Hi. I’m Amanda.
I’m a dancer, singer, performer, writer, leader, and connector.
At age seven, I fell in love with the stage.
From the front seat of the car—following the riffs of my favorite singers—to the ice skating rink, dance studio, or my bedroom, the world itself quickly became my stage. And to this day, not much has changed.
When I’m on stage, there is literally nowhere else in the world I'd rather be.
That moment right before the first beat of the music starts—when the lights go dark and the audience quiets—the energy of that split second is electrifying. It feels like this slip in time where all of a sudden, we're transported to a different space, a different place, a different time.
I hope to spark a sense of aliveness in those who see me perform. There are so many parts of ourselves—that we quiet, suppress, ignore, or simply don't give enough time or attention to—that I believe art allows us to really feel. When we sit in a theatre and watch live art we—knowingly or not—give ourselves permission to unlock those well hidden pieces within us.
When people watch me perform, I hope the energy of my intentions—my soul, my love, and the passion for what I do—is felt. I hope it's subtle enough for them to perhaps not even recognize how, but for them to sit and question why.
Dancing, singing, and performing changed my life, and I hope it changes the lives of the people who get to witness it too.
I love working with people who are exciting and intriguing.
Although the body of work I'm performing is incredibly important—the story, the music, the choreography, etc—it's not exciting or intriguing to me if the people involved aren't exciting or intriguing.
I've always gravitated towards working with people who I can learn from. Being in their presence everyday—watching how they navigate the material, the embodiment of their character, and work ethic—is more informative than any book I could read or class I could take on the subject.
My relationship with performing has been transformative, to say the least.
Young Amanda—oh my god, spitfire! Her confidence and tenacity were through the roof. The more time I spent—in class or performing—the more of it I wanted. The craving felt insatiable and I was having the time of my life.
But as the recognition came, so did the external negativity. I began to second guess my talents, and felt incredibly unsure whether or not I could handle the pressure and succeed. There was a time I almost quit all together, but then a teacher came a long and asked me to try out for the school musical.
I got the lead.
That experience renewed my love for performing, while expanding the ways in which I believed I could. Cut to many years later—after a few great and not so great performing gigs—I booked Hamilton, one of the biggest and most well-known shows in the world.
Although this career path has made me traverse through some exceptionally terrible and difficult terrain, I know I made no mistake putting all my eggs in one basket and dedicating myself to this craft. I’d be remiss, though, if I said I accomplished this all on my own. My family, teachers, mentors, and friends have been paramount in supporting my dreams, and I thank them endlessly.
My friends have said I’m…
Fearless, talented, charismatic, compassionate, hilarious, brave, passionate, confident, bold, creative, grounded, thoughtful, tender, soulful, a role model, have infectious energy and great hair.
If you’d like to see me perform, you can catch me on the And Peggy tour of Hamilton. Follow along on Instagram @_amandaclement to see where I’m performing now!
FOLLOW ALONG | @_AMANDACLEMENT
