| History |
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The idea for a national center for choreography originated from Florida State University’s campus-wide focus on excellence in academic study and research. Leadership from FSU expressed an interest in establishing a model for dance that would bring greater national visibility to the campus by forming ongoing collaborations with artists of the highest caliber. Preparations for housing the Center were extensive, and involved a $17 million retrofitting of Montgomery Hall that housed the FSU Department of Dance. The new facilities are now shared by MANCC and the Dance Department and considered one of the premier facilities for dance in the United States.
Prior to hiring Jennifer S. B. Calienes as MANCC’s first Director in September, 2004, a feasibility study was conducted by a national consulting group. Several pilot projects were put in motion and the technology staff was hired. An endowed gift of 1.5 million dollars from FSU alumna, Maggie Allesee, led to the renaming of the center from the National Center for Choreography to the Maggie Allesee National Center for Choreography or MANCC (pronounced man-see). Today MANCC is a dance and choreographic research center affiliated with the Department of Dance. MANCC programs act as funnels for creative activity capturing the interest in the dance field and encouraging the creation, dissemination and documentation of new knowledge in choreography. The center’s Director curates artist participation and utilizes the National Resource Council to select participants through a competitive review process. Programs support movement research and idea development, collaboration and exchange, choreographic legacy, and inventive choreographic interaction with dancers across the U.S. and beyond. |