Arts of Collin County

Introduced to the Performing Arts at a very young age by her Brooklyn born and raised Mother; Unafraid to sing, act and dance in front of anyone who would provide an audience Erika’s mother choose to cultivate Erika’s dance passion. Trained in Ballet, Tap, Jazz, and African while growing up in Queens, New York; Erika’s passion for dance remained consistent through her high school, college and adult years.  

In 1997 she began studying Traditional West African Dance with current University of Florida Professor of Dance, Mohamed DaCosta of Guinea, West Africa.  Without a doubt the West African Dance discipline has become the heart of her dance passion.  In 1999 she took her first trip to Guinea, West Africa to study West African dance, rhythms and songs with the late Sekouba Camara, Directeur Artistique L’Ensemble Symphonique Traditionelle de Guinee.  Since then she has been blessed to receive instruction from numerous Continental African Artists both in the United States and abroad. 

In 2001 she became the Owner of the North Carolina Performing Arts Academy in Charlotte NC, a full service Dance school. One of the Center’s Resident Companies was Kambankafo West African Dance and Drum Ensemble directed by Mohamed DaCosta for which she served as Principle Dancer and Company Manager.

Now a resident of Plano, Texas, she continues to instruct at the South Dallas Cultural Center as well as Dance and Choreograph for Bandan Koro African Dance and Drum Ensemble directed by Ian Anthony “Tony” Browne.  She humbly remains a faithful student of Traditional West African Culture expressed through dance, rhythms and song.  Erika is the Artistic Director for Akire African Dance and is affiliated with the non-profit organization Drums Not Guns.