Amanda Drago
Artistic practice: Dance; Creative Producer
Can also offer advice and support with:
- Public engagement: Adults; Young People/Schools
- Fundraising
Graduating from Northern School of Contemporary Dance, Amanda initially had a 20-year career performing, teaching, choreographing and producing dance in the North East. She has performed work by Wayne McGregor, Charlotte Vincent, Ben Wright and Colin Poole and has worked for Northern Stage, Dance City and Northern School Of Contemporary Dance developing dance and engaging audiences in dance. She has taught dance to all ages and from beginners to advanced, including students starting their own vocational dance training at Dance City’s Centre for Advanced Training programme, SEN children in hospital contexts and multi age community groups for carnival. She has worked at policy level as Relationships Manager Dance & Combined Arts at Arts Council England.
She continues to teach yoga, adult ballet and sound therapy sessions within community spaces in West Northumberland / East Cumbria.
Amanda jointly leads the artistic direction of Green Croft Arts alongside Kit Haigh. As Creative Producer for Green Croft Arts she produces art that places the community at heart. She is also responsible for the strategic vision, partnership building and managing the finances of the organisation.
Green Croft Arts are a not for profit social enterprise. Our mission is to improve the health and wellbeing of visitors and rural communities on the Northumberland / Cumbria border through arts, cultural and wellbeing activities that connect people with the landscape and heritage of the area. We do this by creating artistic experiences that engage people in a place or a space and offer activities that connect the mind with the body: dance, yoga, meditation and walking. Examples of our work include Zen Garden, an interactive sound and light Creative Play installation for SEND children and their families at Theatre Hullabaloo, Darlington which had over 8,000 visitors. Sound walk along Hadrian’s Wall, Collision & Conflict featuring 9 artists commissions within the landscape winning international Sound Walk September Award 2021. Community Engagement lead on the Hadrian’s Wall 1900 Festival in 2022 working with the festival producers to embed community engagement in the festival programme. Trailblazer: Delia Derbyshire – A 2 day festival and touring exhibition that highlighted the work of electronic music pioneer Delia Derbyshire, her most celebrated work Dr Who and her little known connection to Gilsland and Cumbria.
