Who we are

Mannakin Theater & Dance creates story-driven dance and theater that brings audiences and artists together through compelling live performance.

The mission of Mannakin Theater & Dance is to expand the world of the performing arts by inviting new individuals and demographics to rich and exciting experiences in the theater seats, inside the classroom and learning studio, and underneath the stage lights. We believe that by opening the tent of the premier performing arts to the broadest swath of people and cultures possible 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 and production credo of Mannakin Theater & Dance focuses on works that spontaneously gather a racially and ethnically diverse audience by engaging dancers and choreographers from a wide range of communities, including Latin, Chinese, Indian and African American.

Mannakin Theater & Dance 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.

What we do

iMPACt Center for Art & Dance Calendar

The iMPACt Center for Art & Dance is a professional home for artists and arts organizations in San Francisco. This is a 6,300 sq ft professional venue with a 3,000 sq ft sprung Marley dance floor, 900 sq ft secondary studio, full theatrical lighting/sound, and 150-seat performance capacity. The facility supports rehearsals, productions, residencies, and community events for individual artists and small companies.

As an arts service organization, Mannakin Theater & Dance (MTD) strengthens San Francisco’s arts ecosystem by operating the iMPACt Center for Art and Dance as an accessible, professional home for performance and creation. Our mission is to provide financially viable rehearsal, performance, and creative space for early- and mid-stage artists and arts organizations, enabling them to develop and present full productions in a high-quality venue. Through affordable infrastructure, shared administrative resources, and fiscal sponsorship services, we invest in the growth, capacity, and sustainability of emerging artists and arts organizations, enriching San Francisco’s cultural life for the residents who call the city home and the visitors who experience it as one of the world’s leading cultural centers.

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