MANDIE KOLKMAN

Mandie Kolkman is a choreographer, director, performer, educator, and arts leader based in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Since 2017, she has served as Artistic Director of the Fort Wayne Dance Collective (FWDC), where she oversees artistic programming, artist engagement, and community initiatives that connect more than 30,000 people each year through movement arts. She produces multiple public performances annually, provides artistic leadership for more than 50 teaching artists and performers, and has played an integral role in the continued growth of both FWDC's professional artistic programming and the Parkview Healing Arts Program.

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As an artist, Mandie has choreographed and performed with numerous professional and community arts organizations throughout the region and beyond, including Delta Festival Ballet, dAnce.Kontemporary, First Presbyterian Theatre, Fort Wayne Civic Theatre, Fort Wayne Dance Collective, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Indiana Music Theatre Foundation (IMTF), New Orleans Ballet Theatre, and Three Rivers Music Theatre (TRMT). She serves as the creative director of FWDC's annual production, Collective Expressions, the only professional contemporary dance concert in Fort Wayne and a BroadwayWorld Award winner for Best Dance Show.

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Her local choreography credits include Cats (TRMT/FWDC), Footloose (Civic), Hadestown: Teen Edition (TRMT), Head Over Heels (First Pres), Kinky Boots (TRMT), Matilda (Civic), Six: Teen Edition (TRMT), and Songs for a New World (TRMT/FWDC). She also regularly guest choreographs for Fort Wayne Philharmonic and Fire & Light Productions. As a performer, Mandie has appeared in numerous theatrical productions as well as local and national commercial campaigns. She received the Anthony Award for Best Female Dancer in a Musical for her performance in Seussical.

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Passionate about the intersection of movement, wellness, and accessibility, Mandie was one of the artists who helped develop the original training curriculum for the Parkview Healing Arts Program, an innovative program operated by FWDC that integrates movement and the arts into healthcare settings. Her work continues to focus on creating meaningful artistic experiences that strengthen both individuals and communities.

Mandie's training spans classical ballet, contemporary, modern, multiple styles of jazz, and Latin dance. She began her ballet training at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet under the direction of the late Marcia Dale Weary and continued her studies with Atlanta Ballet, Boston Ballet, and Houston Ballet, where she trained on scholarship. She is also a certified yoga instructor, holding her 200-hour yoga teacher certification, and has earned multiple Zumba fitness certifications. Mandie graduated from Butler University, where she performed with the nationally recognized Butler Ballet for four seasons.