As music plays in the room, he spreads his arms and dances as if his heart and the song’s rhythm beat as one.
Mychal Harris, 24, dance major, first found his passion in dancing through the tap dancing classes he took when he was 9. He learned line dancing when he was 11 and hip-hop dancing when he was 18.
When he started going to EC, he discovered freedom in the combination of jazz and modern dance.
“I’m trying to find my own style,” Harris said. “Although my choreography is more enhanced than how it used to be, I am enhancing my style continually.”
Harris said while growing up, his mother took both him and his sister to tap dance classes.
He said when he started tap dancing, he did not enjoy it. However, his thoughts started to change as he gained more experience in dance techniques that he enjoyed.
He said he became exposed to the dancing field more and more, he said he found motivation and inspiration from the renowned choreographer and activist, Alvin Ailey. Harris said Ailey had used his dance as a tool to empower African-American’s cultural expressionism.
“Where Alvin was, that’s where I want to be. He inspires me to want to do it,” he said.
Harris said he strives to continually mold his talent by attending EC as a dance major.
“Mychal (Harris) has a maturity that is on another level and he is never afraid to show his personal insights in his choreography,” Berney said.
He said Harris’s character is reflected through a combination of his outlook in life, personality and emotion and passion.
Harris plans to transfer to AMDA (American Musical and Dramatic Academy, which specializes in dancing and acting. Harris said he wants to pursue a bachelors degree in Dance and Performing Arts.
Aside from his dance classes, he also dances with two on-campus dance groups, the Funderburk Dance Artists and the Jamie Hammonds Pony Box Dance Theater.
Harris said he is also working as a dance coach for the Los Angeles Unified School District’s (LAUSD) After-School program.
Aside from his career as a dancer, Harris said although he sometimes struggles with his body’s flexibility, it does not hinder his dancing.
“Mychal is a good example of somebody who follows his passion and is not afraid to show it to other people,” Berney said.
While Harris (Harris) may not be afraid to present his dance or choreography to others, he may also be considered as an individual with motivation.
“Mychal’s (Harris) dedication and passion is really strong. Once he decides to do something, he gives it his one hundred and twenty percent,” Porche Norman, 25, dance major, said.
