Sherry Harper, MFA
Assistant Professor of the Practice & Director of Dance
Email: shharper@pvamu.edu
Phone: (936) 261-3921
Sherry Harper is a native of Sparta, Georgia, and relocated to Houston, Texas, in the fall of 2013. A dancer, choreographer, educator, and advocate for the performing arts, she currently serves as the Executive and Artistic Dance Director of Prairie View A&M University’s collegiate dance company, the Classic Dance Ensemble. She is also the former coach of the PVAMU basketball dance team, the Panther Dolls (2020–2022), advisor to The C.R.E.W. Hip-Hop Dance Organization, Chi Tau Epsilon – Pi Chapter (XTE) National Dance Honor Society, Dance Minor Program Coordinator, and Assistant Professor of the Practice in the Brailsford College of Arts and Sciences within the Department of Music, Theatre, and Dance. In this role, Professor Harper delivers instruction for eight to ten courses per semester in both face-to-face and online formats.
From 2013 to 2023, Professor Harper taught courses in the Department of Health and Kinesiology at Prairie View A&M University. She is currently pursuing her doctorate in the Whitlowe R. Green College of Education at PVAMU. In addition, she serves as First Vice President on the national Board of Directors for the Black College Dance Exchange, Inc.
Ms. Harper has also served as an Adjunct Professor with the National Youth Sports Program at Case Western Reserve University each summer, where she was named “Woman of the Year” for the 2022 summer session. Her additional teaching experience includes adjunct faculty at Lone Star College–CyFair and instructional roles at Nashville School of the Arts, Georgia Stars Academy of Dance, Time to Inspire (T2I) Dance Studio, and Praise Performing Arts Center.
Ms. Harper earned a Bachelor of Arts in Dramatic Speech and Dance from Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, and a Master of Fine Arts in Contemporary Modern Dance from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Throughout her training and professional career, she has performed with various dance companies and collaborated with a wide range of artists.
As an educator, Ms. Harper is committed to providing an enriching and transformative learning experience that challenges students to push beyond their perceived limitations. Her teaching philosophy emphasizes that “the artistry of a dancer should be relentless, determined, disciplined, and inventive.” She values the opportunity to work with passionate dancers at Prairie View A&M University and remains dedicated to fostering continued growth within the Dance Program while supporting students pursuing higher education in dance and the performing arts.