Show & Tell: Meet David Harris, ‘Thunder From Down Under’

Meet David Harris

“Thunder From Down Under”

Hometown: Wanganui, New Zealand

Age: 36

Started dancing at age 7 (mostly jazz and tap). … Studied sports science, then moved to Auckland and started to pick up dance jobs. … Was a cast member of the wildly popular New Zealand reality series “Strip Search,” about guys forming a male dance revue (best thing about fame: “the free endorsements”; worst thing about fame: the loss of privacy). … Toured New Zealand, Canada and the United States with that troupe, then got an offer to join “Thunder From Down Under.” … Has been with the show here since 2002. … Also has been acting for more than 10 years; lives Monday through Friday in Los Angeles to pursue his acting career, and commutes to Las Vegas on weekends to perform in “Thunder.” … Taught himself acrobatics as a teenager and did some stunt work earlier in his acting career (“I’ve been thrown across many a room.”). … Pop culture cool: Acting credits include an episode of “Xena: Warrior Princess.” … Enjoys surfing and travel, and visited 13 countries last year.

On his mother’s idea to enroll him in dance lessons:

“I was from a little town that was quite rough, and I think she wanted an outlet to keep us kids busy, and dancing was what she knew. So, instead of getting in trouble with all the kids in town, she got us dancing, and I danced until I was like 17 years old. I enjoyed it because I used to go away on weekends and do dance competitions, and there were always girls at dance competitions. (Laughs). So it was very good.”