Jeoffery Harris Jr.’s list of accomplishments in the arts unfurls like a CVS receipt: a lengthy scroll of regional and national gigs in which the Baton Rouge performer has plied his trade as a dancer, judge, teacher and choreographer. Most recently, that includes earning the 2023 East Baton Rouge Parish Middle School Fine Arts Teacher of the Year award for his work as a classroom dance instructor at McKinley Middle Magnet and coach of the school’s accomplished dance team.
Dance is Harris’ chief passion and playground, but as a kid, he never dreamed he’d make a career of it. The New Orleans native played French horn, danced hip-hop for fun and rose to the rank of drum major at McDonogh 35 Senior High. He went on to study graphic design at Southeastern Louisiana University, but later added a dance minor, picking up skills in ballet, tap, hip-hop and modern forms.
In the mid-to-late 2000s he also took advantage of special Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge dance intensives hosted by nationally acclaimed dancer and actor Debbie Allen.
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“I learned so much from Miss Allen,” Harris says. “She built confidence, showed us how to dress and perform and carry ourselves. I don’t think anyone who organized that had any idea the impact it would have on all of us students.”
After college, Harris danced in the opening number of the Bayou Classic’s long-standing Greek Show for many years, served as a choreographer for local theater troupe New Venture Theatre and was a company member of Baton Rouge’s modern dance company, Of Moving Colors. He even developed skills in fire dancing, or performing with fiery rings and implements.
Seeing an opportunity to shape youth dancers, Harris embarked on his teaching career in 2012, and five years ago formed F.A.M.E. on Tour, his own dance intensive company for dance teams. He also created Brown Boys Dance, a social media account that showcases nationwide diversity in dance.
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Harris says one of his biggest goals is to help young people see a future in the performing arts.
“I feel like the hard part about wanting to be a professional dancer is having the exposure,” he says. “I’m trying to give my students every opportunity to perform.”
This article was originally published in the July 2023 issue of 225 magazine.