August 9th 2023

WHATZUP – DANCE COLLECTIVE COLLABORATES FOR OPENER

Join Fort Wayne Dance Collective as they kick off their 2023-24 season with Collective Expressions on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 19-20, at Purdue Fort Wayne’s Williams Theatre.

Mandie Kolkman, FWDC’s director, said that each year FWDC staff come up with a concept for the storyline of Collective Expressions. Then they collaborate with their professional company members to develop the idea.

“Each member of the company has a uniquely beautiful story to tell that has been shaped by the distinct experiences of their lives,” she said. “Through our creative process, we have found unity in our diversity, and we celebrate one another’s artistic vision wholeheartedly.”

June 28th 2023

ARTS UNITED – ARTS UNITED ANNOUNCES THE SOUTHEAST ARTS PROJECT GRANT RECIPIENTS

Arts United announced today the Community Connections: Southeast Arts Project Grants program recipients. This program, administered by Arts United of Greater Fort Wayne and energized by NIPSCO and the NiSource Charitable Foundation, is intended to bring together residents in Southeast Fort Wayne to enhance a sense of pride and community through unique artistic experiences. Grants will provide funding to support arts and culture projects in Southeast Fort Wayne.

The recipients of the Community Connections grants are:

May 30th 2023

PARKVIEW HEALTH BLOG – THE POWER OF ART TO HEAL EMOTIONS

Vicki Junk-Wright, healing artist, shared this story about the Healing Arts Program and a recent interaction she had at Parkview Behavioral Health Institute.

I’m retired from my 28-year career as an art teacher, and nine years ago the Parkview Healing Arts Program started around my dining room table. Today, the program includes visual, musical, movement, and literary and mindfulness artists in residence who bring the arts to patients, families, caregivers and the community.

I personally take visual art bedside at Parkview Regional Medical Center (PRMC) weekly and conduct workshops bi-weekly with teens and adults…

April 29th 2023

THE JOURNAL GAZETTE – FORT WAYNE DANCE COLLECTIVE PROGRAM EMBRACES DIVERSE ABILITIES

It’s sometimes difficult for Ayla and Seth Bennett to put words to their emotions.

“They sometimes don’t have the words to express how they’re feeling,” says Elisa Bennett, Ayla and Seth’s mom. “They have a harder time expressing emotions than they do (facts and) science.”

One effective method the Bennetts have found to help Ayla and Seth – both of whom are on the autism spectrum – express themselves is through dance.

Both take classes at Fort Wayne Dance Collective…

April 28th 2023

21 ALIVE NEWS – LINDA LIKES IT: USF JESTERS AND FORT WAYNE DANCE COLLECTIVE

The University of Saint Francis Jesters performance troupe has been around since the 1970s, an opportunity for people in our community who have disabilities to take the stage and show off their artistic talents.

Evening anchor Linda Jackson recently attended a rehearsal for the Jesters at the Fort Wayne Dance Collective and it’s the subject of this week’s “Linda Likes It” report.

March 1st 2023

WHATZUP – DANCE COLLECTIVE, EMBASSY THEATRE IN LOCKSTEP

Emmy-nominated choreographer Chloé Arnold has created the fiercest female tap brand in history: Syncopated Ladies.

You’ve heard about them from Beyoncé. You’ve seen them on Good Morning America, So You Think You Can Dance, at New York Fashion Week, and online where they have racked up more than 100 million views.

Now you have the chance to see them live in Fort Wayne.

January 19th 2023

INSIDE INDIANA BUSINESS – ARTS ORGANIZATIONS RECEIVE NEA FUNDING

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is awarding a total of $280,000 in grants to nonprofit arts organizations and cultural programming providers throughout Indiana. The funding is being awarded to 15 organizations as part of NEA’s first round of fiscal 2023 grants.

The Grants for Arts Projects program supports public engagement with, and access to, various forms of art across the nation.

