About Erika
Early Starts
Erika's mom was a model and professional dancer on Miami Beach in the '60's; when Erika was still quite young, Caryl was dancing with a South Florida Trachtenvereine that performs and preserves the customs, lore and traditional dress of the German and Austrian Alps. Erika joined their kinder gruppe before she was 3, and started performing all sorts of shows in and around south Florida.
Knowing the nature of professional dance world, Caryl wished to give her daughter advantages she may not have had and enrolled Erika in gymnastics and classical ballet.
Lucky Breaks
Erika's ballet teacher, the remarkable Martha Mahr, put Erika on a professional path that led to Summer Ballet Intensives at American Ballet Theatre, The Juilliard School and the School of American Ballet in New York City.
"I was blessed that she [Miss Mahr] chose me to dance with the Royal Ballet for their tour of 'Still Life at the Penguin Cafe' when I was only 9 years old, and I was blessed to dance Clara in the Nutcracker on more than one occasion. Miss Mahr made me into the dancer and performer and person I am today."
Consistent Work Ethic
"One of the things I absolutely fell in love with while performing the Nutcracker was the long form story telling and the onstage 'acting' parts of all of it. In high school and college I felt a disconnect between my stronger dance background and my sheer desire to act. But I persisted- all the way through the Musical Theater program at New World School of the Arts High School and the BFA Acting program at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX. Even when I felt like I was working against my natural tendencies, I worked hard to stay there."