Fernanda Amaral is an extremely experienced and accomplished choreographer and dance teacher from Brazil. She has 20 years of experience in teaching and performing in UK, Europe and South, Central and North America, including Brooklyn Academy of Music, ‘Next Wave’ Festival in New York, The Place in London, Down to Earth in Dublin, Beat Initiative in Belfast, UWIC in Wales and São Paulo University in Brazil.

Fernanda Amaral has taught Body Awareness, Improvisation, Mixed Ability dance and Afro-Brazilian dance workshops in many different situations, always getting everyone up and moving, whatever their ability, age and background. Her workshops have been very well received at many Colleges, Universities, Schools and Special Schools. Also at Festivals, Activity Breaks and Alternative Holidays, such as the WOMAD Festival in the UK, Prague, Spain, Canaries, Huzur Vadisi Alternative Holiday in Turkey and, for the last few years, in the annual Tor/Glastonbury Dance Festival.

Fernanda’s workshops aim to re-connect the individual with their physical being as their ‘home’, and express this individuality through movement, to listen to the body and respond to different stimulus, such as sounds, rhythms and one's environment.

Achievements

Awards Received

• Lisa Ulman Scholarship, France (1999)
• Go Wales Training Grant, Argentina (2004)
• Arts Council of Wales Development Grant, DanceAbility USA (2005)
• Wales Arts International, Project in Guatemala (2006)

Comments:

Fernanda Amaral wooed WOMAD dance enthusiasts last year in Caceres, Prague and Las Palmas, as well as our UK festival in Reading. Fernanda's warmth and enthusiasm relaxed the most reluctant workshop participant.
Annie Menter, Education Co-ordinator, WOMAD

Fernanda’s workshops are always great fun as people —‘Learn to laugh with your body’!

Fenanda’s enthusiasm and love of life lit up the sessions, and helped the most inhibited of us to have a go. I really enjoyed the variety and content approaches in each session, yet came away by the end feeling I’d really learnt a lot. Overall it was great fun, and my body feels awake and happy.
Caroline Armstrong, Counsellor

“Shake your hips?” “ wiggle your bum” are not the kind of instructions that I received on a daily basis!!! Thanks to Fernanda for a week in a different world. I guess that quite a few people can teach the steps of Brazilian dance but I doubt that anyone else can communicate its spirit as infectiously as Fernanda. It was huge fun?
Carrie, Priest

“The week I went was a Latin American dancing course, taught by Penelope Cruz lookalike and splendid dancer Fernanada Amaral, who believes dance teaches you to ‘learn to laugh with your whole body’. Given that I dance like a Womble, it isn’t exactly hard for me to make people laugh when I’m shaking my booty, but the tutor’s charm and enthusiasm were so great, everyone ended up foxy enchantresses of the samba world and even put on a show at the end.”
Article for an American magazine by Jenny Colgan, freelance journalist for the Guardian and The Scotsman

Fernanda Amaral also delivers Training for Business and Organisations:

Training and Empowerment Through Movement

Stress management

• Relaxation
• Tension Release
• Body Awareness

Improving communication

• Self esteem, confidence
• Presence and focus in work
• Assertiveness
• Better performance

Work-life balance

• Finding the fun and spontaneity
• Time Management
• Time for yourself
• Listening to your body