ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
mandie@fwdc.org
Mandie Kolkman is a graduate of Butler University where she performed as a member of the renowned Butler Ballet for four seasons. Originally from New Orleans, Mandie is now a choreographer, dancer, director, and teacher based in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Her extensive dance training began at the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet under the direction of the late Marcia Dale Weary. Mandie also trained at programs hosted by Atlanta Ballet, Boston Ballet and was on a scholarship at Houston Ballet.
Mandie has choreographed and danced with several professional performing arts companies, both regionally and locally, including New Orleans Ballet Theatre, Delta Festival Ballet, dAnce.Kontemporary, Fort Wayne Civic Theatre, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Fort Wayne Dance Collective, and Three Rivers Music Theatre. Mandie’s recent work includes featured dancer in Civic’s Seussical the Musical (Anthony Award Winner for Best Female Dancer in a Musical), co – choreographer/co-director of TRMT and FWDC’s Songs For a New World (Broadway World and Arts United Award nominee), and FWDC’s Collective Expressions (Broadway World Winner for Best Dance Show).
With arts advocacy always on her mind, Mandie has been successful in generating unique ways to introduce the arts to her community. Mandie is the creator of Fort Wayne’s Broadway Street Stroll, an all day annual art event. She was also the producer of a podcast titled “Art to Heart” in which she interviewed some of the most distinguished artists in the greater Fort Wayne area.
Mandie Kolkman has served as the Fort Wayne Dance Collective’s (FWDC) Artistic Director since 2017. In this role, Mandie strives to be a catalyst for growth and encourages creative minds through her passion and knowledge of the arts. She helps produce 6 public performances for FWDC per year, assists in the leadership of over 50 movement and rhythm artists, and oversees programming that serves over 30K in our community. In her time at FWDC, she has been a key staff member involved in the growth of the FWDC Touring Company and the Parkview Healing Arts Program.