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Kiira M. Harper: From Super Bowl 50 With Beyoncé to Building Her Own Heels Empire

She told us "know your worth" at the 2017 Soul Train Awards. Nearly a decade later, she's choreographed for Lizzo and Drake, launched her own shoe line, and built a global Heels teaching platform.

By Dance Mogul Magazine  |  Originally featured November 2017  |  Updated and expanded 2026

Kiira M. Harper — Dancer, Choreographer, Creative Director, Heels Educator | Photo: Dance Mogul Magazine Archives

In November 2017, Dance Mogul Magazine sat down with Kiira M. Harper fresh off her performance at the Soul Train Awards, dancing behind Tank alongside fellow dancers Aliya, Joie, and Aryan. At the time, Kiira had already put herself on the map dancing for Beyoncé at Super Bowl 50 and in the "Formation" music video — but she was still, by her own description, in the thick of building a career with no guarantees, managing money carefully between gigs and teaching Heels classes on the side to make ends meet.

Nearly a decade later, the advice she gave Dance Mogul Magazine's readers in 2017 — know your worth, invest in yourself, and never lose sight of why you dance — reads like a mission statement for everything she has built since. Kiira didn't just survive the unpredictability of the dance industry. She turned her side hustle teaching Heels into a full platform, her stage experience into A-list choreography credits, and her own confidence-building philosophy into a footwear brand.

The 2017 Interview: Life Behind the Scenes of the Soul Train Awards

Dance Mogul: What inspired you to start dancing?

Kiira Harper: I actually started dancing at the age of 7 years old. My father put me in dance class after moving from LA to Long Island, NY and realizing that I did not enjoy playing soccer in the cold months of fall. My parents were firm believers in a child having no idle time. So I joined the Venettes Cultural Workshop, in Wyandanch, NY.

Dance Mogul: What hardships did you encounter pursuing your passion?

Kiira Harper: One of the hardest things I've had to encounter while pursuing my passion is learning to take rejection with a grain of salt, and maintaining your confidence throughout. As a dancer, you are constantly auditioning, and constantly being judged not only on your dancing ability, but on how you look, and things that you physically can't fix because it just is who you are. Being told "no" or not being booked for reasons beyond one's control can definitely take a toll on one's self-esteem. I had to learn that hearing "no" does not mean failure. "No" means it's not you, and that you are one step closer to the things that are for you. I had to grow a thick skin, and be confident enough in who I am, holding my head high and giving my all.

Dance Mogul: When was your big break?

Kiira Harper: I have been a working professional since August 2013. However, I would have to say that my biggest job that sort of put me on the "map" would have to be Super Bowl 50 with Beyoncé and the "Formation" music video.

Dance Mogul: How do you maintain in an industry with no guarantees?

Kiira Harper: I truly believe that everyone has their own specific journey in this industry. Some lessons that I have learned and are still learning today: manage your money. When you get a big check, invest, and do what you can to invest in yourself. Some dancers have a side hustle that helps make ends meet in between gigs. I personally have a passion for teaching, so I teach Heels classes between two and four times a week locally, and travel teaching in different states, and at different studios.

Kiira M. Harper performing at the 2017 Soul Train Awards

Dance Mogul: What advice do you have for young women looking to pursue dance?

Kiira Harper: Be confident in who you are! Know your worth, know that you are one of a kind, and work damn hard to maintain those things that are special about you. Have an open mind, remain humble, and always remember that as a dancer your job is to give to your audience. Give them a show, provide them with a feeling, and heal them through movement. Be a giver! Love yourself, and remember first, always, the reason why you dance.

Behind the 2017 Soul Train Awards Stage

Dance Mogul: What was it like to perform at the 2017 Soul Train Awards?

Kiira Harper: I love being on stage! It's always a rush of emotions, nerves, but right before that music begins it's almost a calm serenity and a sure feeling of being ready and invincible. Dancing alongside the other beautifully talented girls, Aliya, Joie, and Aryan, we were so pumped. Especially since you don't normally see Tank with dancers during his performances these days. I guess I'm trying to say it was super exciting, and fulfilling to be able to be my authentic self, and a real woman on stage behind a man who appreciates all of us as his dancers and as artists.

Dance Mogul: Is there anyone you would like to thank for helping you on your journey?

