Amanda Gaines

Amanda started dancing at the age of 3, and has continued to pursue her passion ever since. She studied jazz, ballet, lyrical, tap, and hip hop at the Dance Shoppe in Plymouth, Minnesota. She was also a member and captain of her high school dance team, the Wayzata Trojets.

After high school, Amanda went on to become a member of the University of Minnesota Dance Team, winning a National Championship her first year on the team, placing in the top 3 every year after that, and serving as Captain her senior year.

Amanda is now in her third year as the Assistant Coach for the University of Minnesota Dance Team, having helped lead the team to back to back National Championships in Division 1A Jazz and Pom. She also helped coach the team to two gold medals and one silver medal when they were selected as Team USA for the 2010 ICU World Championships.

She has worked as a staff member for Universal Dance Association, teaching camps to some of the top high school and college teams across the nation. She has done workshops, technique clinics, and choreography for local high schools and studios, and has had the pleasure to teach and perform in China and Columbia. Some of her most recent national choreography credits include the University of Minnesota Dance Team in 2009 and North Dakota State University Dance Team in 2010 and 2011.