Snohomish County teens to dance on world stage

  • By Gale Fiege Herald Writer
  • Wednesday, September 2, 2015 4:10pm
  • LifeGo-See-Do

Snohomish County’s ballroom dancing darlings — Erik Linder of Lake Stevens and Rickie Taylor of Edmonds — are still competing.

People who have followed the duo know that they began dancing together more than 10 years ago at age 4 and that they won the first of their many national championships when they were just 7 years old. They’ve been featured on TV’s “Dancing With the Stars,” “America’s Got Talent” and the Oprah Winfrey show.

Now in their teens, Erik and Rickie are preparing for their second trip to the World Championship Ballroom Dance competition in early December at Disneyland Paris.

There they will defend their title as the under-16 ballroom dance world champions and also will compete in the championships for Latin dance. This past year, they earned gold medals for the United States, placing first out of 50 couples in the under-16 standard ballroom dance competition. The runners-up included well-known dancers from England, Russia and Ukraine, along with their friends (and archrivals) Kinsley Lin and Michelle Yiu from San Francisco.

It takes a lot of money to participate in these international competitions, especially the trip to France, said Erik’s mom Holly Linder. Both dancers teach lessons at First Class Ballroom in Everett to help with expenses, she said.

A fundraiser show, during which the duo will demonstrate all 10 of their competitive dances, is tentatively set for the end of October at Team Fitness in Lake Stevens. Admission will be by donation to the trip expense fund.

“Erik and Rickie have been working hard all summer, with no breaks, preparing for a fall season full of national and international competition,” Holly Linder said.

Rickie and Erik will be participating in competitions in Irvine, California, London, England, and the country of Moldova before heading to Paris.

“With all Erik and Rickie are striving for and have accomplished, it takes a tremendous amount of time, energy and money from both the dancers and their families,” Linder said. “Costs include lessons, travel, costumes, dance shoes and more lessons with world-class coaches. As families with other children as well, we have become very creative and resourceful to make it all happen.”

To make it easy for fans to donate to the cause, the teens have set up a crowd-funding donation account at http://www.gofundme.com/Erikandrickie.

Donations online to go directly to help fund the trip to the World Championships in Paris. So far, the teens have raised about half of the $8,800 needed for the trip.

“They are both very dedicated and talented kids,” Linder said. “Erik and Rickie are very fortunate to be equally committed to their dancing and to each other as dance partners. It’s such a rare thing. They plan to continue with competitive ballroom as amateurs and then go on as professionals.”

Holly Linder admits that, as a mom, she is biased.

“Erik and Rickie are mesmerizing the moment they step onto the floor. Full of elegance, sophistication and athleticism, they quickly take you away with the beauty in their dancing.”

Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427; gfiege@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @galefiege.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

Sarah Jean Muncey-Gordon puts on some BITCHSTIX lip oil at Bandbox Beauty Supply on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, in Langley, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Bandbox Beauty was made for Whidbey Island locals, by an island local

Founder Sarah Muncey-Gordon said Langley is in a renaissance, and she’s proud to be a part of it.

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

Byrds co-founder Roger McGuinn, seen here in 2013, will perform April 20 in Edmonds. (Associated Press)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

R0ck ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famer Roger McGuinn, frontman of The Byrds, plans a gig in Edmonds in April.

Mother giving in to the manipulation her daughter fake crying for candy
Can children be bribed into good behavior?

Only in the short term. What we want to do is promote good habits over the course of the child’s life.

Speech Bubble Puzzle and Discussion
When conflict flares, keep calm and stand your ground

Most adults don’t like dissension. They avoid it, try to get around it, under it, or over it.

The colorful Nyhavn neighborhood is the place to moor on a sunny day in Copenhagen. (Cameron Hewitt)
Rick Steves: Embrace hygge and save cash in Copenhagen

Where else would Hans Christian Andersen, a mermaid statue and lovingly decorated open-face sandwiches be the icons of a major capital?

Last Call is a festured artist at the 2024 DeMiero Jazz Festival: in Edmonds. (Photo provided by DeMiero Jazz Festival)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Jazz ensemble Last Call is one of the featured artists at the DeMiero Jazz Festival on March 7-9 in Edmonds.

Kim Helleren
Local children’s author to read at Edmonds Bookshop

Kim Helleren will read from one of her books for kids at the next monthly Story Time at Edmonds Bookshop on March 29.

Chris Elliott
Lyft surprises traveler with a $150 cleaning charge

Jared Hakimi finds a $150 charge on his credit card after a Lyft ride. Is that allowed? And will the charge stick?

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.