By Sarah Levitt (MFA ‘16)
Second year MFA candidate Joshua Manculich is enjoying quite a year. He received the prestigious Princess Grace Choreography Fellowship in fall 2015. Akin to receiving a Heisman Trophy in football, the Princess Grace Awards recognize the talent of individual artists in theater, dance and film. “The recognition associated with this award furthers the sharing of my work and artistic voice, and that in itself is an honor,” he said.
Manculich’s work Rise was one of 12 dances selected for the Brazil Dance Tour group. He also served as assistant director for this cultural exchange. Susan Hadley, department chair and director of the Brazil Dance Tour Group, said, "The overwhelming success of our Brazil Tour project stems from Josh's exemplary attention to every detail around rehearsing, scheduling and communicating."
Manculich, who has a three-year University Fellowship, has distinguished himself in the Department of Dance through his choreography, teaching and warmth with colleagues and students. Noelle Bohaty (MFA '16) says, “Josh’s deep passion for all things dance bleeds into every area of his life -- in the studio, in his writing and in his heartfelt conviction in his students’ abilities.”
Recently featured in the Columbus Young Professional’s CityPulse blog, Manculich came to Ohio State after dancing for five seasons with Thodos Dance Chicago. There, he created work for Thodos and DanceWorks Chicago, which toured three of his works internationally. This fall, Manculich will present his MFA project Monologues, and dance in works from the Cunningham repertoire for the opening of the Black Mountain exhibition at the Wexner Center for the Arts in October 2016. After graduate school, Josh hopes to become a professor of dance and help shepherd students into the professional dance world, as well as continue to choreograph and perform.
Photo credit: Andrew Toth
