Erika Parker (Freelance Dance Instructor)
Erika was born in Rocky Mount, NC where she took her first ballet and tap class at the age of five but moved with her parents to Virginia Beach the following year. Erika discovered her passion for dance when she was in middle school while studying ballet, jazz, tap, and hip-hop under the direction of Denise Ott Land. However, she names Karen Oshman Russo as her most influential dance teacher during that time. Eventually, she went on to continue her studies with Ebony Young and Monique Vermont. As a member of the Charisma Performing Company, Erika attended competitions, workshops, and master classes with industry professionals such as Angela Brown, Laura Metzger, Cornelius Bartlett, and Jessica Kroboth, among others. As a member of the Dance Dimensions Team, she performed at local events and parades. From 2006-2008, she worked on The CW27's television program Teen News Now from which she gained invaluable knowledge. Afterwards she studied ballet with Mindi Bishop at Lees-McRae College. During that time she was an active member of the LMC chapter of the National Dance Association (NDA) as well as the representative for NDA in the Student Government Association. She also performed at various college events as a member of the LMC Clogging Team. Currently, Erika works as a freelance dance instructor teaching classes at community centers in Chesapeake for the city's Department of Parks and Recreation and is the director of a new Christian dance program in Virginia Beach.
"Let them praise his name in the dance..." Psalms 149:3 KJV