Early Years

Christopher Erk was born in Waterbury, CT, October 2, 1981. He spent most of his childhood living in Southington, CT.

He began tap dance at the age of 4 at Schulz Dance Academy in Bristol, CT.

At the age of 10, Christopher began his performance career in his home state of CT, as Fritz in the Nutcracker with the Hartford Ballet.

As a child he trained in theater and dance at the Hartford Ballet and the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts.

As a teenager, he was a member of Looking In Theater, an youth advocacy acting group that would confront realities of teen related issues in their skits.

At 15, Chris was cast in the hit-Off Broadway show, Tap Dogs, with whom he toured internationally for five years as a swing/performer and Dance Captain.

He then joined the team of Gil Stroming's, as an original cast member of Break the Floor and faculty and staff member of his Production Company, finally acting as Creative Coordinator of Jump, a cutting edge national touring dance competition and convention.

Chris is has taught tap dance at Broadway Dance Center and Steps, as well as other touring dance conventions such as Dance Masters of America.

He has also had residencies at In the Spotlight in Waldwick, New Jersey,

and Wright State University, in Dayton, Ohio.

He is going into his third year at Jazz Unlimited, Marlton, New Jersey.

As a member of Noah Racey's, New York Song & Dance Company, Chris has traveled to Amman, Jordan on behalf of the US Embassy, to introduce tap dance to the Jordanian culture. He went on to be a guest artist in the original production of Noah Racey's Pulse, directed by Jeff Calhoun, which premiered at the Asolo Repertory Theater in the Summer of 2013. Since 2000, Chris has had an ongoing relationship with the Rhythmics and Livelab Productions. with whom he has performed and choreographed for mission based events designed for the world's largest organizations. He was also an original cast member of a creation of Project Dance and Jared Grimes called Broadway Underground, currently residing at the legendary B. B. King's in Times Square, NYC. After earning his GED, Chris followed love to Dayton, OH and began attending Sinclair Community College, where he also taught tap dance to recreational adults. He also established founded the Tap Factor, a group of tap dancers of all demographics who were passionate about engaging with the art form in a meaningful way. He facilitated productions such as Soul'd Out - Dayton and the Dayton Tap Project and gained experience in community engagement, a field of interest he would continue to pursue in the coming years. From Dayton, Chris signed on as an original cast member and co-choreographer of Rasta Thomas' Tap Star's, a Bad Boys of Dance Production. WIth his sights set on pursuing his new found mission to use tap dance in ways that are meaningful and impactful to all, he settle back in New York City, where he set up to complete his last two undergraduate years of college at the New School for Public Engagement. This would help him understand further the work he did in Dayton, OH with the Tap Factor as well as how to define other aspects to his work the drives his current interest to share dance with the world in ways that are meaningful and impactful. Now 32, Chris has recently graduated with a Bachelors from the New School and works out of the Center for Social Innovation - Starrett Lehigh. 

Click here to view a short documentary charting the work of the Tap Factor, the FREE Players and and Best Buddies New York. It tells of the immersive tap dance program that brought together individuals of all abilities to the stage at Carnegie Hall in Elaine Kwon & Friends, a benefit concert supporting Best Buddies New York.