Erica Phillips
The Elevated Tap Company (ETC) was founded in 2021 by Erica Phillips during the world pandemic of COVID-19 with the vision to share her passion for Tap Dance with the wider community. Erica now offers a combination of in-person classes, online classes and private lessons for Children | Teens and Adults of all abilities.
Erica is a happily married, mum of two. Erica has been very lucky to have had the opportunity to work in a variety of creative roles over the past 26 years including working as a dance teacher, choreographer, costume designer/interpreter/maker, prop designer and maker, theatrical/dance hair and makeup, artist, illustrator, graphics and creative designer and amateur photographer.
Erica has had a passion for dance since a young age and trained from the age of 4 at a local village dance school in Hampshire. In her teens, Erica then moved dance schools to the Amber Andrews School Of Dance in Fareham, where she continued to study ISTD Tap, Ballet Modern and Jazz under teacher Sheila Andrews, examiner Mauren Harvey and teaching assistant, Amber Andrews, until the age of 18 yrs. Erica competed in the ISTD Marjorie Davis Star Tap Awards for many years where her passion for Tap Dance developed.
To further her studies Erica moved to Liverpool to study Dance at The Merseyside Dance and Drama Centre along with Theatrical Costume at Liverpool Community College. Erica graduated in 1999 with her Advanced Vocational Examinations in ISTD Tap, Ballet, Modern and Jazz alongside a BTEC Higher National Diploma in Theatrical Costume Interpretation.
Upon leaving Liverpool, Erica moved to Manchester and continued her studies and qualified as a Fitness Professional with a Level 2 Exercise to Music and began to teach dance and various forms of fitness in a variety of health clubs and privately rented studios. Over a 10-year period, Erica qualified as Fitness & Personal Trainer, Les Mills – Body Pump, RPM and Body Balance Instructor, Nike Dance Workout Teacher and New York City Ballet Workout Instructor, Fitness Pilates and Fitness Yoga Teacher and a Nutritional Therapist. During this period Erica developed her own dance company teaching children from the age of 4 through to adults in their 70s and successfully ran classes, and workshops, alongside choreographing shows and entering students into examinations.
After relocating back down south in 2008, Erica taught as a freelance dance and fitness teacher for many years for private dance schools, health clubs, fitness studios and leisure centres. Erica continued her teacher training in 2015 with the Judith Hockaday College of Dance and Drama and qualified as an ISTD Tap Teacher. Erica holds an ISTD Level 3 Diploma in Dance Instruction (DDI) in Tap Dance, an ISTD Level 4 Diploma in Dance Education (DDE) in Tap Dance and became an Associate of the ISTD in 2019.
Erica has now had over 20 yrs of experience teaching tap classes of all ages and abilities with non-syllabus classes, ISTD syllabus classes, ISTD graded and vocational examinations and show choreography. Erica takes regular continued professional development (CPD) courses with the ISTD and other Tap organisations such as Tap Attack and is continually developing her teaching skills. Erica is a registered member of the ISTD, has dance teachers insurance with G Gallagher and is DBS checked.
Erica is a lively, energetic teacher who thrives on inspiring her students to be the best dancer they can be. Within well-structured tap lessons, students develop their tap technique no matter what the previous experience of the dancer along with working on a student’s dance stamina, musicality, artistry and tap history. Erica has excellent knowledge and understanding across many dance forms, in anatomy and physiology and nutrition so can help to develop a well-rounded dancer across all levels and abilities.
Alongside running Elevated Tap Company, Erica is also part of the Tap Faculty at MAINSTAGE PERFORMING ARTS in Wimborne, where she teaches ISTD graded and vocational Tap syllabus classes.
Have a listen to Erica’s interview with Jeanette Hardiman all about Elevated Tap Company from The Arts Show on Alfred – News From Shaftesbury just after 25 minutes on the link below:
Please contact Erica at elevatedtapcompany@gmail.com for further information
