This story originally appeared in the Spring/Summer 2026 issue of Harker Magazine, which can be read and downloaded from Harker’s issuu page.

Words by Vikkie Bowes-Mok
Photographs by Sophie Ormond and Provided by Ankita Sharma ’16 and the Harker Archives

They live their life with the volume turned up, whether as an experimental, movement-based artist, an arts writer, or a trekker who has logged 2,650 miles on the Pacific Crest Trail.

Sharma was grounded in the dance community at Harker from just 5 years old, progressing from the school’s youngest classes through advanced courses to become captain of varsity dance.

“Their creativity at Harker was already leaps and bounds beyond most students, and it has continued to grow as they have found their voice,” said Rachelle Haun, Harker dance teacher, who has hosted Sharma back on campus multiple times since graduation. “Ankita has a natural talent for choreography, a strong dance background and a fantastic sense of humor. They have the right recipe for success.”

After graduating from Harker, Sharma went to Colorado College, eventually majoring in dance and anthropology.

“I went to college uncertain about why I was there. After two years, I realized my entire experience was centered around creating art. It became clear to me that this was the education my mind and body wanted to receive,” they said thoughtfully from their apartment in Brooklyn. “Though I had my doubts about making a career in the arts, I was surrounded by professors who had been working artists, which made me think, ‘I could do this too.’”

Sharma found influential classes, inspiring mentors and enormous amounts of time in the studio during their undergraduate studies and during COVID.

“Ankita enrolled in choreography their first year, and I watched them become the author of their own work, which can be challenging for young dancers influenced by classes and social media,” said Shawn Womack, one of Sharma’s mentors and chair of Colorado College’s theatre and dance department. “They experimented, reflected and revised, and wanted to say something with each dance. I think of Ankita in dichotomies: fierce and kind, uncompromising and collaborative, silly and dead serious.” During college, Sharma also hiked the Pacific Crest Trail solo, covering 2,650 miles in just under four months. The next year, after spending months at a wildlife rehabilitation center in Belize, they wrote a thesis paper on human/monkey interspecies relationships that earned them awards, conference credits and the nickname “Jane Goodall of Colorado College.” Both experiences were driven by a desire for adventure and wanting to test their limits. Each remains a touchstone, a measure of what their body can do and a reminder that learning also occurs when you color outside the lines.

After graduating, Sharma had big decisions to make about their next move. They had just premiered their first evening-length dance duet, Penumbra, to a sold out audience in Colorado and took that as a sign to move to New York to be an artist. This was 2022, just when theater was coming back to life and an opportunity opened up to be an apprentice at an immersive theater production, “Sleep No More.” On four day’s notice, they packed their bags and moved to a freezing basement in Staten Island, N.Y., eventually becoming the company manager of the internationally acclaimed production, which they once studied in class.

“I felt like a lost newcomer when I started, but the job let me understand what I’m capable of and what’s possible,” Sharma said. “It also gave me financial security that helped me launch into the arts world.” Since then, they have been immersed in creativity, from a residency at The Barn at Lee, Mass., where they created the world premiere of multidisciplinary play “Even Cowboys Get the Blues” to “dhoka/Betrayal/,” which explores idolatry and nationalism using South-Asian myth in a dance-theater duet. “I admire artists who push their own boundaries and aim for longevity in their careers, while still staying curious and challenging their own aesthetics. I aim to do the same.”

Sharma’s excited for their next project, a 72-hour endurance performance directly inspired by their outdoor adventures, which will be developed in the Bay Area. While their work in theater and performance remains central, the wide range of pursuits that shape their path generates a meaningful impact.

“For me, being an artist means my lifestyle lines upwith my values and my work throughout the arts industry. That level of integrity will allow me to make an impact,” they said, with a quiet conviction.

Vikki Bowes-Mok is a freelance writer and editor.