Erica Smith aka "The Hustling Attorney"

(Erica Smith)

Erica Smith is truly, "The Hustling Attorney." Erica was first introduced to Hustle while attending the University of California Berkeley, School of Law. It was her mother, Judy Smith's love and passion for the dance that lead Erica to "see what Hustle was all about."

(Erica & "The Mommy")

*************

Taking to the dance from the start, Erica quickly climbed the Hustle amateur ranks. Less than a year after Erica's formal introduction to the dance, Erica went from competing as a Newcomer to winning 1st place in Advanced Amateur Divisions. With more than 17 Advanced Amateur 1st place wins under her belt, Erica was arguably the Top Female Amateur Hustle Competitor for two years prior to her professional status.

(Erica & Jesse Castaneda ~ MADjam 2008)

*************

Since becoming a professional Hustle competitor, Erica has placed in the Top 3 in both Professional/Champions Just Dance Hustle & Professional/Champions Jack & Jill Hustle Divisions across the country. Some of Erica's most recent Professional/Champions Just Dance Hustle achievements include: 1st place in the Professional Just Hustle Division at Easterns 2009; 2nd place in the Champions Just Dance Hustle Division at Miami Dance Magic 2009; and 1st place in the Professional Just Hustle Division at Swing Fling 2009. Some of Erica's most recent Professional/Champions Jack & Jill Hustle achievements include: 1st place in the Champions Jack & Jill Hustle Division at Miami Dance Magic 2009 and 2nd place in the Professional Jack & Jill Hustle Divison at New York Hustle Congress 2009.

(Professional Jack & Jill ~ New York Hustle Congress 2009)

*************

In 2007, TV Guide Magazine coined Erica the "Disco-Dancing Lawyer" after she performed a Just Dance Hustle that led her all the way to Las Vegas on the nationally syndicated television show "So You Think You Can Dance." Thereafter, Erica was pictured along side Shane Sparks in the July 2007 issue of US Weekly. The picture was taken from the show's hip-hop round in Las Vegas.

*************

Erica isn't just known for her success as a Hustle dancer, Erica is also known for her sucess as a Triple Threat (Hustle, WCS, Salsa) Competitor. With 7 Amateur Triple Threat 1st place wins under her belt, Erica was arguably the Top Amateur Triple Threat Competitor for two years prior to her professional status. Since becoming a professional competitor, Erica has placed in the Top 3 in Professional Triple Threat Divisions across the country. Most recently, Erica and Jameson took 3rd place in the Professional Triple Threat Division at the International Hustle & Salsa Competition 2009 and 2nd place in the Professional Triple Threat Division at Miami Dance Magic 2009.

(Erica Smith & Jamesn Kilburn ~ IHSC 2009)

*************

In 2008, Erica added Hand Dancing to her dance repertoire. Dancing with hand dance partner Kevin Fitzhugh, Erica & Kevin took 1st place in the Strictly Hand Dance Division thereby becoming the 2008 US Open Hand Dance Champions.

(Erica Smith & Kevin Fitzhugh ~ US Open 2008)

*************

Erica might be best known for her unique style. Erica's knowledge of Ballet, Jazz, Salsa and West Coast Swing has greatly influenced her Hustle style. Erica trained extensively with the Washington School of Ballet for almost 10 years and performed with Ballet companies from all over the world including, but not limited to, the Washington School of Ballet, Dance Theater of Harlem, the Joffery Ballet, and the Royal Ballet. During high school, Erica made the difficult decision to discontinue her dance training in order to focus on her studies. During college, Erica was able to rekindle her love for dance in the form of teaching. She taught ballet, hip-hop, and parent and child movement classes for Frederick County Parks & Recreation. While in law school at UC Berkeley School of Law, Erica's love for dance remained strong. Shifting her focus to Salsa, Erica began training with Ricardo Tellez. In 2005, she performed with Rica Sensacion at the 2005 West Coast Salsa Congress.

(Rica Sensacion)

*************

Erica currently resides in Silver Spring, MD where she teaches Hustle, WCS & Salsa (On 1 & On 2) private lessons. Please contact Erica to schedule your private lesson today. Erica can also be found teaching a weekly Hustle group class at the longest running dance venue in Virginia and the hottest night of Hustle in the Washington Metro Area. Moreover, you can find Erica on staff teaching workshops, judging & perfoming at Hustle and Swing conventions across the country including Easterns, Miami Dance Magic, Swing Fling, Tri-State Connection, World Hustle Dance Championships, Puerto Rico Hustle & Salsa Festival, and Virginia State Open. Please check out Erica's Schedule for more information on her group class & competition schedule.