Meet Amanda Marie: The Makeup Artist Behind Some of Our Favorite WOD Performances
B-Dash and Jaja's epic "Puppet and Puppet Master" performance from #WODBOS17 is certainly unforgettable. The choreography was on-point, the performance was jaw-dropping, and the makeup was incredible!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XC8zfRWS5HM
Meet Amanda Marie, the mastermind behind B-Dash and Jaja's makeup, as well as a number of others like Kaylee Millis stunning transformation into a doll.
Amanda began dancing at age 11 in her hometown outside of Boston, Massachusetts. She trained at a studio, started a hip-hop team at her high school, then continued to Dean College for her Bachelors in Dance, dancing professionally and instructing thereafter.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrqbqJT0OJ4
"Life is a process and things change. The things I once pursued or tried are just tools I've gathered along the way to put into my toolbox to shape my future and the bigger picture of what I want for myself." - Amanda Marie
December '15 marked her journey with visual arts, as she was at a point in her life where she needed a new outlet to help her heal and keep her mind busy. She ordered a palette of Mehron paints on Amazon, and so began her new passion. She volunteered at a haunted attraction and within a year, she was painting on herself free-hand daily. She continued to invest more into paint, brushes, makeup, SFX kits, and a professional camera to create the concepts that she was creating in her mind.
In high school Amanda knew she wanted to dance professionally, and began booking dance jobs on national television. Feeling like there was something more for herself, she continued with her painting journey all the way up to WOD Boston 2017, where she met Jaja and B-Dash and got to watch her paint/makeup job from the audience. She said, "it was an incredible feeling, watching them perform with my work on them. It was different for me, but seeing it made me know this is what I want to do."
Check out some of her favorite collaborations:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27pzoeYE8rU
Mother Nature visual collaboration with Jaja.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0fYrtvUQ_Q
"Treehouse" music video for rapper Token
WOD: Amanda, where do you find your inspiration?
Amanda: I find my inspiration from a lot of different places. I am heavily inspired by the 80's era and even years before, horror films, and music videos. I find a lot of inspiration when I'm at the dollar store, craft store, nights out - really anywhere!
WOD: What is your favorite dance style to perform?
Amanda: Hip-hop, and jazz funk
WOD: What is your favorite style to teach?
Amanda: Hip Hop! While teaching choreography is great and has its place, teaching the fundamentals and the history behind the culture is just as important.
WOD: Do you have any other interests that we don't see on social media?
Amanda: I like writing poetry and creating video visuals to small beats I create by chopping up loops and vocals.
WOD: What are your goals in the future?
Amanda: To solidify my brand while working on more music videos and creating more conceptual dance videos. Another goal would be to be sponsored or partner up with makeup brands and makeup and paint companies. I also hope to buckle down into learning basic music production to incorporate my painting and the visuals I create, and would really like to get into the high-fashion realm with my creations as well.
You can follow Amanda on Instagram here, and see her in action prepping Kaylee Millis for the "Mary's Closet" video.
