Meet Eric
Eric Decaminada, born and raised in New York, began dancing at the age of 5 at his hometown
studio, The Pulse Performing Arts Studio. Throughout his years of training, he was able to work
with and perform choreography by some of the best in the business, including Derick K. Grant,
Charles Renato, Jason Janas, Sarah Reich, and many others. As the protégé of the late Dexter
Jones, Eric had the privilege of studying under one of the best to ever be on Broadway. Eric’s
performance credits include “Tap Family Reunion” (directed by Dormeshia Sumbry, Derick K.
Grant, and Jason Samuel Smith), “Gotta Dance” (directed by Michelle Dorrance and Dormeshia
), and “Tap Kids” (directed Lisa Hopkins). In addition, he has performed in a variety of
locations such as Dizzy’s Jazz Club at Lincoln Center, the Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Center,
and the Ted Shawn Theater at Jacob’s Pillow. He has taught at numerous Tap Festivals and
Conventions around the country such as RIFF Dallas, Groove, Tap City, and the Woodshed
Experience. Eric is currently working as a full-time performer, teacher, and choreographer in
New York City.
Eric as a Performer
Eric started his Professional Career at 16 years old, when he was a Lead Dancer in the touring show, Tap Kids (Choreographed by Lisa Hopkins). Once he got a whiff of a professional stage, he couldn’t get enough of it! Since being a Recipient of Dance Spirit Magazine “Future Star” Award, Eric has been able to perform in Venues such as Dizzy’s Club at Lincoln Center, The Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Center, and the Ted Shawn Theater at Jacob’s Pillow.
Eric has had the privilege of performing work from some of the best in the business, including “Raise the Bar” (Choreography: Dormeshia Sumbry, Derick K. Grant, Jasson Samuel Smith), “Virtuoso” (Choreography: Charles Renato), “What Is This Thing Called Love” (Choreography: Derick K. Grant, Dormeshia Sumbry), “In The Groove” (Choreography: Dormeshia Sumbry), T.A.P. Variety Show (Choreography: Aaron Tolson), and TAP&TOM (Choreography: Felipe Galganni). Eric has also been invited to participate in multiple Broadway Pre-Productions, including Funny Girl on Broadway (Choreographed by Ayodele Casel) and Henry & Me (Choreographed by Shae Sullivan).
Throughout his career, Eric has been a part of numerous companies, such as CHR Project (Choreographed/Directed by Charles Renato) and Project Convergence (Choreographed/Directed by Vikas Arun, Aproova Natarja, and Ramita Ravi), where he has had the opportunity to perform at National Events such as Tap City’s Rhythm In Motion, Battery Park Dance Festival, and Chicago Human Rhythm Project; as well as for International Companies such as Capezio, Buzzfeed, Penn Masala, and Pitt Dhirana.
Eric as a Teacher
Eric started his teaching career as the assistant to the Broadway Legend, Dexter Jones, at the young age of 16. Under the direction of Dexter, Eric spent years learning how teaching isn’t just a job, but it is an art form in itself - anyone can be a Tap Dancer, but not everyone can be a Tap Dance Teacher.
Eric prides himself on his ability to explain the same thing a thousand different ways - everyone learns differently, and he believes that it is the teacher’s responsibility to change their teaching style to be compatible with each and every student. Whether that’s using the Call-And-Response method to work on a specific step, or slowing down the tempo/song to work on the control of a step, or using a metronome to make sure every single sound is clean and crystal clear; or whether that counting a rhythm of a section, or saying each individual steps to explain the rhythm of a section, or scatting the rhythm of an entire section, each and every student absorbs material differently and it is our job to reach everyone.
If there is anything that Eric wants his students to take away from his classes, is it that TAP DANCE IS MUSIC, and as Tap Dancers, WE ARE MUSICIANS!!!!!! Yes, we are Dancers and we need to make sure that we look good while Tap Dancing because people will always be watching us perform our Art, but if there’s no connection to the music, then there’s no way for us to communicate what we’re trying to say!!! Tap Dance is a percussive Art Form, so music will always be at the center of every class that Eric is teaching.
Currently, Eric teaches weekly at multiple studios around the Tri-State Area. He loves having the ability to work with the same students on a weekly basis - it gives him the time to create a strong foundation with the students, while also giving him the ability to eventually expand their foundation and teach a more complex understanding of the art form. In addition to his weekly classes, Eric travels around the country teaching at Tap Festivals/Conventions (Groove - OneBeat Dance Brands, the Metropolitan School of the Arts, RIFF Dallas, Tap City, Woodshed Experience), as well as in Studio Workshop / Guest Classes.
Eric as a Choreographer
To Eric, choreography is an aspect of Tap Dance that takes years to develop, and your choreography journey is never ending. Eric’s choreographic journey started at a young age, when his Mentor, Dexter Jones, started him off by choreographing simple Three-And-A-Break exercises. From there, Eric started choreographing longer and longer phrases, eventually being able to choreograph entire dances. Now, Eric is a National Award-Winning Choreographer.
When choreographing anything, Eric begins thinking about the music, and how his choreography can accompany the music. As a Tap Dancer, Eric is a musician, and he thinks about how he can add musical elements to the music he is choreographing to.