DAVID J AMADO
ABOUT
David J. Amado | Interdisciplinary Artist
David J. Amado is a Jamaican-American interdisciplinary artist working across dance, film, poetry, and performance between Portugal and Brazil.
A graduate of Columbia University and certified in the Vaganova method through the Classical Dance Alliance, Inc., his work explores the integration of Afro-diasporic movement systems into classical ballet training, approaching ballet as a culturally situated and evolving form.​
​He is the founder and director of Ballet para Todos, an initiative supported by Portugal’s Ministry of Culture/DGARTES and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, expanding access to ballet education in underserved communities through technical rigor, somatic awareness, and culturally responsive practices.​​
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As a choreographer and performer, he collaborated on O Barco / The Boat by Grada Kilomba, presented at MAAT, Staatliche Kunsthalle Baden-Baden, and Inhotim. His films Velveteen and True Colors have screened internationally and aired on RTP África. A Fulbright Semifinalist (2026–2027), he is currently developing his first feature film, TASTE.​
His academic practice centers on reimagining ballet pedagogy, while his artistic practice explores masculinity, desire, migration, and the experiences of queer Black bodies in movement and transition.