Amanda Amador Chi

Amanda was born in 1991 and grew up in Havana, Cuba. From a very young age, she was deeply influenced by the rich cultural scene that characterizes the Caribbean Island. As a child, she found refuge in the arts by participating in prestigious cultural workshops at the Cuban National Theater and the National Contemporary Dance Company.

At the age of nine, Amanda auditioned to enter the National Ballet School system, where she got accepted as a full-time student under the direction of Ballet Master Ramona de Saa. For eight years, in addition to the fundamentals of the school's professional dance program, Amanda received complete teaching training in the Cuban Ballet Methodology. After completing her education, she graduated as a teacher of Ballet and Historic Dances.

In 2009, Amanda was honored to accept an offer to become a permanent member of the prestigious faculty of the Cuban Ballet School. In this position, she mentored large and small groups of students and coached Pax de Deux and solo variations for national and international competitions. While acting as a jury member, she facilitated and determined results for competitive auditions and exams. For five years, Amanda also contributed to the school's Classic Repertoire participating in productions for the Nutcracker, Giselle, Coppelia, Don Quixote, Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, Bayadere, and Paquita.

An injury saw her early retirement as a ballerina. At the age of twenty-four, while working full-time, Amanda finished the last semester at the Higher Institute for the Arts (ISA) to achieve a Bachelor's in Performing Arts – Dance. With this program, she received full training in Charter Dances and Historical Ballrooms, Ballet Methodology, and Teaching Pedagogy.

In 2014, Amanda got invited to the Flamenco and Ballet Academy (PROART) in Queretaro, Mexico, where she collaborated to implement the Cuban Ballet Technic into the school's dance curriculum. A year later, Amanda moved to the United States and received training as a Pilates instructor of the Balanced Body Method at the White Cloud Studio in Cleveland, Ohio.

In addition to understanding the process of professional art education, Amanda has diversified her work experiences by volunteering and working in several after-school dance programs, vocational ballet workshops, and community projects that offer dance therapy for students with special needs.

Amanda believes in a holistic approach to learning and educating students and their families on the physical and mental benefits of practicing dance at all ages and levels of technic. She is also a strong advocate of training dancers to become sensitive artists who understand their bodies and movements as a powerful tool.

Amanda is passionate about all art forms. She considers herself privileged to have the opportunity to touch lives through dance, understands the social responsibility of being an educator, and takes great pride in cultivating artists.