Congratulations to Amanda Mitchell, the latest Editors’ Choice winner for Dance Teacher’s Video of the Month!

Mitchell’s lyrical competition solo, “The Closest I Get,” choreographed by Suzi Taylor (DT December 2013), helped the high school senior win first overall in her age category at Legacy Dance Championships (where the video was filmed), as well as NYCDA’s regional competition in Orlando and Masquerade National Dance Competition.

Mitchell first met Taylor as a student at NYCDA. “Suzi would call me out in convention classes and speak to me individually about my dancing,” she says. Eventually, she worked up the nerve to ask Taylor to choreograph for her. Taylor, who prefers to create solos for students she already knows, agreed. “Amanda’s so specific in her musicality, and she’s so beautiful and strong. I knew what I wanted for her,” she says. This solo, their second collaboration, highlights Mitchell’s strengths with precise body positions and fluid transitions. “So much thought goes into every move of Suzi’s choreography, and she is very helpful with performance tips,” Mitchell says. “She tells me to make sure movement generates from my back and to use all of the space on the stage.”

Mitchell sometimes assists Taylor in class and hopes to study dance in a BFA program next year.

Want to build buzz about your studio, workshop or class? Posting videos to the Dance Teacher Video of the Month Contest is quick, easy and free—and it’s a great way to get noticed. If your video is selected as Editors’ Choice, you’ll be featured on this page, and you’ll win a free one-year subscription to DT! Don’t miss out on a great opportunity—visit dancemedia.com, share your videos and vote for your favorites. Any and all kinds of dance are welcome.