“It started when I was three years [old] and I saw Freddy Mercury on TV,” said Amado Mio, 25 year old dancer, singer, and entertainer. “From then on I’ve been captivated by dance and performance art.”
Amado was born in the Cape Verde Islands and grew up in Massachusetts. His name “Amado” means “beloved” or “he who loves God.” The second name “Mio” means “lover of mine.” Amado explained, “While I was in my self-discovery phase, I was searching what my name meant and what I found blew my mind.” He continued, “I came across a movie named Gilda starring the legendary Rita Hayworth, [and] in the movie she sings a song called “Amado Mio.” That prompted him to add “Mio” to his birth given first name. He credited God for changing the way he thought of himself, for he disliked his name as a child and wanted a more common one. The name is now something he holds in high regard.
“Ever since I was [a] child I would always be dancing and singing and putting on shows with my cousins for our relatives during the holidays,” said Amado. One day in Sunday school, his teacher recognized his knack for singing and suggested that he would become a performer. His parents then recognized his talent and enlisted him in various talent shows, theatre programs, and dance schools.
“Rhythm Addict TV is a media dance company that covers the East Coast dance scene,” he said. “We provide headshots and reels for dancers as well as cover dance workshops, dance competitions, and [we] have interviewed the top choreographers in the world.” In April 2011, Amado created the company with Joanne Juele, Co-founder of Rhythm Addict TV, photographer, and videographer.
Amado interviewing the dance crew ABDC’s Rhythm City’s Midas Touch during their 1st place win at the East Coast Prelude Dance Competition.
“We both had a passion for dance and we felt there was a void that needed to be filled in the East Coast dance community. There was so much happening here in NYC, New England and the DMV area that wasn’t being covered online. We believe dancers are artists as well and don’t get the recognition they’re due. We’ve personally fought for dancers rights and wanted to give dancers an outlet to tell their story.”
In this Rhythm Addict TV playlist, Amado interviews various professionals from the industry. A notable one is Rhapsody James, a dance choreographer who has worked with Beyonce, Trey Songz, and Ariana Grande among others. Use the top-left corner of the video to navigate the playlist. Rhapsody is at 14 and 15:
In the beginning, Amado and Joanna covered events, and over time they sought to expand their coverage and develop original content. “We wanted to know more about the dancers and teams that we covered at showcases and classes. Event coverage got people’s attention let us get into the dancers’ stories.” Surprisingly, the world’s top choreographers gave them instant access, which lead to more coverage and interviews.
“We just signed a deal with Dance On network out in L.A., so we plan on expanding it to the west coast as well since a lot of our dancers have moved and traveled to the west coast for work and training. We’ve also been working on new content to release this Winter season. The series is called Profiles, its the diary of a dancer reminiscent of MTV’s Diary. We’re also in the process of creating a dance competition for young dancers.”
A forthcoming EP is in the works in addition to various concept videos, an art book, and a novel by Amado. “I’m really excited to get my ideas and visions out in hope to inspire others and make others conscious of the spiritual realm.” In the future, he wants to create a non-profit performing/creative arts organization for homeless children, where they can be trained and mentored. He is very creative, and he was even featured on Timeout.com’s most stylish New Yorkers page. Amado was also featured as part of a NBC article for his charity work, which can be viewed here.
Amado wanted to share advice with the aspiring entertainers out there. “Your talent can only take you so far, it’s about your work-ethic and the relationships you have. It’s important to master your craft and work on improving it every day. Your only competition should be yourself.” He encouraged others to follow their dreams. “If you want to live a happy, full-filling, passionate, adventurous life then following your dreams is the only option.” He closed with the following: “The visions and dreams that we made into reality are the ones that will inspire others forever.”
A freestyle dance video he created is below:
Follow Amado Mio on:
Instagram: @amaredeus
Facebook: Amado Miio
YouTube: Rhythm Addicts TV
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Original article appeared at Dreamer Loop. Reprinted with permission.
Photo credit: Dreamer Loop