PASSIONS' Emily Harper (Fancy) got her kicks — and her start in performing — as a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA.

"I booked Laker Girls my senior year and stayed from 2000-'03," Harper explains. "That was amazing. The first two years I was on, the Lakers were champions. I was there for their repeat and their 'three-peat,' which made the experience all the more pleasurable."

Harper can point to several high points during her three seasons, but the biggest kick was getting to use her B.A. in Dance from Loyola Marymount University. "I've always loved theater, dance and singing, but my life unfolded into the dance world," Harper reveals. "My parents introduced us to everything, athletically, academically and in the performing-arts world, but my sister (Jessica) and I both went into the performing arts."

Of course, part of her "performance" duties as a cheerleader was working Laker parties, in addition to promotional and charity events. "We had some banquet dinners with them, but we only cheered at home games," she recalls. "We would travel for random things, like minor-league hockey games."

Soon, Harper was tapped for more than rah-rahs. "Cheering opened up other doors in networking that I never imagined it would," she marvels. "I started doing Laker TV and Sparks TV, which got me in front of the camera, but also put me into the world of sports broadcasting. It was challenging, but I was able to interview [legendary sportscaster] Chick Hearn, [Laker star] Kobe Bryant and [actor] Andy Garcia and other devoted fans."

Of all those interviews, Hearn was the one she'll never forget. "I cherish that interview. He had been the voice of the Lakers for so many decades and was such a charming man to be around," she raves of the late announcer. "He was so cute and he was a tease, too. He'd talk intellectually about the sport, but then tease about personality conflicts between Shaq [Shaquille O’Neal] and Kobe. He was a step ahead with all of that."

Ultimately, it was all that time in front of the camera that led to Harper's decision to leave the Lakers behind. "I was still going out on dance auditions, but decided to stop the Lakers to focus more on acting," she relates. "I'd had a great run, but I wanted to dabble in something else. I was missing the creative outlet of acting, so I got back into classes, worked in a few short films, booked a commercial and then finally got a manager and an agent. I set up my stepping stones and eventually landed the audition for PASSIONS."

Now Harper has her own cheering section. In addition to the fans rooting for — or against! — her pairing with Galen Gering (Luis), she's got her own 'home team.' "I have a boyfriend, my sister and my best girlfriend from high school, Andi," she says. "We've got each other's backs.”