, although this would be the longest period they have been apart. 

Considering how deeply in love they were, it seemed confounding that it should be so hard to be together. “It’s as if we said, Hey let’s create the most difficult circumstances we possibly can and see if this works,” Annie said. “And if it works under these circumstances, then maybe it can work anywhere.” 

If nothing else, they became determined to seek work together in the future. “It would really be insane for us to take anything separately now,” David said. 

Annie and David are professional dancers primarily, though in the onboard shows they are sometimes called upon to sing and act. Rehearsals happen on land before they board ship and each cruise can have between two and four rotating shows (“Rock Opera,” “Spotlight Bar,” etc.). 

Not only do these shows draw upon the whole range of styles for which a dancer trains — from ballet to Broadway, jazz to hip-hop — the challenge of performing every night for months at a time is an ideal “seasoning” for any stage professional. 

On a Carnival cruise in 2021, Annie and David were able to perform a pas de deux that revealed the trust that was growing between them. They were also becoming aware of interesting differences in their styles. 

David started life as a break dancer and has participated in everything from rap videos to the summer intensive of Kevin Iega Jeff’s renowned Deeply Rooted Dance Theater. 

Annie has worked in a wide range of musical theater and dance, including aerial and trapeze, but on the ships often finds herself “called home” to perform straight ballet. “David’s style is completely opposite mine, and that is so intriguing to me,” she said. “He is very grounded and yet fluid, ‘ooey-gooey’ for lack of a better word. Whereas I am very ‘up in the air,’ en relevé, high-energy.” 

After a pause, she continued: “Now that I think about it, that is a pretty accurate description of our relationship as a couple, too, and of our personalities. I’m big emotions, big feelings, I’m up and jumping around and really into things. And David has a good way of calming me down: ‘Let’s just go with the flow, and ease into things.’ ” 

Opposites attract, in other words: “As cheesy as that sounds,” she said. But this symbiotic attraction also brings harmony. “To be able to have a career in the arts that supports you is extremely difficult,” David said, “let alone two people together who are both artists.” Their careers have aligned neatly, and the confluence has helped the couple build savings toward a down payment on their future house. 

“We’re really fortunate that it has worked out for David and me to be on the same timeline,” Annie said, adding that the next day they were going kayaking and snorkeling on a nature reserve in St. Thomas. “We feel really blessed to be able to have experiences such as this and at the same time save for when our on-land future together begins.” 

—By Paul Horsley

To reach Paul Horsley, performing arts editor, send an email to paul@kcindependent.com or find him on Facebook (paul.horsley.501) or Twitter/Instagram (@phorsleycritic).