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.
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.