Creative Generation In: Phoenix, Arizona with Amie Kinard

Discovering the Arts Community of Phoenix, Arizona with Amie Kinard 

BY MADDIE PIVONKA

The Collective that makes up Creative Generation consists of artists, educators, makers, and thinkers from around the world. In this series, we’ve decided to highlight inspiring work that’s happening in the cities in which our collective members live. In this blog, Communications Associate Maddie Pivonka looks at one dancer in her hometown of Phoenix, Arizona: Amie Kinard.

Growing up as a competitive dancer in Phoenix, Arizona, my view of the arts mainly came from competitive dance and not much else. So you could say I had a narrow view on the arts community of Phoenix. Although I got to travel and witness talent from around the country, I wasn’t aware of all the artists and creative spaces in my area. My time spent at my studio provided me with some of my closest friends and core memories, but it wasn’t until I traveled to Oklahoma for college that I saw how much more there was to see. I got to create and experiment with new communities that I had not yet tapped into, and I met some really cool people along the way. One of them being Amie Kinard. 

Amie Kinard (they/them) is a 23 year old artist who grew up in Dallas, Texas and graduated from Oklahoma City University with a Bachelor of Science in Dance Pedagogy. Mainly training in ballet and modern dance, Amie was happy to experience new styles like jazz, theater dance, African, and hip-hop in their college years. The added training expanded their horizons as a choreographer and allowed them more resources to pull from for their various projects. After graduating, Amie relocated to Phoenix, seeing it as a middle ground between the hustle and bustle of larger cities like LA and New York. They have been teaching locally at Tutu’s School, which has given them time to hone their teaching abilities with the next generation. Over their almost two years there, they have found their own personal style of teaching and have even been able to teach the kids some of the modern vocabulary they learned growing up. 

Outside of teaching dance, Amie has also made personal connections that have led them to some pretty amazing performance opportunities. When I saw Amie’s post on social media displaying their latest artistic ventures, I was blown away! I never knew there were spaces and venues in Arizona, such as the Boycott Bar, that highlighted talent such as Drag, burlesque dancing, and even pain acts. Amie went to Boycott with a fellow dance teacher, and they were in awe of the burlesque performance. They loved the family and friend-filled atmosphere that was so supportive of everyone on stage. They were immediately drawn in and began reaching out to the performers and owners on social media. This is how they came across their first opportunity to perform as “Ramoana the Last Unicorn”, the persona they live out on the stage. These shows have a variety of talents. As Amie puts it, “anything you can think of you can do it here”. Amie was even able to do a ballet performance on pointe with the Pain Proof Punks, who are a burlesque-based company specializing in acts like dancing on glass, stapling, and even hot wax. Amie has been working with fire, but that is only the beginning of what they want to explore. Amie has also been able to choreograph and perform at more local venues like the Tempe Center for the Arts, working in styles such as contemporary which has definitely been gaining popularity the past few years. Overall, Amie has found a whole new community in Phoenix that I never knew existed. 

Amie has felt a major confidence boost being able to perform however they want in front of such a loving community. They have also loved meeting so many amazing people in the arts and queer communities of Phoenix. They always kept their eyes and heart open which led them to all of these opportunities. I’m sure Amie will continue to “be genuine, kind, and respectful” and doors will continue to open for them. 

As an observer of Amie’s story, I am eager to become involved in the arts community I never knew Phoenix had. It is heartwarming to know there are spaces open to people of all sexualities, identities, and passions so close to home. I hope there is more attention placed on Phoenix’s art community in the near future so more people can become involved like I hope to!