January 10th 2023

PRESS RELEASE – FORT WAYNE DANCE COLLECTIVE TO RECEIVE $10,000 GRANT FROM THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has approved Fort Wayne Dance Collective for a grant in the amount of $10,000. We look forward to working with NEA to finalize the grant paperwork and appreciate the agency’s support for the Dance for Diverse Abilities program.

November 16th 2022

ARTS UNITED – ARTS UNITES US

Watch the interview with FWDC Executive Director, Lee Rainboth, and Arts United President, Susan Mendenhall.

November 2nd 2022

FOELLINGER FOUNDATION – AN INNOVATIVE MAKERSPACE FOR MOVEMENT

Nonprofit adaptability and innovation are crucial to meeting our community’s needs. That’s especially true in the arts—where creativity is central not only to their programming, but also to how they operate.

Fort Wayne Dance Collective (FWDC) embodies this approach, continually evolving to best serve our community as a nonprofit arts organization whose mission is to inspire people of all identities, abilities, and stages of life through movement arts. One way they accomplish this is through…

October 12th 2022

WHATZUP – DANCE COLLECTIVE SHOW TO BE A SPECTACLE

Fort Wayne Dance Collective plans to host a spectacle this spooky season, a Spectacle of Spirits! FWDC’s 13th annual Halloween show will highlight Mexican culture with a beautiful on-stage celebration of Día de los Muertos, Day of the Dead. Día de los Muertos is celebrated in Mexico every Nov. 1-2. It’s a joyful festivity for families and the community where music is played at home and at the cemeteries…

September 30th 2022

FORT WAYNE MAGAZINE

Last year, the artists of Fort Wayne Dance Collective’s Touring Company choreographed a series of dances that were filmed within spaces such as the GE building, which incorporated industrial elements of the architecture into the inspirations for the movements. FWDC Artistic Director, Mandie Kolkman, described these dances as unique ways to recognize the growth of Fort Wayne and reimagine what these spaces…

June 5th 2022

WILLIAMS WOODLAND PARK OPENS PORCHES FOR ARTS, FUN

Williams Woodland Park residents opened the porches of their historic homes Saturday to be used as stages for musicians, artists and storytellers to perform for the public.

The neighborhood south of downtown hosted PorchFest and closed down its streets to make way for pedestrians and food trucks. Donna Kline, PorchFest’s chairwoman, said she and other organizers weren’t sure how many people to expect for the first-time event…

April 27th 2022

GET IN STEP WITH TOURING DANCE COMPANY // COMPLEXIONS CONTEMPORARY BALLET

Fort Wayne Dance Collective welcomes group for classes, show

The Fort Wayne Dance Collective and Embassy Theatre are bringing the world-renowned, New York-based Complexions Contemporary Ballet to Fort Wayne for one performance Wednesday, May 4, which culminates a three-day residency of dance education.

More than a performance, it’s the resumption of a guest artist residency that has brought together Fort Wayne’s dancers and fans annually since 1989. Each year has featured a different dance company of national prominence…

April 25th 2022

WPTA- FORT WAYNE DANCE COLLECTIVE & FORT WAYNE EMBASSY THEATRE

Mandie Kolkman and Carly Myers talk about the Fort Wayne Dance Collective’s upcoming Guest Artist Residency with Complexions Contemporary Ballet.

Watch the WPTA interview with Jack Hammer.

March 16th 2022

FRIENDS THROWING FINAL SENDOFF FOR CHILLY ADAMS

Chilly’s Last Dance // Late Musician’s Possessions will be Sold for Charity

More than two years after his death, the loss of Chilly Addams is still being felt throughout the local music community. But friends are keeping his memory alive with a benefit show. On Sunday, March 20, Addams’ personal items will be auctioned off amid live music for Chilly’s Last Dance at The Phoenix…

February 2nd 2022

HOW ARE ARTS ORGANIZATIONS IN NORTHEAST INDIANA INNOVATING DURING THE PANDEMIC?

When Susan Mendenhall and her team at Arts United have been talking with Fort Wayne residents and donors during the pandemic, they’ve heard a common refrain.

