Erica denton

At the age of nine, Erica started dancing at a local studio in Wilson, NC—ten miles from her hometown, Bailey. She grew up training and performing in ballet, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, and hip hop until she graduated high school. At the age of 18, she moved to Wilmington to study English Literature and Spanish at UNCW and took a break from dancing only to come back to hip hop (another passion of hers) in 2011. At the same time that she was getting back in the hip hop groove, she came across a local Latin dancing club in town and was hooked from the moment she saw the energy and flavor maneuvering its way through the dance floor. Not only did she love the Spanish language, but she loved the music that came along with it, so it only made sense for her to continue learning a dance that meant more than just a dance. She left Wilmington and traveled for a year, only to return with a fire and passion for Latin dancing that could not be extinguished. Joining the Wilmington Touch team in 2014 as a leader and then the Ladies Touch team in January 2016, she has only solidified her love for not just Latin dancing—but bachata, specifically. She has spent the last few years traveling (and occasionally performing) up and down the East Coast to hone in on her skills, and now is ready to start adding teaching to the picture to share her passion and her love for such a connected dance. When Erica is not on the dance floor, she is either teaching English, has her head in books, or is probably laughing hysterically somewhere.