Layla Amis received her dance education from World College of The Arts in Miami, and in Chicago including training with Hubbard Street Chicago and Gus Giordano Jazz Dance Center. Layla has danced professionally with New World Modern Dance Company, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Deeply Rooted Dance Theatre, the Gail Gilbert Dance Ensemble, among others.
In 1998 Layla served as Artistic Director for Dance Arts Los Alamos for two years, and in 1999 she co-founded Moving People Dance Santa Fe, a non-profit professional contemporary dance company and school. Layla served as School Director and co-Artistic director for Moving People Dance Santa Fe for five years, teaching ballet, modern dance technique and repertoire, as well as producing, directing and choreographing for over 20 pre-professional and professional productions. In 2005 Layla accepted the position of School Director for Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet in San Francisco. During her time at LINES Layla helped build the LINES Ballet Summer Program to one of the premiere Summer Intensive programs in the country, along with creating a Year-Round Training Program for young pre-‐professionals and “Discovery Project”, a national outreach program. In 2009, Layla returned to New Mexico to serve as Executive Director for Moving People Dance Santa Fe, and in 2014 moved to Albuquerque, where she was on faculty at several local dance studios and on faculty at the University of New Mexico.