Conversations with the Inspiring Dana Harris

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dana Harris.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I started dancing when I was a little girl; my mom signed me up for lessons. So, I have been dancing all my life and never stopped. I grew up in a small town in Florida with few opportunities for dance at the time, and my training was nothing prestigious. I was not very skilled but I wanted to be a dancer more than anything, especially starting in my teenage years. My mom would take me to auditions for extra training programs, and outside live productions. I had big dreams and little knowledge of how to achieve them.

When my mom passed when I was 17, it changed everything. School was never a priority for me- I was too bored. Once she grew sick, that only worsened and my grades slipped. My senior year of high school, I tested out and got my GED. For a year, I taught dance full time at my home studio, West Florida Dance Center, where I learned what I truly loved to do- choreograph and instruct. Through the year, I also kept my dance training up and got in front of guest teachers and choreographers that came to the studio. At age 19, I was sought after by Glenn Douglass Packard, who put in word for me and I got signed by my first agent, based in Miami. Shortly after, I had the honor of working my first professional job, a Latin awards show.

As all these dreams were coming true before my eyes, a bigger dream of mine became reality- I took a trip to LA where I auditioned for Edge PAC’s year-long commercial dance scholarship program, and I got in. It was a 2-week turnaround from audition to the first day of the program, so my life changed very fast in that short time. I packed all my things in my Ford coupe and traveled cross country with my sister and brother-in-law and we moved me into my first LA apartment! It was this first year that I learned and grew the most in my training, and really found myself and what I wanted.

Once the program commenced, I was signed by my first LA agency, MSA. Since then, in four years, I have had the pleasure to perform on many stages and behind many cameras for TV shows, live performances, and music videos.

However, it hasn’t been an easy road, and the industry has only made me believe that I was always meant for something else- dance education. This has been my one true love and passion since I began my teaching journey, and it is where I find most fulfillment. Since my move to LA, I have only taught more and more every year. It is my main focus. Two months out of the year, I’m back in Florida where I teach and choreograph for nearly ten different studios, and this is only the beginning! My goal is to travel all over the country, maybe the world, and provide inspiration and dance education to the professional dancers of tomorrow.

Has it been a smooth road?
The obstacles I have had to overcome both in the dance and the teaching industry have been anything but easy. The dance industry picks women apart and seeks out your insecurities and uses them against you as proof of why you are unfit. It plays you out to feel like no matter what you will never be enough. The mental health strain it can put on you is nothing to be joked about, and you must have thick skin. Being someone who was bullied as a child, I have always been an insecure woman, and that is something I am not proud of. It is something I must work towards healing every day, and I do this by telling myself constantly that I am enough, and I am a work in progress, and that is beautiful.

It has been such a struggle, but it has only made me stronger and more sure of what I want and who I want to become. My advice for other women is just to remain focussed on you. This world of false expectations of perfection through social media will make you feel small and unworthy, but it is all a fantasy. We must separate ourselves from unrealistic expectations and stop comparing ourselves to others. We must remain goal-focussed, and at the end of the day remember that all you have when you go to bed is who you are, not what you do. The most important thing we can be is the best version of ourselves.

Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I am a proud dancer and dance educator. I am known for my influence in classic jazz, but also feel that I am unique because I can offer a wide range of skills. I have had so much different training, from classical ballet and modern to 80’s classic jazz, to jazz funk, to commercial hip hop, to street styles. I am also known for the kind of atmosphere and “vibe” that is expected from my class. I always say that my main focus in a workshop style guest class is to make it more than just me teaching a combination and leave. Dance is about so much more than that- it has moved me in so many different ways, and it wasn’t because a combo was super awesome. It was how it made me feel, it was the confidence in myself that I could unleash, it was the progress I could make in a short amount of time, it was the feeling. I want to take dance back to that, and I feel that it is my duty to keep the feeling of dance alive. There is always a lesson to be learned, and there is always an inspiration to be found. I teach kids that they can find inspiration in everyone and everything around them if they choose to find it. I teach kids that their absolute best is all that matters, and I teach kids that it’s not about where they are right now, it’s about their attitude on who they want to be, and if they want to get there or not. I have so much passion for teaching, and I truly feel it was my purpose. And I believe that it shows and sets me apart from other guest instructors.

What do you feel are the biggest barriers today to female leadership, in your industry or generally?
This is truthfully a sticky subject for me. I have honestly grown tired of the feminism act. I truly feel in my soul that we are so privileged as women now, compared to where we were. We can truly do anything we want to do- there are women that are examples of that. Yes, we must overcome obstacles, but who mustn’t? We all have barriers in some way. To answer the question, currently, the biggest barrier would have to be just that there is a higher expectation for us now more than ever before. We are expected to be the best, now that we are using our voice. There is more at stake when overcoming failure or just simple human mistakes. I would like the true definition of feminism to shine brighter than it does- and that is “equality for the sexes.” I think many women are trying to make it seem that we need to be superior to men, but men should have the same level of superiority. The best moments in life are when a man and woman can look at each other as equal and share equal input and leadership together.

Contact Info:

• Website: Coming soon!!
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: danarharris

Image Credit:
Vince Trupsin, Carlos Chavez

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