Westerville Cirque Dancer on Star Search This Tuesday
Joey Vice, well remembered for his time at Generations in Uptown, will compete with partner Sienna Morris on Tuesday on Netflix’s Star Search.
This appearance is another step away from Westerville, Ohio, the small town where Vice grew up and first developed his physical discipline. His parents are both fitness coaches, so movement was always part of daily life. As a child, he played competitive soccer with his father as coach, learning to train with focus and push through discomfort.
Even then, Joey pictured himself somewhere else. Watching Cirque du Soleil with his family gave his athletic background a new direction. What he saw was more than sport. It was physical storytelling—tumbling, balance, risk, and play as performance. He realized early on that a body could be both strong and expressive.
The video shows Joey in those early days, dancing in the practice hall at Generations before the big tours and the role that would take him worldwide. The space is small, and the audience is close. What stands out isn’t the size of the room, but his intent. Even then, he wasn’t dancing just for fun. He was reaching for something more.
Joey’s interest in dance started in fifth grade after he went to a recital for a friend’s sister in Westerville. Watching her perform, he felt an instant connection. The movement seemed expressive in a way sports never did. Soon after, he quit soccer and started dance classes, leaving a familiar path for something new.
Dance classes soon led Joey to the stage. For several years, he performed with Westerville Civic Theater in shows like Tarzan, Annie, Seussical, and The Little Mermaid. He later called this his “musical theater era,” but dance was always at the center. Singing and acting were important, but he was most drawn to movement and how it told a story.
Those years had a practical effect. They took away his fear. Being onstage became normal. He still got nervous, but it was no longer overwhelming. Performing became a place where he could focus and let everything else fade away.
The change happened fast.
Soon after finishing high school, Joey spent a summer in all-day dance intensives. His schedule was filled with training, travel, and repetition. In the middle of it, he got an email from Cirque du Soleil. They were looking to cast the Trickster in KOOZA.
The audition process took several weeks. Joey sent in performance videos and waited. When he got the offer, he was with his parents. At eighteen, just months after graduating, he left Westerville to train in Montreal. It was his first job and sent him straight onto a global tour.
Now, years later, Joey is stepping into a new kind of spotlight.
This Tuesday’s appearance on Star Search isn’t a new direction for Joey, but a continuation of his journey. Performing with Sienna Morris, he brings the physical skill he learned at Cirque and the confidence of someone who knows how to hold an audience, whether under a circus tent or in front of a camera.
What’s different now isn’t his ambition, but his position. He’s not waiting for opportunities anymore. He’s choosing the stage for himself.
Anglers took advantage of the long, below-zero, and single-digit temperatures freezing the waters of Hoover Reservoir to try their luck at winter fishing. After testing the water near the shore for thickness and finding it was about a foot thick, the group ventured toward the center of the lake, where the ice was nine inches thick, hoping it might be a better spot than the shallower shoreline. While being photographed, no fish were caught.
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