On pointe: a profile on Adrianna Harris
The bright light shined down on her and the music circled around her as she gracefully leaped in the air. Wearing a long purple dress, Adrianna Harris, junior, improved a solo at the annual Dance concert in dedication for her close family friends who died in a plane crash. She skillfully and beautifully expressed every ounce of her emotions as she captivated the audience.
“I just did whatever I wanted,” Harris said. “I’m better with motions than words. I feel it and [the audience] can see it. It’s like a story.”
This power of dance is what encouraged Harris to strive in the sport and led to her success in the sport in her hometown Hudson, Wis. Harris achieved the Wisconsin All-State Dancer title in 2013 and other commendable accolades, which include title holder for the United Performing Association in 2012, Teen 2014 Miss Showstopper, and 2015 Universal Dance Alliance.
“I was surprised [when I won Wisconsin All-State Dancer]. I was a freshman competing against big scary seniors. I was afraid that they were going to hate me, but they didn’t. They were really supportive,” Harris said.
Winning such an honorable title was a major highlight in her dancing career because she worked diligently to achieve this goal. She took on double practices the weeks prior to perfect her dance for the competition. Running the routine over and over, Harris made sure that she could not make a mistake. The biggest crowd she ever performed for made the experience “nerve-racking”, but “totally worth it” because of the effort she put into her performance.
“She works hard for everything she has. Adrianna does not take life for granted. She finds good in every situation, she is compassionate towards others, and [she] truly wants to see others succeed alongside of her. Those are true characteristics that make me most proud,” Ann Harris, mother, said.
With her family’s unending support, Harris can easily say that they have a major impact in her dancing career.
Dancing is in her blood as she and her four sisters, Brookelle, Breyly, Addisyn, and Avaree, share the same love for the sport. Harris decided to commit to dance at the age of eight when she bonded with her sisters in the dance room her parents created for them to practice in their home.
“We used to make up our own dances in the dance room. They were silly little things, but that’s when I knew that I really liked [dance] and it was very fun,” Harris said.
Along with the fond memories in the dance room, the five girls keep each other accountable in dance with their individual talent. Her two older sisters, Brookelle and Breylyn, inspired Adrianna to “live up to” their dancing skill. Meanwhile, her younger sisters, Addisyn and Avaree like to have friendly competition with Adrianna.
“They like to be in competition [in skill] with me. If I can do something, they’re like okay I can do it too and I can do it better. We grow stair steps together,” Harris said.
However, her sisters are not the only ones who support her. Her mother, Ann Harris, is her cornerstone and even introduced her to dance. What started off as an enjoyable bonding experience for Harris and Ann led to a life long passion and dream. Adrianna found her enthusiasm for dance when she attended a Mommy and Me dance class at age 2. After Ann realized that dance “put a smile on [Adrianna’s] face,” she put her in more dance classes.
But things soon changed when Ann was diagnosed with polymyositis, a progressive degenerative muscular disease. Due to her illness, Ann was physically unable to make it to some of the competitions. Regardless of her mother’s absence, Harris felt motivated by her mom, who is at the “base of everything she does”, to succeed.
“Just seeing her struggle was really hard on me and everyone else in the family. It took me a while to accept that this is how things were going to be. I had to take care of her at times, doing typical things for her. She’s in the hospital often. But after I accepted it I started climbing back up and tried to do as best as I can,” Harris said.
Harris shares that their mutual support for each other is strong as her mother still attends most dance event.
“I try to do what I can do for her. I try to stay positive and she loves when I accomplish things. She supports me by going to nearly every dance event. She knows that this is what I want to do so she invests her life in me,” Harris said.
Ann’s support for Adrianna extends to the modeling industry, which she introduced to her daughter. Harris started her career as a model for several dancewear magazines for companies like Kelle and Dance Spirit and the brand Guess. Her interest in modeling sparked when she was 12, and soon after she began modeling, she became Miss Teen Wisconsin in 2014. Although beauty pageants aren’t her “strongest suit”, she was surprised that she was able to do it.
“I love to model because I get to show my personality while doing something serious, but having fun at the same time. Dance and modeling are a part of me that I never want to let go of. No matter what happens, I know that I will never quit those passions,” Harris said.
Despite her successful life in Wisconsin, Harris’ family moved to California during the summer of her sophomore year to “look for new opportunities. While it took her a while to adjust, it was one of the “best things” she’s ever done as it opened new opportunities, like modeling for a back-to-school Fall promotion for Guess and becoming the senior class vice president(?). Taking a break from major competitions, Harris joined the Dance Production team at BOHS her sophomore year.
“Immediately, I recognized her extended flexibility, control of her movement, and potential as a dancer. I knew she would be an exceptional addition to the Dance Production team and be able to grow as a dancer in our program,” Missy Burns, dance teacher, said.
Although Dance Production quickly welcomed her onto the team, her family’s bond grew after the move. Her dance related connection with her family stood true across the county as Harris continued to help her step-dad, David Hoffman, with his companies Sharkcookie Photography and Sharkcookie Dancewear Shop. Hoffman shares his daughter’s love for dance in a different way — photography. He is professional photographer who has taken photos of famous dancers including Sophia Lucia (starred on Dancing with the Stars) , Maddie Ziegler (from Dance Moms), and Tyce Diorio (guest judge on So You Think You Can Dance).
Her family does “everything together” so even the business is very family-orientated. Harris travels the country with Hoffman to host modeling auditions for his dancewear.
“It is great to have a talented and motivated dancer in our family. Not only can [Harris] model for our brand, [but] she is also giving us great and honest feedback on the products and helps develop them,” Hoffman said.
This close relationship Harris with her family through dance helps keep Harris strong and motivated. In the future, Harris intends to open her own dance studio, teaching others how to find their dream and how to push themselves through to reach their goal.
“She is a positive role model to others. Adrianna has a true gift to teach others. She is selfless in her commitment as a leader and has continued to push herself to become more knowledgeable and effective,” Burns said.
Harris specifically aims to help develop those with a passion for dance while also improving her own ability.
“I would say my dream is getting to do what I love. I believe that you really have to do what you like in life. We all have different passions, so I think we need to try to find what we want to do. I want to help people find what they love to do. I hope to be someone’s mentor one day,” Harris said.
