Amanda Hankes was born in Denver, Colorado. At age nine, she began her dance training at the Irine Fokine School of Ballet in Ridgewood, NJ. She joined the School of American Ballet (SAB), the official school of New York City Ballet, full-time in the fall of 1989 and five years later joined Miami City Ballet as a member of the corps de ballet. After dancing in Miami for six years, Ms. Hankes joined New York City Ballet in June 2000 as a member of the corps de ballet.

Since joining New York City Ballet, Ms. Hankes has danced featured roles in:

George Balanchine's:

• Agon
• Ballo Della Regina
• The Four Temperaments
• George Balanchine's The Nutcracker™ (Hot Chocolate and Flowers)
• Tschaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2

Peter Martins':

• Romeo + Juliet (The Nurse)
• The Sleeping Beauty (Lilac Fairy)
• Swan Lake (Princesses)

and Jerome Robbins':

• Fanfare (Harp)

Ms. Hankes originated corps roles in:

• Eliot Feld's Organon
• Mr. Martins' Burleske
• Susan Stroman's Double Feature (Peggy)
• Christopher Wheeldon's Carnival of the Animals