About Joyce

Joyce Lindsey is a Chicago native and multidisciplinary artist with a background in music, dance, and visual art. She holds a BA in Studio Art from Denison University (2014) and an MM in Music Production, Technology, and Innovation from Berklee Valencia (2019).

With over fourteen years of experience, Joyce has studied and practiced live performance, music production, sound design, and world percussion, specializing in instruments such as djembe, dunduns, congas, and doumbek. Her journey as a dance accompanist began as a student musician at Denison University’s Doane Dance Department (2010–2014) and as a music intern at the American Dance Festival (ADF) for four consecutive summers (2011–2014).

Since 2015, Joyce has built a multifaceted career as an educator, dance accompanist, live performer, and music producer/sound designer. She served as a resident teaching artist with Discover Music Discover Life, providing music and visual arts instruction across numerous private schools in Chicago. She has also accompanied dance classes at a wide range of institutions and companies, including Lou Conte Dance Studio, Hubbard Street Dance Company, Common Conservatory, Columbia College, Northwestern University, ChiArts, Chicago Movement Collective, Chicago Academy for the Arts, Ayodele Drum and Dance, Hyde Park School of Dance, and DanceWorks.

In 2023 and 2025, she was invited to return to ADF as an official musician. In 2024, she made history as the first female musician invited to the Bates Dance Festival to accompany dance classes for the Young Dancers Program and also taught visual art for the Bates Young Artists Program.

Joyce currently serves as the music director and accompanist at Hyde Park School of Dance, a principal performer with Ayodele Drum and Dance—an all-female ensemble dedicated to the music and dance of the African diaspora—and a full-time visual art teacher at Chicago Jesuit Academy.

This is her second year at BDF, and she is deeply grateful to be part of the festival once again.