We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Israel Harris a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Israel, thanks for joining us today. Can you recount a story of an unexpected problem you’ve faced along the way?

I am proud to be a Hispanic, Latino, Jewish American with Indigenous, Mayan heritage. I grew up in a predominately white, affluent area, and didn’t think much of looking or being different growing up. I’ll admit, it was not always easy being a male dancer around my male-identifying classmates or friends, but I don’t recall many instances of overt racism or antisemitism. Once I moved to New York, I didn’t have the same walls of protection, and began to understand my place in the world a little differently, especially as I began to work in an industry that judges a person’s look and body more intently. As I approached college graduation and started to go on more auditions for projects and dance companies, it was clear that my technique and professional capabilities weren’t always enough. Yes, being a male dancer has its advantages in terms of a smaller hiring pool, but from my experience, being a tall, white man makes your resume and talent that much stronger.

There were instances in auditions where I was clearly the shortest, or one of the few People of Color in the room. Even if I was the only dancer to execute the dance combination correctly, I was “not what they were looking for today.” Some are more explicit about their hiring needs, including height, weight, or race in their castings, but even still, those roles that work for me are usually “racially ambiguous”, “all races”, and “all heights” – not many people are looking for specifically a 5’2”, Hispanic boy apparently! As a creator myself, I hope to one day provide a space for people that look like me, and I strive to work in spaces of greater diversity in my dance career. With a dance industry that is being challenged, concert and commercial alike, I hope the new generation of artists can create an environment of opportunity that is not always about competition.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I began my dance training at the age of ten at a small dance studio in Bellevue, WA, and it quickly became my second home. At the time, I was a competitive dancer, attending multiple competition and convention circuits throughout the year, seeking out as many opportunities to learn, dance, and perform as possible. Throughout elementary, middle, and high school, my regular school days, combined with 2-4 hours of dance training a day, shaped my skills of time management, prioritization, and general work ethic very quickly. I was fortunate enough to get my first professional job at the age of 16 as the lead dancer for Train’s music video to their song “Give It All”, selected by lead singer, Pat Monahan himself. I continued to hone my skills in the studio as I transitioned to the concert dance scene, attending NYU Tisch School of the Art’s Dance Department, and began my professional dance career in New York City and the surrounding areas, currently represented by Jim Keith at The Movement Talent Agency.

While in school, I was fortunate enough to dance feature roles in works by Wayne McGregor and Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE, and have since performed in other works by Lar Lubovitch, Ori Flomin, Luca Renzi, and Valeria Gonzales. I joined Sean Curran Company during my time at NYU, and remain a company member preparing for our upcoming performance at Jacob’s Pillow this summer. I am also a company member with Eryc Taylor Dance and Drye Marinaro Dance Company, and have performed in venues such as Dixon Place, The Center at West Park, The Irish Arts Center, Abrons Arts Center, Little Island, and more. I have trained abroad under the instruction of Judith-Sanchez Ruiz, Meg Stuart, Leila McMillan, Shahar Binyamini, Bosmat Nossan, and others. I was also the rehearsal assistant to Sidra Bell for her project with the Second Avenue Dance Company in 2019.

As a creator myself, I have choreographed and presented works both virtually and online, most recently for Steps Beyond Foundation’s Performance Lab in 2022. As a freelance artist, I also have skills in both media production and management, providing video and editing services for companies like the Isadora Duncan Dance Foundation, being the resident Photographer and Media Coordinator for Neville Dance Theatre, and working on productions like Ella-Jane Sharp’s music video for her song “The Truth”.

