Amanda Hicks was really a breath of fresh air in this online semester of monotonous online lectures. Her excitement, energy, and passion for her craft made her a really fun person to listen to and learn from even if you don’t like what she was discussing. Her excitement was contagious and was probably the most enjoyable online lecture I’ve had all semester. Compared to a lot of teachers who are flung into the online environment and are with reason very unexcited, she brings her joy from the stage to the screen and I think that I was great. I also enjoyed when she talked about the performances that she put on where she organized everything and did it purely out of passion. It relates to what Geoffrey said about his dance studio where they worked for free and then as it grew began to make profit. The message that artists help each other for the art and not for the money stands with this shared experience. Her crash course on opera was really cool too because I was able to really understand some of the musical elements because I have some background in classical music. Overall, Amanda was definitely lands a spot high on the list of guests artists.