Erica Magaru
Apprentice

Erica Magaru began dancing at the age of three in the Chicago suburbs. She went on to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance and a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science from Western Michigan University, graduating Magna Cum Laude. Her dedication to leadership and academia has been recognized through the WMU Dance Leadership Award and the Multicultural Excellence Recognition.

During her time at WMU, Erica had the opportunity to perform works by acclaimed choreographers including Peter Chu, Annalee Traylor, Monique Haley, Christa Smutek, Mike Esperanza, Jae Man Joo, Terk Lewis, Kia Smith, Kelsey Paschich, and Jeremy Blair. She was also a member of Western Dance Project, WMU’s touring dance company, and later contributed to the company as a choreographer. In the summer of 2025, Erica was selected to perform with BARE Dance Company in New York City in the premiere of The Evolution of Separation, choreographed by Mike Esperanza.

Erica has returned to the Chicagoland area where she pursues teaching and choreographing at local dance studios. She has furthered her training through intensives and workshops including Visceral Dance Summer Intensive, Northwest Dance Project Summer Platform, Vim Vigor Summer Intensive, and Flockworks Dance Workshop. Outside of dance, Erica works as a Physical Therapy Technician at Team Rehabilitation Physical Therapy, where her experience in movement science continues to inform and support both her teaching and dancing. She continues to expand her artistic voice and deepen her practice as a dancer, educator, and artist. 

Erica is beyond grateful and excited to join Trifecta Dance Collective for her first season!