Ballet RI

What Ballet RI does

Ballet RI (legal name Ballet Rhode Island, EIN 05-0377245) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional ballet company and dance education organization headquartered at 825 Hope Street in Providence, Rhode Island. Founded in 1978 as Festival Ballet Providence and rebranded in May 2023, the organization operates as a unified performing arts entity with two integrated business lines: a professional ballet company that produces classical, neoclassical, and contemporary works at The VETS, the Woodman Family Community and Performance Center at Moses Brown School, the in-house 95-seat Black Box Theatre, and additional Southern New England venues; and the School of Ballet RI, a comprehensive dance training institution serving ages 3 through adult, including a Core Program, Professional Trainee Division, Adult Program, Adaptive Dance Program, and Summer Dance Intensive.

The organization monetizes through six primary revenue streams: ticket sales and subscriptions (Opening Night Star, Superfan, Thirty Under 30 tiers; single, group, and Discover Dance tickets), tuition ($140-$7,425 annually depending on program level), summer programs ($150-$3,000 with optional housing), private lessons ($100-$150/hour), community engagement fees (in-school performances from $900, residencies at ~$200/class, studio workshops at ~$40/participant), and donations/sponsorships from foundations and corporate partners including RISCA, Centreville Bank, and the Papitto Opportunity Connection. GTM relies on event-driven attendance, email marketing via Constant Contact, social media, community partnerships, and box office sales through OvationTix.

Ballet RI serves a diversified customer base including general public audiences, youth dancers ages 3-22, adult dance enthusiasts, K-12 schools (both Title 1 public schools via the free ProviDANCE program and private schools), dancers with disabilities, aspiring professional dancers, and seniors. The organization's community engagement programs reach an average of 13,000 youth annually and engage over 3,000 students at main-stage performances, positioning the entity as both an arts producer and a community-facing education platform. The leadership team is anchored by Artistic Executive Director Kathleen Breen Combes (former Boston Ballet principal) and Artistic Curator Yury Yanowsky (former Boston Ballet principal, Prix de Lausanne winner).

Name

Ballet RI

Legal name

Ballet Rhode Island

Website

https://balletri.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ballet RI is a Providence-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional ballet company and dance school founded in 1978, producing seasonal performances and operating the School of Ballet RI, reaching 13,000 youth annually across Southern New England through performances, training, and community programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts & Dance Education

NAICS

Dance Companies (711120), Dance Companies (71112), Fine Arts Schools (61161)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Classical Ballet (Full-Length & Repertoire) (MPAGADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Dance Education (Ballet, Contemporary, Hip-Hop, Cultural Dance) (EDAMAAAH), Contemporary & Modern Dance (MPAGADAB), Youth/Student & Community Dance Recitals (MPAGADAI), Dance Theatre (Narrative/Experimental) (MPAGADAC), Dance Festivals & Dance Series (MPAGADAJ)

Keywords

• Professional ballet performances
• Dance education
• Ballet training school
• Community engagement programs
• Performing arts

Headquarters

HQ city

Providence

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from single tickets, subscriptions, and group sales for ballet performances at The VETS, Woodman Center, and Black Box Theatre venues. Subscription packages include Opening Night Star (15% off), Superfan (25% off), and Thirty Under 30 (30% off for patrons 29 and younger).
2. Dance Education Tuition: Revenue from School of Ballet RI programs including Core Program, Children's Program, Adult Program, Adaptive Dance Program, and Professional Trainee Division. Tuition ranges from $140-$7,425 annually depending on program level.
3. Summer Programs: Revenue from Summer Dance Intensive (2-5 weeks, $1,300-$3,000), Company Rep Workshop (1-2 weeks, $800-$1,500), and children's dance camps ($150-$450). Optional housing available at $750/week.
4. Private Lessons: Revenue from private ($100/hour) and semi-private ($150/hour) dance lessons taught by faculty members, with additional studio space rental fees.
5. Community Engagement Programs: Revenue from in-school performances ($900+ base fee), residencies ($200/class), and studio workshops ($40/participant) offered to schools and organizations.
6. Donations and Sponsorships: Revenue from individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and foundation grants supporting community programs and organizational operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels10 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Ballet RI operates Rhode Island's premier professional ballet company, producing seasonal performances of classical, neoclassical, and contemporary works at venues across Southern New England. It runs the School of Ballet RI, a comprehensive dance education institution with programs for ages 3 through adult, including professional-track training and adaptive dance for students with disabilities. The organization also delivers community engagement programs such as ProviDANCE (free after-school ballet at Title 1 schools) and Discover Dance (subsidized performance tickets for K-12 schools and seniors), reaching 13,000+ youth annually.

