Rising Stars: Meet Amanda Bernice

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

Hi Amanda, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Growing up, my grandpa would take me to Jardine’s after church for lunch and I just fell in love with the music. I was quite young when we would go and it put a lasting effect on my life as a dancer. In the same time frame, I was going to dance classes at Diane’s School of Dance in Platte Woods and was regularly taking tap and jazz classes.

After college when I came back home, I was dating this guy and he asked me to take dance lessons with him to this live band called Dave Stephens. The show got rained out and we were asked if we wanted to join Dave at his next show and of course, we said yes. Well, that was the night I discovered Lindy Hop and I was sold. It’s now been 13 years of this great land of swing dance and jazz.

627 Stomp was created as a need for a void in our swing dance community that didn’t exist at the time (2013) sustainability. At this time it was me and my friend, Carmen Feathers who created 627 Stomp. We recruited several friends to help teach regular classes and workshops to ensure the community had financial growth to sustain itself.

Today, thanks to so many people who have helped move 627 Stomp into a community endeavor of keeping Kansas City’s rich dance and jazz history not only alive but completely active, it is amazing. There were definitely ups and downs for sure but the jazz musicians and dancers we work with and serve are what make this organization without them we wouldn’t exist.

As of October, we became a 501c3 and we can’t wait to do more for this community!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Oh no, it hasn’t lol. We have had many people tell us what we were trying to accomplish over the years and tell us what we are doing is not for the community. The amount of humans in the swing dance community that just did not support the idea of paying for classes or events to ensure actual funds were going back into the community is astonishing.

We’ve had teachers and performers that have taken a job and then just didn’t show up for gigs or classes where we were hired to perform and teach. It definitely became at times frustrating and disheartening when some people I cared about and trusted didn’t believe in what we were trying to do.

At the end of the day though our community pulled through and we are happy to say we have an amazingly supportive community.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Currently, I am acting president of 627 Stomp but at some point, I would love to see someone step up, so I can do what I love, which is teaching. I would love to be the education coordinator and spend my time doing that as much as possible. I specialize in vernacular jazz dances. Dances of the swing era essentially. These dances include Lindy Hop, Charleston, Balboa, and Heel Shag.

I am most proud of starting my own lifelong dream of being a Radio City Rockette. Just kidding, I am too short to be a Rockette. I am very proud of founding the Kansas City Canaries which is our local vintage chorus girl troupe right here in Kansas City. The Canaries are literally like family to me. We have our home studio Dance Fit Flow which is equally a supportive family to me and where I currently train in more fun modern dances!

I think what sets me apart from others is a love of jazz, dance, and the rich history that comes along with both. I love training in dances that not a lot of people at least locally choose as a part of their career path. I want to ensure these dances and this music continue to thrive for more generations to discover and fall in love with

Risk-taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
You can’t really start a business of any kind without risks. For me, that was being on a pre-k teacher’s salary when starting all of this and putting all of my money into traveling and training. Placing quite a bit of money in a brand new business venture without really knowing if it would survive or if I would financially survive.

I think the risk is necessary if you want something. If I didn’t take risks, my life would be quite boring.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected] and [email protected]
• Website: www.627stomp.org and https://www.kccanaries.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/627stomp/ or https://www.instagram.com/kansascitycanaries/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/627stomp or https://www.facebook.com/kccanaries
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTe3AVnYIeABBHQSRNdLGgQ

Image Credits:
Ben Todd Photography, Molly Polsen, and Omaha Azn