An irrepressible ham who went from accompanying
his older sister to dance classes to being enrolled himself
at the age of 9, Harper quickly found himself broadening
his dramatic chops as part of a local musical theater, where
he picked up “bit roles” in several productions (if you’re
picturing him playing a tree, he’ll assure you that image
isn’t far off).
Despite slowly moving up the theater ranks, including
securing a starring role in a stage adaptation of his favorite
movie musical, Newsies, fame and fortune wasn’t exactly
on the young performer’s radar. Even acting and dancing
professionally seemed like a stretch. It wasn’t until
taking part in a dance competition at the age of 13 when
that began to change. Three participants were awarded
representation at the end of the day — and Harper was
among the chosen few. Overwhelmed at the idea, he
initially turned down the offer.