I am also a Legislative Assistant at the Religious Action Center (RAC) of Reform Judaism, a non-profit organization that fights for a more equitable and just world. I’ve carried over my experience with teaching dance to a variety of age groups to creating and leading advocacy programming for over 2,000 teens from across the country this past year, which I was able to highlight on their social media channels during our in-person events. My inspiration of advocacy work remains important to me, both within and outside of the dance and art industries. I strive to continue working at the intersection of arts and advocacy, participating in events like WADEintoACTIVISM in 2020, a dance festival to mark Women’s History Month in partnership with a group of Women from the UN, in support of building awareness to gender-based violence. I hope to lead initiatives like this as I develop my dance and choreographic career in the near future.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

In 2020, the entire world was locked indoors, and the dance and entertainment industries came to a complete standstill. For the last few months of my time at NYU, I danced back at home, in my cold garage, and received my degree in the mail – pretty anticlimactic for the time and money that I put into my schooling. And I had several opportunities taken away from me. I never got the chance to perform at Radio City Music Hall. I had festivals and residencies to participate in, potential dance company opportunities in the works, and a world of possibilities that I was supposed to enter, but never did.

After spending a few months at home during the beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic, I had to make my way back to the city, and am grateful for my parent’s support in this decision. Living in a much quitter New York than I was used to, job opportunities, let alone dance gigs, were far and few between. Like many recent grads, I began sending my resume to any and everything. I knew I wanted to gain experience in arts administration, and was lucky to find part-time work as a then inter for a small ballet contemporary company, Neville Dance Theatre. With the expenses of living in NYC, however, I knew I needed something more sustainable.
During my senior year at NYU, I was given the opportunity partake in a final project at the intersection of arts and advocacy, choreographing a piece about my personal experience as a Jew of Color in a world of growing racism and antisemitism, especially in New York, and creating a community engagement opportunity. This spurred my passion in activism, as I sought out work with a small non-profit organization in Washington that supported reparations for Black Americans, and continue to work on this policy issue at my current role at the RAC, along with many others. I’ve been able to get reconnected with a Jewish community and participate in meaningful work to advance policy and legislative reform in support of underserved and underrepresented communities. I am lucky to have found work during a difficult time for many, and am very grateful for this somewhat unplanned opportunity.

I am also fortunate enough to have gained many performance opportunities when theaters and venues in NY opened back up. It is not uncommon for dancers at the beginning of their careers to have jobs to support them financially before their “big break”. But for me, as an artist, I wouldn’t want to be confined to one trajectory of success, or one type of work. Every friendship I make, artistic opportunities I pursue, and choices I select to advance my career encompass my full self – as an artist and as an activist. I will continue to work in the areas separately, and hope to find more opportunities where these worlds can overlap.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Performers are routinely underrecognized and underpaid. Dancers and choreographers are often at the end of credits for music videos, films, or TV productions. It can take time and financial strain to become equity talent, or represented by an agency, which serves to control payment and working conditions for our benefit. Many artists don’t’ get this support at the beginning of the career. Coming up in the business, you often have to pay to work with companies or choreographers in dance classes, intensives, workshops, and training programs. Although investing in your craft as a performer is important, the “standard practices” of building your dance career often create more barriers and inequity rather the supporting artists in their development. We see the extent of this issue in examples like the dancers of Alvin Ailey, a renowned dance company in NYC, who are advocating for a more livable wage. How can dancers at the beginning of their careers, living in one of the most expensive cities in the country, make a living off their craft if seasoned professionals are struggling with the same issue?

Salary and payment negotiations are key for upcoming artists, but is not commonly taught to young, aspiring talent. Signing contracts, requesting higher pay, and advocating for your time and expertise needs to be a more common practice within the dance community. There are a few organizations that support artists, like Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, but we need company directors, residency recipients, and boards of grant opportunities and institutions to support artists both professionally and financially.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @israellmharris, https://www.instagram.com/israellmharris/
• Facebook: Israel Luis Miguel Harris, https://www.facebook.com/izzy.l.harris
• Linkedin: Israel Harris, https://www.linkedin.com/in/israel-harris-713973138/
• Youtube: Israel Harris, https://www.youtube.com/@israelharris5309/videos

Image Credits
The Gingerb3ardmen: Chad and Steven, IG: @thegingerb3ardmen Jessica Wall, IG: @jessicawalldesign Steven Pisano, IG: @steven_pisano Brandon Perdomo, @studiobirdhaus