A Conversation About Acceptance In Dance Studios
Local Studio Owner Amanda Records On Body Positivity
By Nicole Barrett, DWC Blog Editor
From starting dance in the fourth grade to dancing in Rome, Italy Amanda Records is no stranger to how the dance industry operates. Now, the Artistic Director of Spotlight Dance Center in Renton, Washington, she hopes to share her knowledge of the dance world with every student that walks through the studio doors. Read on to learn more about Amanda’s dance journey!
Amanda Records started dancing when she was in the fourth grade at British Dancing Academy in Kent, Washington. The woman that watched her after school took her daughter there and Amanda got to observe the ballet class that she was in. “I was like ‘This is amazing, I want to do this,’” she shares. She was able to get signed up and she danced there until she graduated high school. After graduating, Amanda then went to Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York, and got her BA in Dance and Movement Sciences. After taking a break from school for a year, she returned to school at the University of Oregon to get her MFA in Dance, where she held a Graduate Teaching Fellowship.
Before moving back to Washington and co-founding The Barefoot Collective, (tBFC) a cooperative in Tacoma, Amanda spent six weeks in Austria on scholarship attending ImPulsTanz. There she completed the Danceability teacher training program and performed with Joint Forces Dance Company. Adding to her extensive resume of performance work, she also studied abroad in Rome, Italy, and got to perform amongst the picturesque ruins.
When asked about what sparked her decision to join Spotlight, she shares that the previous studio owner approached her hoping she could take over her position. “This was actually the second studio owner that approached me about taking over their business, so I thought there’s something in the stars because this opportunity keeps being presented to me,” she says. She was just wrapping up her graduate degree when she got the offer and she shares that she was very thankful that these women presented these opportunities to her. Ultimately, she took the job and has been the Artistic Director of Spotlight since 2011.
Every dance studio has its own flair that makes it stand out from the rest, so when asked about what made Spotlight stand out amongst others, Amanda had many things to share. She spoke about Spotlight’s Assistant Teacher Training Program (ATTP), which allows dancers to participate in lessons and mentorship in their teaching journey. She also shares that Spotlight has performing companies that allow dancers of all ages to perform in various events around the community. For middle and high school students in the performing companies, she expresses that Spotlight tries to open opportunities for them to perform at more prestigious events like the Western Washington University Dance Festival, BOOSTmeUP and Olympia Dance Festival. Spotlight is one of only five studios in Washington that has an NHSDA (National Honors Society for Dance Arts) chapter and that is something that Amanda believes is very important in her dancers’ journey. This program recognizes dancers’ work in and out of the studio and comes with many benefits once in the program.
When asked what her favorite thing about dance is, Amanda shares that the constant need to be present is something that she appreciates the most. “As a child, dance was really that escape for me, where I knew that I could go to the studio and just forget about everything else,” she shares. The empowerment that she says she felt in her body while being in the studio was something that felt really good to her. She’s also noticed that as she has gotten older that it is very hard to stay present with everything in life going on, but once she walks into the studio, every worry washes away.
As dancers, we all are used to dancing in front of a mirror and getting the corrections needed in order to make our moves look better. This is something that Amanda says was a struggle for her growing up in the studio. The constant need to compare what she looked like and the perfectionism that comes with that caused some insecurities and worry in her. She would like dancers that are struggling with this issue as well to simply know their own worth.
Moving forward in the dance world, Amanda would like to see much more body inclusivity and for studios to deemphasize the mirror. She shares that teachers can include moments of class oriented away from the mirror, thereby encouraging dancers to not rely solely on the mirror for how something looks, but on how certain moves feel in their bodies. Spotlight engages in Love Your Body Week, a national campaign to encourage body positivity and celebrate all the wonderful things our bodies can do every year, and Amanda would love to see more studios participating in this impactful campaign.
Coming up for Spotlight is the fall dance season! Starting on September 8th, all classes will be held in Spotlight’s new location, making this the first full year in their beautiful new space! Amanda is so excited to welcome new students and families into classes this fall.
Be sure to check out their website here for more information on events and classes that will be at Spotlight this upcoming dance season!
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