Erin Riley-Carrasco
Owner /Director

After graduating with honors from San Diego State University in 1988, Erin founded Dance Unlimited in January of 1989.

 She began her dance training at the age of five, taking ballet classes at the Eris Dance Studio in Chico, California. She started taking tap at the age of eight with Helen Reynolds and continued her ballet training under the direction of Madame Beata Sorell, with whom she studied and performed as a soloist for six years in Oceanside. She received further training in classical ballet from Victor Moreo, director of the North County Ballet Company. In 1980, Erin began studying jazz dance under Suzanne Fernandez, one of the principal dancers of the San Diego based professional dance company Jazz Unlimited.  
 
 Upon entering SDSU’s dance program, she continued her dance education under the direction of Pat Rincon, currently the Director of UCSD’s dance department and founder of Jazz Unlimited, studying extensively in modern and jazz dance. Soon after, she began performing with SDSU’s Choreographer’s Ensemble. From 1985 through 1988 Erin instructed children of all ages in tap, ballet, jazz and creative dance at Studio C in Carlsbad until she opened Dance Unlimited.  
 
 Erin has studied with such notables as Luigi, Joe Tremaine, Barry Lather, Doug Caldwell, Scott Benson, Nate Prevost and the Tony Award winning Thommie Walsh. Besides performing in Industrials, she has taught as a guest instructor for the Professional Dance Teacher’s Association National Convention and has also judged for the Stars of Tomorrow and Pacific Coast Talent Dance Competitions, KAR National Dance Competition and Star System’s National Dance Competition. She has been a judge for local and regional dance and talent contests, including the San Diego Gull’s Girls, Miss Carlsbad and Miss Vista Beauty Pageants as well as the Little Miss San Diego Talent Competitions. She has been the recipient of over 35 Teacher’s Awards during the past 20 years, including Top Choreographer, Best in Show, Most Entertaining, Grand Champion and Teacher’s Choice Achievement Honors. Erin was selected to be included in the 2005-2006 edition of the Who’s Who of American Entrepreneurs and was also featured in an article in Dance Teacher magazine, which profiled the successful Father/Daughter Dance Program that she started 16 years ago at Dance Unlimited. You can also see Miss Erin in Oprah Winfrey’s O magazine, May 2006 issue! Erin is especially proud of the studio’s competition team and teachers who garnered 5 Top Studio Awards out of the 5 regional competitions they participated in last year. – GO D.U.!
 
Erin and her husband, Allen, are the proud parents of their 12 year-old son, Landon, and 9 year old daughter, Sophia Rose who is a part of the studio’s successful competition program. She is so excited to be celebrating Dance Unlimited’s 20 Year Anniversary!! What an amazing ride it has been!! Erin feels blessed to be surrounded by such special, talented children, dedicated teachers and staff and wonderfully supportive D.U. dance families. She truly believes that the studio is like one big family and of course .... Everyone’s A Star at Dance Unlimited.