Festival Sessions:
Online Festival Co-Host
Amanda Newman
Amanda Newman (she/her/hers) is a dancer, licensed social worker, community organizer, and cross-field collaborator. As Director of Communications and Associate Director of Programming at Dance Exchange, she believes deeply in the power of gathering, moving, and making together as a way to deepen our understanding of ourselves, our world, and all that we are co-creating in it.
Originally from Utah, Amanda earned her BFA in Modern Dance at the University of Utah, but did her most important learning about dance and community while moving and making in museums, summer camps, living rooms, and parking lots. Amanda first came to Dance Exchange in the 2014-15 season as a resident artist, youth programs facilitator, and communications coordinator. In that season, she was project manager, key facilitator, and performer in New Hampshire Avenue: This is a Place To.... Amanda then spent a year as a healthcare innovation fellow with Health for America at MedStar Health—an experience which affirmed her belief in artists as agents of change in all of our biggest, messiest institutions. Most recently, Amanda completed her master's in social work at Hunter College in New York. In addition to her work with Dance Exchange, Amanda is Program Manager of Social Impact at Community-Word Project in New York City and continues to support innovative healthcare initiatives at MedStar Institute for Innovation. Amanda lives in Astoria, Queens, with her partner Nick, their dog Mac, and their backyard compost bin Connie.
