Marrying Opposites: Dancing with Amanda Sommers
Ballet and modern, dancing with and against the music, moving in front of an audience or a camera. These are just some of the ways Amanda Sommers has managed to marry opposites and differences throughout her career.
Growing up studying classical dance techniques, Sommers's eyes were opened when she matriculated to Marymount Manhattan College to pursue a BFA. There, Sommers was first introduced to contemporary dance styles and the many ways in which the body can move. Contemporary dance, says Sommers, "is a fusion of ballet and modern techniques. It's amazing how two such opposite techniques/forms of dance can be blended to form something so beautiful."
This idea - the merging of two seemingly dissimilar ideas - is something Sommers has continued to explore throughout her career. In her own personal movement style, Sommers is heavily influenced by music. This can manifest itself in different ways, and Sommers can adjust her style to either reflect or contrast the music she is dancing to. The confidence she has gained through this experimentation has allowed her to succeed in many different arenas, including acting and modeling. "I would definitely say that they all feed into each other," says Sommers. "The experience I have on stage dancing helps me to better myself while in front of the camera."
This range of movement and the confidence she has built through dancing has translated to success outside of the studio. Since graduating Summa Cum Laude from Marymount in 2018, Sommers has danced for Sean Roschman Dance Company, modeled on TV for Pix11, NBC and Fox5 and, in 2019, joined Barkin/Selissen Project as a Company dancer. She has also participated in the KOLLISION Fashion Show for New York Fashion Week and modeled for BLOCH dancewear, among other brands.
Sommers sees these different aspects of her career as opportunities, and the people she encounters along the way as never-ending sources of inspiration. As someone who doesn't shy away from trying new things, always open to challenges and change, Sommers seeks to involve herself in as many facets of the arts as she can. "This mentality," she says, "has helped me greatly in developing my artistic voice and expression....which is still evolving daily!"
For now, opportunities to move and share her artistic expression have been curbed by COVID-19, but Sommers remains optimistic. "I cannot wait to dance and partner and share a space with other artists again," she says. In the meantime, we all wait, hoping, like Sommers, to find inspiration each day.
