Photograph courtesy of Deborah Hurst Photography
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 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 and now works full time as a Teaching Assistant in the SEN department at our local secondary school alongside being a part of the Tap Faculty at Mainstage Performing Arts in Wimborne, where she teaches ISTD graded and vocational Tap syllabus classes and running non-syllabus classes Tap Classes at Shaftesbury Arts Centre.
This Year Erica and two of her Mainstage Performing Arts students Jude and Nell have just returned from the IDO World Tap Championships as part of Team GB with Tap Attack as
WORLD CHAMPIONS
with a combination of 3 GOLD MEDALS, 1 BRONZE MEDAL and 2 FOURTH PLACES!
Photograph courtesy of Deborah Hurst Photography
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 teaching Les Mills – Body Pump, RPM and Body Balance, Nike Dance Workout and New York City Ballet Workout, Fitness Pilates and Yoga alongside training to be 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 dance 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 26 yrs of experience teaching tap classes of all ages and abilities. She teaches a variety of non-syllabus classes, ISTD graded and vocational syllabus classes, enters students into ISTD examinations and show choreography both for Mainstage Performing Arts and Shaftesbury Arts Centre with their Music and Drama group.
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 has an enhanced DBS with the ISTD.
Please contact Erica at elevatedtapcompany@gmail.com for further information
