Following a Teacher’s Footsteps
Niya Kerr recently arrived at Robinson Hall for the Performing Arts after a full morning teaching strengthening and technique classes to teenagers in South Charlotte. As she finishes up her last academic obligations before graduating on August 9, Kerr has also been running a dance camp at Charlotte School of Ballet, where she started teaching dance in May 2024.
The Kannapolis native, who is earning a B.A. in Dance with a minor in American Studies, began taking dance lessons at age three.
“My mom says I used to dance in her stomach,” she said.
Kerr’s dance teacher at A.L. Brown High School was UNC Charlotte alumna Zaria Franklin ’18.
“She really pushed me to come [to UNC Charlotte]. She had such wonderful things to say about the dance program.”
Like Franklin, who performed for two years for the Carolina Panthers’ Top Cats, Kerr enjoys cheering and was on the Charlotte 49ers cheerleading team both her freshman and sophomore years.
“The cheer team gave me a lot of experiences,” she said, “like going to nationals at the ESPN complex at Disney. I would love to be a coach for a collegiate team some day.”
Kerr’s degree concentration is in performance, choreography and theory, and she said the performance opportunities were among her favorite experiences at UNC Charlotte. Last fall, for example, she was cast in a piece by the guest artist Robert Green, who has performed with stars like Taylor Swift, Justin Timberlake, Mary J. Blige, Selena Gomez and Charli XCX.
“He was amazing. The process was emotional; it was like a therapy session every day, in a good way. It allowed us to open up to each other.”
She has also performed in works by professors Ashley Tate and Audrey Baran.
“Everybody is great,” she said about the dance faculty. “The teachers really care about the students here. Our teachers are so involved with the community. We have teachers who have their own festivals!”
Franklin’s recommendation was one of several reasons Kerr came to UNC Charlotte, she said.
“It’s very diverse and inclusive here. That’s a big reason why I came here. And I personally love the city. There’s so much you can do here, and the light rail takes you right uptown.”
Kerr said that she will continue to teach at Charlotte School of Ballet after graduating and has also recently started waiting tables at a restaurant in South End.
“I would love to have my own dance studio, but right now I’m just getting experience.”
Will she be recommending UNC Charlotte to her dance students?
“I already do!”
Photos by Amy Hart and Kat Lawrence.