Product overview

Ballet RI is Rhode Island's premier professional ballet company and dance education organization, formerly known as Festival Ballet Providence. The organization operates as a unified performing arts entity with two core divisions: professional ballet performances and the School of Ballet RI. Professional performances span classical, neoclassical, and contemporary works presented at multiple venues including The VETS, Woodman Center at Moses Brown, and Ballet RI's own Black Box Theatre. The School of Ballet RI provides comprehensive dance education across multiple programs including the Children's Program (ages 3+), Core Program with professional-track training (Primary, Upper 1, Upper 2, Pre-Professional, and Trainee divisions), Adult Program, and Adaptive Dance Program for students with disabilities. Summer programming includes the Summer Dance Intensive, Company Rep Workshop, and children's theme camps. Community engagement extends through ProviDANCE (free after-school ballet at Title 1 schools) and the Discover Dance program (subsidized performance tickets for schools and seniors). Season 49 productions include In Motion, The Nutcracker, Ballet Meets The Beatles, Made on Hope, A Real Life Fairy Tale: Princess Diana, and Carmen.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Professional Ballet Performances Seasonal productions of classical, neoclassical, and contemporary ballet works presented at The VETS, Woodman Center at Moses Brown, Ballet RI Black Box Theatre, and United Theater in Westerly. Season 49 includes In Motion, The Nutcracker, Ballet Meets The Beatles, Made on Hope, A Real Life Fairy Tale: Princess Diana, Carmen, and a free outdoor "Dancing Fourth" performance at Waterplace Park.
• School of Ballet RI
• Summer Dance Intensive (SDI) Five-week intensive ballet training program for ages 10-22 featuring world-class faculty and international guest teachers. Pricing ranges from $1,300 (2 weeks) to $3,000 (5 weeks) plus $100 registration and optional housing at $750/week.
• Company Rep Workshop (CRW)
• Summer Children's Camps
• ProviDANCE
• Discover Dance Program
• Core Program (Professional-Track Training)
• Adult Program
• Adaptive Dance Program
• Children's Program
• Professional Trainee Program
• Private Lessons
• Community Engagement Programs (In-School Performances, Residencies, and Studio Workshops)

Quantifiable outcome

• Reaches an average of 13,000 youth each year through community engagement programs
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Sandra Bornstein Holocaust Education CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on world premiere inspired by Lillian Birch for Season 49's In Motion program. Created in collaboration with the Sandra Bornstein Holocaust Education Center, asking what it means to remember and how the body can carry history forward across generations.
• University OrthopedicscoreOthersOfficial healthcare provider for Ballet RI, providing orthopedic care (Dr. Paul Fadale) and physical therapy (Jennifer Davis) for company dancers.
• Providence Country Day SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTuition discount partnership beginning 2026-2027 school year. Students enrolled at both institutions eligible for tuition discounts relative to grade and class level.
• Dance for All People (DAPpers)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIntergenerational dance class partnership for people with movement challenges and aging bodies. Classes held Thursday mornings at Ballet RI studios.
• Moses Brown SchoolcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVenue partnership for Woodman Family Community and Performance Center hosting In Motion, Ballet Meets the Beatles, Carmen, and other performances.
• Veterans Memorial Auditorium (The VETS)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrimary venue for The Nutcracker with separate ticketing operations and group sales through PPAC. The VETS is a dedicated performance space in Providence.
• United Theater (Westerly)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorResident dance company venue in Westerly, RI. Ballet RI performs In Motion at this venue with separate ticketing through unitedtheatre.org.
• Hope Street Merchants AssociationminorOthersBallet RI is a member of the Hope Street Merchants Association, supporting the local business community in Providence's East Side.
• Dance USAminorOthersBallet RI is a member of Dance USA, the national service organization for professional dance.
• CCEC (MOB Ballet)minorOthersBallet RI is a member of CCEC (MOB Ballet), a coalition of dance organizations.
• GCDANCEVENTScoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBallet RI is represented by GCDANCEVENTS for touring bookings and special event management.
• Providence Tourism CouncilminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor providing tourism promotion support for Ballet RI performances and programs.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Boston Ballet: The largest professional ballet company in New England and Ballet RI's most direct regional competitor. Boston Ballet operates both a professional company and the Boston Ballet School with similar programming structure, and Ballet RI's current artistic leadership (Combes, Yanowsky) was drawn from Boston Ballet's principal ranks.
• Hartford Ballet: A regional professional ballet company in Connecticut with a comparable integrated company-and-school model serving Southern New England audiences. Operates at a similar scale and programming depth to Ballet RI and competes for the same regional subscriber and donor base.
• Sarasota Ballet: A regional professional ballet company known for its integrated school (Sarasota Ballet School) and strong educational programs. Shares Ballet RI's combined company-plus-school model and similar scale of operation in a comparable mid-size U.S. market.
• Nashville Ballet: A regional professional ballet company with a School of Nashville Ballet and notable community engagement programming. Comparable in size, integrated structure, and emphasis on developing local audiences through outreach in a mid-size U.S. metropolitan area.
• Oregon Ballet Theatre: A regional professional ballet company in Portland operating a similarly integrated company and school model. Comparable scale, programming breadth, and community engagement emphasis make OBT a strong structural peer for Ballet RI.
• Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre: A regional professional ballet company with an affiliated school (PBTS) and deep community engagement programming in the Pittsburgh region. Operates at a moderately larger scale than Ballet RI but shares the same integrated company-school-outreach structure.
• Cincinnati Ballet: A regional professional ballet company with a sizeable school and extensive community programming in the Cincinnati metro. Comparable to Ballet RI in its integrated programming approach and emphasis on accessibility through subsidized ticketing and outreach.
• Jose Mateo's Ballet Theatre: A regional ballet company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts that serves the broader New England market. Comparable scale to Ballet RI and competes for the same Southern New England audience and student base; Ballet RI's own team members have previously performed with this organization.

Regional players

• Island Moving Company: A Rhode Island-based professional contemporary dance company that shares Ballet RI's Newport/Providence geography and nonprofit model, with comparable community engagement programming and overlapping donor and audience pools in the local market.

Broad incumbents

• Atlanta Ballet: A larger and more established regional ballet company with the Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education. Operates at meaningfully greater scale and resources than Ballet RI but provides a useful benchmark for what a successful expansion trajectory could look like.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/_balletri
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@BalletRI
• Facebookfacebook.com/BalletRI
• Instagraminstagram.com/ballet.ri

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ballet RI