Page 10 - Florida Sentinel 10-30-15 Edition

Local
Janet Jackson Dancer, 12, Has Ties To Bay Area
Hillsborough Alliance Of Black School Educators To Be Honored
On Monday, November 2nd, the Robert W. Saunders Public Library Foundation will present an award to a local organization. The pres- entation will take place at 5:30 p.m., at the R. W. Saun- ders Public Library, 1505 N. Nebraska Avenue.
The Foundation will pres- ent the Lamp OF Knowledge Award to Mary Dance, President of the Hillsborough Alliance of Black School Edu- cators, (HABSE) Inc.
Other HABSE officers in- clude:India White, Tressa Jones, Karen Fletcher, Emanuel Burch, Valerie Wilkerson, Bridgett Blake, and Catalina Thomas.
HABSE was founded in 1993 by thirty-five local edu- cators to provide opportuni- ties for teachers, students, and to provide support. Membership in the organiza- tion has included school
MARY DANCE HABSE President
board members, assistant su- perintendents, administra- tors, teachers, and other members of the community.
Since its inception, HABSE has awarded more than $50,000 to college- bound students in book stipend scholarships.
The presentation is part of the “Black History Expe- rience” at the library and is free and open to the public.
Kendall Harris, 12, on stage with Janet Jack- son.
BY KENYA WOODARD Sentinel Feature Writer
If you attended Janet Jackson’s concert at Amalie Arena last month, chances are you saw two pre-teens dancing alongside Ms. Jackson.
One of those tweens was 12-year-old Kyndall Harris, a Memphis native who is crisscrossing the country and Canada – and soon, the rest of the world – as backup dancer on Ms. Jackson’s “Unbreakable” tour.
So far, Kyndall’s got the chance to show off her fancy footwork to crowds of thousands in Vancouver, Can., New Orleans, La., and in her hometown.
Kyndall said she never gets nervous before a show, not even on the first night of the tour.
“It was just exciting, very exhilarating,” she said. “When you get on stage, you don’t feel pres- sure. You just have fun.”
And meeting and dancing with Ms. Jackson has been a lot of fun, too, she said.
“She’s really nice,” she said. “She has a very gorgeous spirit.”
Kyndall took up dancing at the age of six and hasn’t stopped moving yet. Her skills on the dance floor led to her performing in numerous school talent shows and even dancing for the NBA team, the Memphis Grizzles.
Hip-hop dance is her favorite “because the movements are just so unique”, but Kyndall said she has an appreciation for all genres of dance.
“I like that you can express yourself through movement,” she said.
Recognizing their daughter’s talent had out- grown Memphis, in August 2014 Terris and
On October 18th her grandfather, retired An- heuser Busch executive, Lewis McKinney, Jr., surprised her and traveled to California to see her perform.
Shontal Harris moved Kyndall and her two sisters, Sydney, 14, and Chase, 8, - who are also dancers – to California.
The move was “a gamble” that came after the family initially intended only to attend a dance convention, Mrs. Harris said.
“After being there, (Kyndall) said ‘I know that this is where we’re supposed to be’,” Mrs. Harris said. “She said, ‘Mom, we have to stay here and try’.”
It wasn’t an easy decision. Los Angeles is a tough place and the Harris’ had few connec- tions. With many months of hard work and ded- ication, Kyndall landed a spot as a backup dancer on Janet Jackson’s ‘Unbreakable World Tour.’
“I just go in and do my best and everything great will happen,” she said. “I just keep working hard.”
Outside of the show, Kyndall and her mother said she’s just typical American girl. She loves the beach, counts mac-and-cheese and spinach among her favorite foods, and loves math.
To stay in good physical condition, Kyndall said she eats properly, goes to bed on time, and “I take my vitamins, of course.”
In the meantime, Kyndall said she’s already started fulfilling her biggest goal.
“I want to inspire people,” she said. Kyndall’s ties to Tampa come through her grandfather, Lewis McKinney, Jr., who was a corporate executive with Anheuser Busch before retiring. Lewis sponsored numerous events in
Tampa during his tenure with the company.
PAGE 10-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015