Mission
The mission of Mannakin Theater & Dance is to expand the world of the performing arts by inviting new individuals and demographics to rich experiences in the theater seats, inside the studio, and under the stage lights. We believe that by opening the tent of the performing arts to the broadest swath of people and cultures that new audiences are created, fresh voices are heard and all people are lifted as ships on a rising tide, to ever greater heights of human creativity and achievement. The professional creation/production credo of Mannakin Dance focuses on works that gather a racially and ethnically diverse audience by engaging dancers and choreographers from a wide range of communities, including Latin, Chinese and African American. MTD follows an artistic vision that often places professional talents alongside student and amateur dancers. This mingling of the virtuosic and the lay represents a hearkening to the roots of dance, when everyone in the village danced together.