Kiira Harper: I have such a huge support system, and I truly believe I wouldn't be anywhere near where I am today without them. Thank you to my parents and my brother for sticking with me even after finishing college. My best friend Shantel Hubbard, my first mentors and dance teachers, Karyn Kemp and Vanessa Baird-Streeter. The Venettes Cultural Workshop for their continued support, and my very first professional mentors, Luam Keflezgy, Jose "Hollywood" Ramos, and Torey Nelson, for giving me that real but tough love while still encouraging me to keep fighting, keep learning, and keep loving through the process.

Kiira M. Harper — Dance Mogul Magazine feature, 2017

Where Is Kiira M. Harper Now?

The dancer who told Dance Mogul Magazine in 2017 that she taught Heels classes "two to four times a week locally" to help make ends meet between gigs has since built that side hustle into a full-fledged career pillar. Kiira went on to become the exclusive Heels instructor for STEEZY Studio's "Intro to Heels" program, an on-demand digital dance platform, teaching a curriculum built around confidence, femininity, and technique — including her own signature move, a low, one-legged turning sequence her students call the "Kiira-Copter." She also teaches regularly at Los Angeles studios Playground LA and Movement Lifestyle, and holds a faculty position at Broadway Dance Center.

Her choreography résumé has expanded well beyond the Soul Train Awards stage she described in 2017. Kiira has since designed shows and choreography for Lizzo, Drake, Janelle Monáe, and Alicia Keys, in addition to her earlier work with Beyoncé, Trey Songz, Jidenna, Tank, and Camila Cabello. She now works as a professional choreographer and creative director represented by Clear Talent Group, a career arc that has taken her from background dancer at Super Bowl 50 to the person designing the show itself.

True to the "invest in yourself" advice she gave Dance Mogul Magazine readers back in 2017, Kiira eventually turned her Heels expertise into a product: the Burju Shoes x Kiira Harper Simply Stiletto collection, a shoe line built specifically for dancers training in heels, featuring double memory-foam insoles, vegan leather, and customizable heel heights designed for both beginners and advanced performers. It's a direct answer to a problem she described experiencing herself as a working dancer — being handed unfamiliar heels moments before showtime with no time to adjust.

Kiira now runs her own company, Kiira Harper LLC, and describes herself on her public platform as a "Choreographer, Creative Director, Int'l Heels Teacher," while also using her platform to speak openly about living with PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) as a professional athlete and dancer — continuing the same message of self-worth and radical honesty she shared with Dance Mogul Magazine's readers nearly a decade ago.

Why Kiira Harper's Story Matters to Dance Mogul Magazine

Dance Mogul Magazine exists to inspire self-empowerment and preserve the legacy of dance culture across every generation of dancers, especially women building careers in an industry with, as Kiira put it herself, "no guarantees." Her 2017 interview is one of the clearest examples in this publication's archive of a dancer giving practical, unglamorized advice about the realities of the business — audition rejection, financial discipline, and the emotional toll of being judged on more than talent.

Her evolution from background dancer to A-list choreographer to founder of her own footwear brand is a direct, real-world example of the ownership Dance Mogul Magazine encourages every dancer to pursue. Her work sits alongside the broader hip-hop and commercial dance community this publication documents, and her Heels curriculum has become part of the broader dance styles landscape covered here.

It also matters because Kiira has been transparent about health and body challenges most dancers are pressured to hide, using her platform to speak about PCOS while continuing to perform, teach, and build a business at the highest level. That kind of visibility is exactly the empowerment message Dance Mogul Magazine was founded to amplify.

The Story Continues

Kiira M. Harper's 2017 interview with Dance Mogul Magazine captured a dancer in the middle of her rise, still teaching between gigs while giving advice about confidence and financial discipline she was actively living herself. Nearly a decade later, that advice has become a business model: an international Heels teaching platform, A-list choreography credits, and a footwear brand that puts her name on something dancers can wear on stage around the world.

Dance Mogul Magazine will continue documenting dancers like Kiira — the ones who turn their side hustles into legacies, and their hardest lessons into the advice that helps the next generation avoid learning them the hard way.

Kiira Harper Soul Train Awards Beyoncé Super Bowl 50 Heels Dance Lizzo Drake STEEZY Studio Hip-Hop Where Are They Now Women in Dance

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