Amanda Peñaloza-Banks, Teaching Artist
(Laban/Bartenieff & Somatic Studies, Certified Movement Analyst & Somatic Practitioner (CMA-SP) International Somatic Movement Education & Therapy Association, International Registered Somatic Movement Educator (RSME), London Contemporary Dance School, BA Honors, Contemporary Dance and Choreography)
With CoTA since 2014
Amanda Peñaloza-Banks is a Certified Movement Analyst & Somatic Practitioner, a Registered Somatic Movement Educator, and a facilitator/teacher of dance and movement with people of diverse ages and backgrounds.
With extensive training in dance performance, choreography, and teaching, she performed for 15 years with contemporary dance companies in Europe. This work also initiated her 25+ years of professional practice in dance and movement education. Amanda has been a teaching artist with CoTA for nine years, and also teaches and choreographs in community, educational, and professional settings. Her current work includes actor movement training in San Diego area universities (2013-current), training for expressive movement facilitators (2022-current), and community-based somatic dance and movement for adults (2013-current).
Her ongoing movement practice, research, and teaching are driven by inquiry into how we as individuals and communities can experience our embodied nature, bestowed as we are with the gifts of sensation, emotion, imagination, creativity, cognition, and intuition.
Amanda’s website: https://www.ourembodiednature.com/