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HomeAmanda Adams

Amanda Adams  Jerry Bywaters Cochran Scholarship

 
Her admiration for Mark Morris explains Amanda Adams’ willingness to take risks as a
choreographer. Amanda has many aspirations for the future, including creating a company that collaborates with all types of artists ranging from musicians, to painters, to film directors.

Her humble and motherly mannerisms— matching her nickname of “Panda”— make her a perfect fit for a teacher of underprivileged dancers, yet another one of Amanda’s dreams.
 

          

The Jerry Bywaters Cochran Scholarship helped me attend the Bates Dance Festival this past July. The festival itself resides at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine and is three weeks in length. My time spent there was full of many dance related events, from attending a multitude of performances by artists such as Keigwen and Company and Zoe Scofield/Juniper Sheuy, as well as, participating and attending classes, lecture demonstrations, panel discussions, and open showings.

In Nora Chipaumire’s class, “Mother Tongue,” I began to understand the concept of merging the me I am as a person and the me I am as a dancer. This brings confidence in both you and your movement, but also allows you to be comfortable in your skin.
After leaving Paul Matteson’s class every third period I felt like my legs were made of jello and they were going to fall off. During this hour and a half I learned to begin to use breath and trust in your body while dancing.

Business of dance left me dazed everyday but also excited about the ways I could go about making a career for myself in the field of dance. This class opened up a whole world of opportunities available to my disposal while also teaching me how to financially sustain myself.

Overall, the festival was well worth the experience and I thank you so much for helping me get there.