Our mission
Production
At Mannakin Theater & Dance, we craft story-driven performances that resonate with the universe of audiences by drawing on timeless human themes and fusing performing arts genres through a creative process that values collaboration and inclusive artistry.
Our Location
iMPACt Center for Art & Dance
1625 Bush St, San Francisco
Mannakin Theater & Dance
The 5,400 sq.ft. iMPACt Center in SF is the headquarters of Mannakin Theater and Dance, housing administrative offices and providing space for venue for creation, rehearsal and performance for Mannakin and other Bay Area arts organizations.
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.
Mannakin Theater & Dance creates story-driven dance and theater and operates the iMPACt Center for Art & Dance, a professional home for artists and arts organizations in San Francisco.
Our Leadership
Board of Directors
- Nathan Cottam
- Antonio Lopez
- Ruth Leung
- Linnea Alexanderson
Nathan Cottam
Artistic and Executive Director
Nathan Cottam is a dancer and choreographer devoted to welcoming more people into the appreciation and performance of dance and theater arts. Raised in Buffalo, New York and the Mountain West, Nathan was exposed early in life to music and drama, finally joining them together in the study of ballet at Brigham Young University.
After completing a BS in sociology, Nathan went on to earn a Master of Fine Art in Dance from the University of Arizona. He has performed with many companies including Oakland Ballet, Bay Pointe Ballet, Northern Ballet Theatre and the Serbian National Ballet in Belgrade. In 2013 Nathan founded Mannakin Theater and Dance to showcase his own choreography and artistic vision. With his company, Nathan has created many new dances, produced three tours of Serbia, and conducted outreach with Syrian and Afghani refugees in Bulgaria and young children in East Palo Alto, CA.
Mannakin Theater and Dance is based in San Francisco, CA, and Nathan continually seeks opportunities to travel as part of his company’s performance and outreach focused mission.
Traci Cottam
Assistant Director
Mannakin Theater & Dance welcomed Traci Cottam as Assistant Director in 2019. Traci has performed in MTD productions since 2018, and has led dancers from the education in every subsequent production. Traci hails from NYC, and has danced for The Suzanne Farrell Ballet, Les Grands Ballet Canadiens, New Chamber Ballet, and CelloPointe.
Her passion for teaching the youth at en Avant School of Dance grows every season, and she is proud of the hard work and dedication that the students and faculty bring to the studio. Traci looks forward seeing the school and company grow as new programming, faculty, and students join the school.
Originally from Utah, Traci graduated from Brigham Young University with her BA in Dance. She has presented her choreography in NYC at The Secret Theater and at LeFrak Concert Hall in Queens and at South Oxford Space in Brooklyn. Her first choreographic took place at Marie Chouinard in Montréal, Quebec. Following this, her work has been seen at The Corridor Festival in Seattle, with artist, City and at Lake Tahoe Dance Festival.