“People say: The arts have always been important to me, but I never realized just how important they are until we experienced this disruption the past two years,” Mendenhall says. “The role the arts play in our everyday lives has become much more apparent.”

As the pandemic stretches on…

November 19th 2021

PRIMETIME- GIGI’S PLAYHOUSE AND FORT WAYNE DANCE COLLECTIVE – NOVEMBER 19, 2021

GiGi’s Playhouse and Fort Wayne Dance Collective. Guests Maria Tippmann-Nancarrow, Lee Rainboth, and Ashley Benninghoff. This area’s only in-depth, live, weekly news, analysis and cultural update forum, PrimeTime airs Fridays at 7:30pm.

Watch the PrimeTime interview with PBS Fort Wayne’s President/General Manager, Bruce Haines.

August 13th 2021

EMOTIONS PUT INTO DANCE FOR “COLLECTIVE EXPRESSIONS”

One of the pieces Hannah Moore choreographed for Fort Wayne Dance Collective’s “Collective Expressions” this weekend will be performed on her kitchen table.

Yes, her actual kitchen table, though the audience will be in Arts United Center, not her home. It took a team of people and a U-Haul truck to get the table to Dance Collective’s studios on East Berry Street for rehearsals, that’s how committed she was to using it in the piece, she says with a laugh…

August 6th 2021

FORT WAYNE DANCE COLLECTIVE

Get your tickets for Fort Wayne Dance Collective’s “Collective Expressions!”

Watch the WPTA21 interview with Charity Freeman.

May 11th 2021

TAIKO GROUP STARTS SIMPLE

For 25 years, Allison Ballard has lived and breathed Taiko drumming.

But her beginnings in the craft didn’t start out easy. In fact, there were times when Ballard questioned herself about whether it was worth the effort.

All she knew was that after watching a performance of the Japanese drum troupe Katari Taiko in 1992, she wanted to start a Taiko group in Fort Wayne.

“It was a pivot point for me,” Ballard says of the performance.

Another pivotal moment for Ballard was her recent decision to hand over leadership of the now-well-established Fort Wayne Taiko to another group member…

May 2nd 2021

FORT WAYNE DANCE COLLECTIVE RETURNS TO THE STAGE WITH A LIVE AUDIENCE

The Fort Wayne Dance Collective returned to the stage with a live audience for the first time this weekend since before the pandemic.

“Over the pandemic we had to alter a lot of our programs and try to find ways to enrich our community and share our art.”

Mandie Kolkman is the artistic director at the Fort Wayne Dance Collective. She says this weekend they hosted their annual choreographer’s lab…

December 18th 2020

ARTISTS SHARE CHEER WITH VIRTUAL HOLIDAY SPECTACULAR

Local musician Andy Lott realized a few months ago that it was looking more and more as if Christmas wasn’t going to be the same this year for local artists or the community.

Some performances were going virtual because of the pandemic. Some were outright canceled. There were going to be fewer opportunities for gig workers such as musicians, and similarly few opportunities for the community to enjoy the arts at the holidays.

So in August, Lott and his wife began thinking of ways…

December 4th 2020

ARTS EDUCATION MOVES AHEAD

As the country became increasingly concerned with COVID-19 in early March, the annual FAME Festival was only two days away from opening. For more than 30 years, the festival has put a spotlight on musical performances and artwork from local students.

At the time, there were no solid guidelines on…

October 14th 2020

PARKVIEW’S DAILY DOSE

April 15th 2020

FORT WAYNE DANCE COLLECTIVE VISITS TURNSTONE

Fort Wayne Dance Collective performs for children that are in the Kimbrough Early Learning Center and adults at Turnstone, 3320 North Clinton Street, Fort Wayne on Wednesday December 17, 2014.

