Amanda Clark Tanruther
Amanda is the Director of Dance at the Cleveland School of the Arts and serves as Department Chair for Theater, Dance, and Creative Writing, a role she has held for eight years. In this position, she oversees curriculum design, production logistics, budgeting, and the hiring of guest artists and artists-in-residence. She also teaches movement classes, dance history, anatomy, and kinesiology, ensuring that students engage deeply with the academic and artistic dimensions of dance. Amanda’s career in public teaching spans 14 years, with prior adjunct roles at Case Western Reserve University and Kent State University, where she taught dance history and dance science.
Amanda’s professional philosophy centers on equitable access to quality arts education and on strengthening the academic substance of arts programs. She is passionate about helping students connect beyond performance, encouraging critical thinking, creativity, and lifelong engagement in the arts. Her leadership is informed by her own experience growing up in a public school with a daily dance program, which instilled in her the belief that access to arts education is transformative. She emphasizes structure, organization, and collaborative problem-solving, aiming to create programs that are both academically rigorous and inspiring for students.
Amanda holds a BFA in Dance Education with a K–12 concentration from Kent State University and an MFA in Contemporary Dance from Case Western Reserve University, where she earned the Henry Kurse Award for Theatrical Excellence and the Grace Pito Award for Research Excellence. She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Education, with her dissertation focused on equitable access to arts education. Her contributions to the field have been recognized with the 2023 National Dance Education Organization Outstanding K–12 Educator Award and other honors for educational leadership, reflecting her commitment to shaping the next generation of artists and leaders in dance.
• Bachelor's of Fine Arts in Dance Education
• Master's of Fine Arts in Contemporary Dance
• K-12 Education Concentration
• Doctor of Education (in progress) with dissertation focusing on equitable access to quality arts education
• Kent State University- B.F.A.
• Case Western Reserve University- M.F.A.
• National Dance Education Organization's Outstanding K-12 Educator Award (2023)
• Outstanding Educational Leadership Award from College of Arts and Sciences at Kent State University
• Henry Kurse Award for Theatrical Excellence from Case Western Reserve University
• Grace Pito Award for Research Excellence from Case Western Reserve University
• National Dance Education Organization
• Board of Representatives for National Dance Education Organization (while at Kent State)
• International Association for Dance Medicine and Science (served on board while at Case Western)
What do you attribute your success to?
I've always loved dance and couldn't picture my life without it. When I was deciding what real life would look like at the end of high school and everyone was talking about medical school or law school, I just couldn't imagine not dancing. My parents told me I would never have a job and never have any money in this field, but I did lots of pushback and told them I would make it work. And here I am, making it work. I've always had an eye for the macro and looking at the big picture. Even early on in undergrad, I told people I wanted to be an administrator because it feels good to be able to help in a bigger capacity. I like structure and organization, and there's something fun about identifying problems and being able to find a way to fix them with other people, collaborating with more people in more areas.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
A major challenge—and opportunity—in my field is the inequitable access to quality arts education. I’m working to address this through thoughtful curriculum design and my ongoing doctoral research.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me are ensuring equitable access to arts education, celebrating the joy and community of dance, fostering collaboration, and maintaining structure and continual learning in program design.