Educator Biography Continued
Erin has trained in most of the codified ballet techniques taught in the world today. Erin’s introduction to ballet was Cecchetti, then she trained in the Balanchine style at Pacific Northwest Ballet School (PNBS). While at PNBS, Erin had the opportunity to study under Flemming Halby who trained at the Royal Danish Ballet with Bournonville technique. Having studied at Colorado Ballet for a summer at age 12, Erin was familiar with Vagonova technique. Then at 18, she was invited to attend the Hungarian National Dance Academy’s Ballet Summer intensive. While there, Erin was immersed in the Vagonova technique. She also had the opportunity to study privately with Ballet Masters from the Hungarian National Ballet. A couple years later, Erin returned to Hungary to train with the Hungarian National Ballet and had the opportunity to perform at their beautiful Opera House.
In addition to ballet, Erin spent 7 years studying Horton and Graham modern techniques with Sonia Dawkins at PNBS. She also studied Graham modern at various summer programs and worked with Jessica Lang at American Ballet Theatre’s Summer Intensive in New York. Erin has 8 years of jazz training, including Fosse and Luigi techniques; 8 years of tap training; years of character classes at summer programs and workshops; and Spanish training with Sara De Luis.
Teaching ballet to preschoolers, adults, and all ages in between requires Erin to be well versed in several different curriculums at once. She draws on her background with various techniques to give her students a well-rounded and thorough ballet education. Erin believes that passing down the history and the traditions of the art form is the best way to nurture appreciation in her students both for the classics like Swan Lake and for new work being created today. In addition to ballet, Erin teaches modern, pointe, variations, contemporary, conditioning, and “Turns Progressions” class.
Erin coaches both children and adults privately. The student goals vary from winning competitions to gaining strength to earn promotion to the personal satisfaction of conquering troublesome technique. Erin has also coached students and adults recuperating from injuries or looking to prepare for a specific role in dance or life. As a professional, Erin has gotten to work with some excellent coaches and values the insight, guidance, and attention to the whole dancer that can be nurtured in those relationships.
As a Founding Faculty member at The Studios, Erin was invited to propose her classes and curriculum. In addition to the standard Beginning through Advanced Ballet classes, she also proposed a Ballet Barre warm up class popular with touring companies and a Ballet Fundamentals class. Erin jumped at the chance to develop a Ballet Fundamentals class designed for adults who have never taken ballet before, or for whom it has been many years since training. The class truly starts at the fundamentals of posture, positions, rotation and more. It has been Erin’s distinct pleasure to watch her students graduate from Ballet Fundamentals and move on to Beginning Ballet and beyond.
Erin has also had the opportunity to develop her own modern curriculum which she has taught at ARC School of Ballet and Emerald Ballet Academy. Drawing from her years of Horton and Graham training, Erin has created a modern curriculum designed to complement traditional ballet training and help prepare dancers for the elements of modern prevalent in today’s choreography and companies’ repertories. For example: contractions, flat backs, laterals, across the floor movement, and floor work.
Erin has also taught at Cincinnati Ballet’s Otto M Budig Academy, Emerald Ballet Academy, and Vashon Dance Academy.