Amanda Zawisza

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Amanda Zawisza (she/her) is a multi-disciplinary artist stepping into the role of Creative Director for étude. She is a performance artist with a vast resume including a variety of dancer, aerialist, character performer, and vocalist roles with Tokyo Disney Resort (Oriental Land Co.), Disney Cruise Line, ConteXture Dance Detroit, and a number of freelance projects. She graduated from Wayne State University, achieving a BFA in Dance with Honors, a BSED in Kinesiology concentrated in Exercise & Sport Science, minoring in Psychology. She is also a National Strength and Conditioning Association Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and passionate movement educator, specializing in training performing artists.

Throughout her time in university, she developed a passion for graphic design and used a number of resources to learn programs in the Adobe Creative Cloud, becoming proficient in Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator among others. She was given the opportunity to put this skillset to use and to excel in a number of roles revolving around creative arts management, communications, & marketing in a number of environments including Complexions Contemporary Ballet Detroit Summer Intensive, the American Dance Festival, Theatre & Dance at Wayne, Dance Workshop, and Wayne State University. She is well-versed in creating promotional material for publicity on a number of platforms, coordinating events for fundraising or performance, managing social media, developing a company or project’s brand, and effectively & efficiently completing and organizing tasks. 

As Creative Director of étude, Amanda oversees all advertising and marketing efforts. This includes designing all promotional material for shows and events, managing social media and online presence, utilizing assets for development and publicity purposes, and shaping brand standards. She seeks to take the stress away from artists like herself by taking on these tasks while also keeping the artist in communication with her every step of the way. Amanda believes in honoring and supporting the artist and their vision, ensuring their work is authentically represented while being engaging to potential audience members.

Amanda is currently on contract working in Tokyo, Japan with Oriental Land Company at Tokyo Disney Resort, performing in the Fantasyland Forest Theatre and bringing “Mickey’s Magical Musical World” to life. While she is not able to be present at events this season, she is still involved in the development of our Current Projects and continues to send all her love and support étude and our artists. She is so excited to see Detroit performance continue to grow, and is honored to be connected to such an incredible community.

Bella Brown

ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTOR

Bella Brown (she/her) is a Detroit-based freelance movement artist and arts administrator with experience in a variety of performance settings. She graduated from Wayne State University, receiving her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance. It was during her time at the Maggie Allessee Theatre and Dance Department that she discovered a deep, unwavering passion for the production of dance and performance art in its many forms.

While in school, Bella was appointed Housing Director for the Complexions Contemporary Ballet Detroit Summer Intensive (2017 - 2019) while also working as an administrative assistant (2016- 2019) for the program. Here she honed her skills as an administrator, learning the ins and outs of full-scale event production and concert dance facilitation. It was also during this time that she was elected President of Dance Workshop, Wayne State’s student-led dance company, directing the entire company of dancers and choreographers, fundraising, marketing, and producing the season's annual show. Bella is the recipient of the Copperfoot Award for her outstanding contribution of choreography to the Wayne State Department of Dance in 2018.

Outside of school, Bella brought her passion and knowledge to the social scene, producing the recurring drag show, WIG (2017-2018), as well as helping to lead the marketing and photography for the event. Bella also has experience in stage managing, lighting, costuming, and directing through her own choreographic endeavors, most notable her work Where my Body Stays, which was produced by the étude team in 2021. Offstage and outside of the office, Bella pursues her dance career in the development of a curriculum for the aging population working with dancers in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. She is also currently on staff at the Vixen Dance Studio, located in Detroit. Bella is invigorated by her work with étude as the company’s Administrative Director, and uses her skills to aid étude clientele as well as the team itself in long-term strategic planning, overseeing daily operations, delegating tasks, and managing personnel. She is excited to see where the future of Detroit Dance will take her and the étude team.

Maddy Petz

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Maddy Petz (she/her) is an enthusiastic creator with a career focus in dance performance and its many avenues.  With a BFA in Dance from Wayne State University, her experience involves a wide range of industry skills including technical dance education, performance, choreography, and production. 

While achieving her degree, she honed her ability to bring a vision to life from the smallest inkling of a concept to full-fledged production.  In 2019, the Maggie Allesee Department of dance presented her with two Copperfoot Awards for remarkable choreography and production execution with her work Come in Take a Seat (2018) and Three by Three (2019).  In addition to the pursuit of her own choreographic endeavors, she also had the pleasure of choreographing Wayne State’s production of Mamma Mia! the Musical, challenging her imaginative skills and illuminating her passion for storytelling through dance.

While currently performing as a company dancer with Take Root Dance, teaching at Kercheval Dance, and coaching the Grosse Pointe South Dance Team, Maddy is most eager to create and share her own artistic ventures in Detroit. étude’s latest performance in 2021, BEYOND THE SOUND, featured an excerpt of her work A “PRETTY. ODD.” Experience, with the full production set to premiere as a part of étude’s inaugural season this Summer 2022. With an artistic style that lends towards over-the-top musical theatre style performance and design, Maddy has a great deal of experience navigating the many obstacles involved in executing a large-scale production. As a movement artist and choreographer herself, she understands the inner workings of a performance, helping to bridge the gap between conceptual artistic vision and tangible end product.

As Artistic Director of étude, Maddy works side by side with artists in every step of their journey; assisting with location scouting, costume preparation, performance logistics, and general creative consulting. With the goal of bringing the Detroit art scene to the forefront, she strives to remain true to the artist’s vision, using her vast resources to further elevate the work.