Life & Work with Amanda Finch of Raleigh

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Finch.

Hi Amanda, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started aerial acrobatics 10 years ago as a way to stay fit and lose weight. I soon fell in love with it and decided I wanted to become a professional performer. I attended the New England Centre for Circus arts, and Ecole Cirque du national of cirque du Soleil in montreal as part of my professional acrobatic training –

I started a production company based in Raleigh and started subcontracting other performing acts as a full service entertainment company nationwide for corporate events , galas and NBA halftime shows.
I created a summer reading program to tour and perform at libraries all over North Carolina, Indiana, Kentucky, to teach children about exercise, diet, and the importance of reading. That’s probably my most enjoyable part of my business is the social outreach for children in rural communities that lack the resources to see or participate in performing arts.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
I have definitely learned a lot of hard lessons along the way. Managing performers , staff , and being responsible for the safety of others that are performing in the air, costuming, and learning how to write performance contracts and read insurance documents thoroughly. I’ve learned over the years how to advocate for myself and others. And had to have some difficult conversations on how to be assertive and professional. I’ve learned over the years to listen to my gut instinct and go with that when I feel something is off. Owning your own business you wear many hats, bookkeeping, human resources, contracting, insurance stocks, costuming, travel, psychiatrist to people that are having a rough day. I’ve learned to implement and set boundaries when I feel overwhelmed, but I’m still learning how to make it more of a smooth road.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a professional Aerialist acrobat, and I’m a creative director and producer of entertainment for corporate events, galas halftime shows.

I am most proud that I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity and be excepted to attend school at Ecole cirque du Nationale in Montreal –
At the time I applied for the program I think I was the oldest Acrobat at the age of 36. So I was really shocked when I got in and extremely proud that I had the opportunity. I had the chance to learn from some of the greatest past Cirque du Soleil performers and coaches.

I am a very empathetic person being that I was a performer so I kind a know the backend of everything for new performers coming into the industry. It can be intimidating and the paperwork can be hard to grasp. I like giving other people the opportunity to shine in particular a more diverse background. There are not a lot of black or people of colour in this industry so I really like to make sure that I give people that are marginalized the opportunity to perform.
I create personal connections with all of my clients and try to be a yes person and go above and beyond so I create long-term relationships with clients that are sustainable long-term.

What do you like and dislike about the city?
What I like best about Raleigh is there are so many different greenways, parks and our city is growing which gives us a lot of opportunity to have more of a melting pot culturally.

I love the neighbourhood I live in I live downtown in 5 Points and my neighbourhoods really peaceful and all my neighbours are from different age backgrounds, so I feel like I get a little bit of the history and I can walk with my dog Darla to get pizza if I need to at Lilly’s.

I love the farmers market in the summer the tomatoes are amazing.

What I like least about Raleigh is some things in particular with performing arts seem to be too inclusive, I would like to see more social outreach programs that make performing arts more accessible to children in particular that come from a lower socioeconomic background. I come from a family of six kids and growing up there was no way my parents could afford gymnastics, but I desperately wanted to be a gymnast. So I understand that opportunity and resources in particular financial resources can make a big difference in a child’s life.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.downtoearthaerials.com
• Instagram: Down to earth Aerials
• Facebook: Down to earth Aerials
• Linkedin: Amanda Finch
• Youtube: Down to earth Aerials