Tiki started dancing at the age of 5 in Greenville, NC at North Carolina Academy of Dance Arts.  At age 9, she was selected for NCADA’s company classes where she began Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Tap, Modern, and Theater.  At age 10, she attended the summer session at School of the Arts in Winston-Salem (now part of the University of North Carolina) with a focus in ballet.  At age 11, she once again attended the summer session at NCSA.  Also, during the same summer, Tiki went to New York City to attend classes at Joffrey Ballet School and Steps Studio.  At age 13, she left NCADA to become a principal dancer with Down East Dance in New Bern, NC.  At age 15, she moved to St. Petersburg, Florida for six months to become a principal ballet/pointe dancer with the Ballet Academy of St. Petersburg.  Tiki returned to North Carolina at age 15 and rejoined Down East Dance as a principal dancer.  In the spring of 1990, she suffered injuries in a hiking accident which ended her dance career.  She still has a deep love for the art of dance and is happy to be joining our team at Encore Academy of Dance.