"...is one of those rare students who displays respect for the art form with maturity in her self-conduct and approach to her dance work. She is self-motivated and exhibits an analytical curiosity by pursuing substantive research and insights pertaining to her work through her own initiative. Annette is extremely well-organized, an expert in time management and always a responsible communicator."
- Jolie Long, Professor of Dance, Brenau University

"Annette is a natural leader, she trained and developed many new assistant buyers. She maximized opportunities and always had a positive attitude. She is smart, learns quickly and is willing to do whatever it takes. She builds strong relationships with others. She is creative and fun--- a true joy. The BEST assistant buyer I have ever worked with."

-Sheila Wilson, VP Store Manager, Macy's

"Annette is a powerful leader, gifted in business acumen and possessing great creative skills. It is utilizing both of these diverse skill sets that I would find her being extremely qualified in any given industry. As my Assistant Director, Annette was highly qualified in taking on any of the daily responsibilities and ran the location with ease and success. I could always count on her to remain true to the standards and qualities that drive a business to profitability using integrity, honesty and an uncompromising set of ethics."
- Chris Williams, Director, Spa Sydell

"Annette has a strong work ethic. She is a talented individual who cares about the work that she produces. She demonstrates excellent communication skills and is always a pleasure to work with. Annette will be an asset to any company that she chooses to work with in the future." 

- Brenda Groover, Art Director, Macy's

the dancer...

"I am an Atlanta-based choreographer, and have set more than 100 concert works on twenty-five pre-professional and semi-professional companies in 11 states in the United States and Canada. I first met Annette Barcelona when she was cast as the title character in my narrative ballet “Alice in Wonderland” for the Gainesville Ballet. Since I was an out-of-town guest artist, Annette had less than a week to learn the entire ballet, which included two solo variations, a pas de deux, several complicated group dances and a great deal of acting and incidental dancing.

 

In rehearsals, Annette was a joy to work with and her beautiful technique and artistry made her very inspiring to create a new work on. Though this was a student production, with only a few professional dancers, Annette took her role very seriously and worked professionally in each rehearsal. She was also very intelligent in the way she approached the role, looking for places to bring her character to the forefront and asking thoughtful questions about how I wanted different scenes played artistically.

 

As a performer, I felt Annette's technical proficiency was very strong in both her solos and her pas de deux work. She made even the most difficult movements look effortless, and her acting was engaging and very natural. She was welcoming to the modern interpretation I was looking for in Alice and presented a polished and professional finished product on stage. She was exactly the dancer I needed for the role and really helped bring a lively, joyful spirit to the production.

 

I highly recommend Annette Barcelona. Her strong work ethic, ability to learn quickly, versatile dancing styles, lovely technique, acting ability and partnering skills will make her a valuable asset as a guest artist for a pre-professional or semi-professional company or as a member of a professional dance company."

- Kristy Nilsson, Atlanta-area choreographer and dance instructor

the choreographer...

"It was so inspiring getting to work with Annette and to experience her choreographic process. We all really came together to create a wonderful piece of art."

- Hannah Benoit, Dance B.F.A. Undergraduate, Florida State University

"Working with Annette and dancing her choreography were such amazing experiences. She is so creative and the movement always flowed together perfectly. Rehearsals were very productive while still encompassing the joy and passion that is dance!"

-Ada Spahija, Principal dancer with Gainesville Ballet Company

"Annette is one of the best choreographers I have ever worked with. Her movement is innovative, creative and fluid in all styles of dance. She truly is a great mind as a dancer and choreographer."

-Caitlin Hardegree, Brenau University Dance B.F.A, Principal dancer with Gainesville Ballet Company

 

the teacher...

"Excellent in all areas. Very professional and a joy to work with." - Meredith M. Curry, Teacher, Centennial Arts Academy

"During the time that Ms. Barcelona has been with DESA, she has been diligent and dedicated to her tasks. She has been very responsible with scheduling and time management. Her willingness to exercise flexibility in class changes was a definitely a plus! Ms. Barcelona has a very patient, yet firm teaching style which allowed the students to respond to her in a positive manner. Based on her "performance" at DESA, she should most definitely have a brilliant future ahead of her as a dance educator!"

- Donna Maye, Dance Teacher, Dekalb Elementary School of the Arts