Latin Coach
BIOGRAPHY
Erik began his ballroom dance training at the age of five in his native Quebec, Canada. He first entered the competitive arena at nine years of age, and several years later was the North American Junior Champion in American Style.
After changing to the International Latin style as a young teen, his successful competitive amateur career included extended training in England and achievement as a finalist in all major North American competitions representing Canada, including North American Open Amateur Latin Vice-Champion.
In 1997, Erik moved to the United States and turned professional.
Together with his wife, Melissa, they advanced through the professional ranks, becoming National Canadian Open Latin finalists and U.S. Rising Star Latin Couple of the Year.
They also appeared in two dance series for Vietnamese television, with Erik winning the first season with his contestant partner. Erik is frequently asked to choreograph for showcases, stage productions, formation teams and charity shows.
He has choreographed for Asia Entertainment, “Days of Our Lives”, and assisted on “So You Think You Can Dance” and the feature film “Funkytown”.
Erik has been the Claremont Colleges ballroom team advisor as well as the Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA) formation coach, leading OCSA’s team to be undefeated in their debut year on the competition circuit. He is currently the Latin teacher and main choreographer at OCSA for the senior Latin conservatory.
In 2014, Erik and Melissa opened DanceSport Place, an online “virtual studio” with the vision of bringing world class coaches to dancers everywhere. Their goal was based on two ideas:
- to give world class coaches the freedom to teach what they do BEST, and share their talents with dancers all over the world.
- to make exceptional coaching available ANYTIME, ANYWHERE to all dancers at an exceptional value.
Erik is the director, videographer and editor all of our DanceSport Place videos.
Titles & Accomplishments
- National Canadian Open Latin finalist
- U.S. Pro Rising Star Latin Couple of the Year
- North American Open Amateur Latin vice-champion
- North American Junior American Style Champion
Coaching Accomplishments
- World Pro-am “A” Latin finalist (professional)
- World Pro-Am Senior Rhythm Champion (professional)
- Coach/Choreographer Emerald Ball & Desert Classic Championships Team Formation Champions
Coaching Style
Erik brings a lifetime of experience to his coaching, as well as humor and positive motivation.
Don’t be fooled by Erik’s charm! Yes, he’ll sweeten you up with his classic French chivalry, but make no mistake; he’s going to make you work HARD! 🙂
