Erika M. Smith is the Director of LKN Perform. She graduated from Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, Jacksonville, FL in 1990 with a concentration in Dance and studied at The Florida Ballet. In 1990 Erika studied at The Martha Graham School in New York and was privileged to study the craft of choreography from the legendary dancer Pearl Lang there as well. Erika studied dance in college at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro where she graduated in 1994.
Erika moved to the North Carolina coast and taught, choreographed and performed there locally. She taught Dance at West Brunswick High School in Shallotte, NC. In addition Erika traveled to schools K-12 in Brunswick County and worked with Special Education teachers to use Dance as a tool in their curriculum. Erika moved to the Lake Norman area in 2009 from Wilmington, NC where she was co-founder of The Dance Cooperative a non-profit organization dedicated to serving the dance community locally in Wilmington and throughout North Carolina. Erika was one of the founders of The Dance Cooperative and served in many capacities – as board President, Vice-President, Secretary, choreographer and dancer throughout the years. She also participated in the North Carolina Dance Festival throughout the years as both a choreographer and a dancer. She also was a choreographer for UNC-Wilmington performances, a dancer with Forward Motion Dance Company and Wilmington Independent Choreographers. Erika has choreographed and performed in various venues and productions throughout North Carolina and Florida over the years. Most recently she was the dancer/choreographer for the music video ‘These Broken Wings’ Featuring Inspectah Deck of Wu Tang Clan.
Erika’s true passion in addition to choreography is teaching. “Seeing dance through my students eyes inspires me on a daily basis. The joy that is reflected in a child’s face when they are dancing is priceless. I want all of my students to see LKN Perform as a place where they are able to grow as dancers & individuals in a positive environment, celebrating their achievements as well as encouraging and supporting the other students in their classes. ” Her goal is that all students walk out of LKN Perform with a solid foundation, love & appreciation of the performing arts.
In addition to being a busy mother of six beautiful children and Director of LKN Perform Erika also has other outside creative projects in the entertainment industry including being an Executive Producer on the television show ‘One Shot’ that aired on BET as well as other projects that are in development.
LKN Perform Dance Instructors
Maya Sanders Fripp I have been dancing all of my life! I have been trained in various forms of dance such as ballet, jazz, hip hop, African, tap, liturgical, modern, cheer , contemporary, and lyrical. Dance is my passion and it enables me to express myself. I began to take off with my talent in high school when I was discovered for The Possibility Project a very well known talent program for talented teens of Charlotte. I am a former cheerleader for the Charlotte Hounds Professional Lacrosse Team and am currently a professional back up dancer and a professional cheerleader for the Charlotte Knights baseball team as well as a professional dance and fitness model. I currently teach Hip Hop & Jazz classes here at LKN Perform. I love to teach children and adults how to stay in shape, love dance & have fun!
Kyla Smith is a dancer, choreographer, and educator from Hilton Head Island, SC. She began her dance training at Hilton Head Dance Theatre under the direction of Karina Brock-Carlyle, former principal dancer for American Ballet Theatre. There, she trained in classical ballet and jazz dance. After high school, she attended Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Dance Education. During her time at Winthrop, Kyla performed in Winthrop Dance Theatre, Winthrop Dance Repertory Group, and both Junior and Senior Choreography Showcases. She was also a company member of The Wanda Project, a contemporary ballet and modern dance company directed by Dr. Wanda Ebright. During the summer of 2019, Kyla interned with Bates Dance Festival and worked as a counselor for their Youth Arts Program. As a senior, her dance film “Rocks Afloat” was chosen for ACDA’s Screen Dance Festival. Her piece “Within and Without” was featured among faculty pieces in Winthrop’s Spring Dance Showcase 2021. Since graduating in 2021, Kyla has worked as a dance teacher at North Academy of World Languages in Huntersville, NC. Kyla currently teaches ballet, tap, and jazz at LKN Perform.
Susan Ayson Bio Coming Soon!
LKN Perform Music Instructors
Barbara Palmer is an experienced piano performer, accompanist and educator. She began her formal training at age 9 and hasn’t stopped playing since then! Classically trained, she has taught for 10 years, helping beginner to advanced students learn to read and play music, perform for others, and to acquire the lifelong skills that learning an instrument provides. Her skills include classical and jazz piano, music theory, church, choral, and musical accompanying, and sight-reading. Barbara is originally from Ohio, but has lived in NC for almost 30 years, after living in Chicago & IN. A graduate of Denison University (with a BA in psychology and a music minor), Barb has two grown children – a daughter, who is married and resides in MT, and a son at Cedarville college.
Currently, Barb serves as a church accompanist at Huntersville ARP and has worked with choral conductors and schools throughout the Lake Norman area, accompanying individuals and choirs, musicals, and special events.
In her spare time, Barb loves hanging with friends, checking out live music, doing puzzles, working out, and singing with North Meck Community Choir. She’s also into health and wellness, as well as mental health advocacy (specializing in domestic abuse awareness).
LKN Perform Musical Theater & Acting Instructors
Julia Robbins love for musical theatre started in elementary school when she saw her first live musical, The Sound of Music. Julia later went on to play Maria in The Sound of Music, which is her favorite role she has played. She received her B.A. in Art Studies with a focus in Music and a minor in Theatre at North Carolina State University. She also studied Acting and Musical Theatre at the Stella Adler School of Acting in NYC. She lived in NYC where she auditioned, learned a lot about the professional theatre business, and performed. Julia has also directed and assistant directed many shows in throughout the years. Her favorite show she assistant directed was The Crucible. She has a passion for teaching and feels this is a great way to share her love of the arts with others. Julia is the teacher for the Musical Theatre class, teaches private acting lessons and vocal coaching at LKN Perform.