Erickatoure Aviance (or Ericka Toure Aviance) is an American nightlife personality, club host, clothing designer, fashionista, drag performer, recording artist, dancer, actor, singer and songwriter. She is a member of the House of Aviance, one of the vogue and ballroom houses in the U.S. founded in 1989 by Mother Juan Aviance. It is from this House that she takes her last name from as customary for all ballroom house members. Early life and education Aviance was born into a mixed race family with a Black father and a White mother. She grew up in Portsmouth, New Hampshire and came out of the closet at a young age. Although a trained dancer, she started off doing theatre and didn't enter the dance field until she was 14 years of age. She attended New York University with a dance scholarship and in 1999, progressed to the Tisch School of the Arts and majored in dance. Career During Aviance's career as a drag artist working in nightclubs, she met the entertainer Jonny McGovern who later became a friend and encouraged her to explore her drag character and make her own music. In her earlier years as an artist in New York City, she drew great influences from the performances of her fellow Aviance House member Kevin Aviance. As Erickatoure narrates in an interview with The Huffington Post: In 2009, Aviance released her EP Work Ericka, and soon after released the music video for her single My Pumps collaborating with artist one-half NelSon who constructed all the looks in that video. Aviance also started the performance art group enSUBTITLES with one-half NelSon and Clifton Brown. Aviance was part of La'Mady, a transgender rap group that included Koko Aviance, Linda James, and DJ Nita Aviance. The group collaborated with Jonny McGovern in his 2006 album Jonny McGovern Presents: This is NYC, Bitch! The East Village Mixtape , with Aviance featuring in the track Showgirl as well as on This is New York City (BITCH!). In that album, she also appeared with the La'Mady group on Runway in My Street Clothes. The track This is New York City (BITCH!) produced by Jonny McGovern, and written by Jonny McGovern, DJ Nita Aviance and Linda James also became a single for La'Mady and featured Kevin Aviance. Aviance also Appeared on Jonny McGovern and Lady Red Couture's premiere Hey Qween TV's show Pimp My Drag! (a drag makeover show)