Charlotte Harper, incoming junior at Kalamazoo Christian High School, applies her talents to dance. She was born in England and moved to the U.S. at the age of two. Now entering her 15th year of dance, Charlotte participates in ballet, tap, pointe, lyrical, liturgical (a Christian-based lyrical class), jazz and hip hop.
Charlotte transferred to Kalamazoo Christian Middle School from The Gagie School in 8th Grade. She said, “They [her parents] found Kalamazoo Christian and were shown how good the school would be for me. They decided to move me early. The decision ended up being the best decision.”
While she has been part of dance teams and a dance company in the past, Charlotte currently dances at Excel Dance Center in Kalamazoo, MI. She also assistant teaches a class for younger kids at Y-Tap, which performed in June.
Charlotte dances to stay active and to build confidence performing. That confidence, she is sure to carry over into other aspects of her life. She said, “My favorite part of dancing is the community it provides. You get to do something active and fun with friends. You also get to learn important life lessons like performing on a stage and teamwork.”
“I have learnt that each person is unique and grows at different times. Someone may be better than you at something, but that doesn’t mean you are bad. It means that in some areas it may take you longer to get it, but I can guarantee that they have moments like that themselves… Don’t worry about being the best at everything. No one can be perfect at absolutely everything. People take time to grow. You can’t get everything on the first try.”