The Fort Wayne Taiko group presented the performance “An Asian Celebration” which included Taiko drumming, Haiku poetry, and T’ai Chi Chuan movement…

April 15th 2020

ARTS GROUPS TAP CREATIVITY, COMMUNITY SUPPORT

Where there were expected to be hundreds of attendees watching Fort Wayne Ballet and Fort Wayne Philharmonic’s collaboration on “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” or Arena Dinner Theatre’s “Noel Coward’s Brief Encounter” this weekend, there will instead be empty seats as COVID-19 fears have prompted government mandates against large gatherings.

Dozens of other performances scheduled for the coming weeks have been canceled or postponed during a time local arts organizations…

March 3rd 2020

BRINGING VISION TO LIFE: DANCERS SHOWCASE ORIGINAL WORK MARCH 14-15

FORT WAYNE — More than 20 local choreographers will showcase original dance performances at the Choreographer’s Lab Performances presented by the Fort Wayne Dance Collective March 14-15. The show features pieces created and performed by both professional and emerging local dancers.

The performances are the product of a series of lab sessions designed to provide creative and technical support to choreographers. The Dance Collective has offered…

October 17th 2019

SCARY DANCE SHOW KICKS OFF HALLOWEEN OCT. 18-20

The best way to get in the spooky mood the season is to attend the Fort Wayne Dance Collective’s 11th annual Halloween Show.

Three performances of its “Magical Misadventures” show will be presented Oct. 18, 19 and 20 at the Parkview Physicians Group ArtsLab at 300 E. Main St. Friday and Saturday shows are at 8 p.m. and the Sunday show is at 2 p.m. Ticket are $15 and can be purchased…

May 6th 2019

PACE PROGRAM HELPING STUDENTS SUCCEED USING ART

The Partnering Arts, Communities, and Education, or PACE program, is a grant program that began back in 2015 through the Indiana Arts Commission as a way to introduce arts into education through community arts organizations.

In 2016, the program was brought to the attention of Brenda West, the principal at South Wayne Elementary School in Fort Wayne. She was…

April 14th 2019

Dance Festival Giving Public Chance to Learn

Today is the last day for the Indiana Dance Festival with a roster of master classes offered to the public.

Nine classes offering a variety of styles will start at 10 a.m. and go until 2:30 p.m. Six of the classes will be held at the Fort Wayne Dance Collective, the festival’s sponsor, and three will be in the East Rehearsal Room at Arts United Center on Main Street….

April 14th 2019

Dancers Come to Town

Students dance during a modern master class with Elizabeth Mikautadze in the East Rehearsal Hall at the Arts United Center….

April 12th 2019

Indiana Dance Festival

With Fort Wayne Dance Collective marking its 40th anniversary, artistic director Mandie Kolkman says the organization was looking for a guest artist for the spring that represents not just its history, but also the relationship it has with the community and where Fort Wayne is at as a city embracing the arts…

July 29th 2018

Foellinger Foundation Grants

The Foellinger Foundation recently awarded $999,068 in grants to the following 31 local nonprofit organizations:…

May 20th 2018

Embassy Theatre community celebration marks 90 years

I’ve been described as a creative builder.

I love to build creative community projects, and have been fortunate enough to work in paid positions to do so….

May 20th 2018

Cultivating city’s creative capital

I’ve been described as a creative builder.

I love to build creative community projects, and have been fortunate enough to work in paid positions to do so….

April 13 2017

Where do your NEA dollars really go? What we learned on an Indiana road trip.

ANDREWS, Ind. — Viki Graber’s sneakers slosh in the wet grass as she twists two willow branches to form an arch. This 30-foot-long tunnel, an installation and playful passageway being built in Salamonie State Park, is the National Endowment for the Arts at work in Mike Pence country. And it’s anything but an easy gig for Graber, 53, a basket weaver. She sleeps in an unheated cabin nearby…

Oct 16 2017

Dancers Balance Fun, Fear

Each year Fort Wayne’s Fright Night, the big downtown celebration of Halloween and all of its various excesses, seems to get just a little bit bigger. In addition to the venues which are open and ready for some fun trickery, many of the downtown arts organizations also contribute some creative excitement for the evening…