Fort Wayne Ballet

What Fort Wayne Ballet does

Fort Wayne Ballet, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional ballet company founded in 1956 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, entering its 70th anniversary season in 2026-2027. The organization operates two integrated business lines: (1) a Professional Company that produces a multi-series performance season of mainstage, mixed repertoire/studio, and family ballet productions, and (2) the Auer Academy of Fort Wayne Ballet, an ABT Certified School offering structured dance education from ages 3 through adult. It serves families, serious dance students and pre-professionals, adult recreational students, corporate sponsors, and individual donors across Northeast Indiana, with a professional company roster that is 25% international (dancers from Japan, China, Canada, Uzbekistan, and Mexico).

The Professional Company's Season 69 catalog includes mainstage productions (Tales in the Dark, The Nutcracker, A Midsummer Night's Dream), Mixed Repertoire studio works (Director's Choice, Love Notes, Dancer's Choice), and Family Series adaptations (Spooky Kooky, Wizard of Oz, Swan Princess), with select productions performed live with the Fort Wayne Philharmonic. The Auer Academy follows the American Ballet Theatre National Training Curriculum across nine levels and holds ABT Certified School designation (one of only 10 nationwide). Supplementary programming includes a 3-week Summer Intensive (ages 12-22), a 2-week Junior Summer Intensive (ages 10-15), summer camps, costume rentals to other companies, and sensory-friendly performances for accessibility. Commercial operations run on the Artstix ticketing platform and the GoStudioPro registration system.

Revenue is generated from a diversified stack: ticket sales ($15-$65 per seat), Academy tuition and summer intensives, corporate sponsorships (Parkview Health as Season Presenting Sponsor, plus 3Rivers, Sweetwater, Lake City Bank, Aunt Millie's, Meijer), individual giving through an Annual Fund (2025 goal $125,000) and tiered giving circles (Impresario, Diamond, Gold, Legacy), VIP table experiences ($150), planned giving and endowments, foundation grants (NEA, Indiana Arts Commission, AWS, Foellinger, McComb Family, Lincoln Financial Foundation, Shubert), costume rentals, and academy scholarships underwritten by the Margaret S. Klingenberger Memorial Scholarship. Performances are hosted across Arts United Center, the Auer Center for Arts & Culture, PPG ArtsLab, the Fort Wayne Museum of Art, and the Canterbury Fine Arts Building.

Name

Fort Wayne Ballet

Legal name

Fort Wayne Ballet, Inc.

Website

https://fortwayneballet.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1956

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fort Wayne Ballet is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional ballet company and ABT Certified School in Fort Wayne, Indiana, producing mainstage, studio, and family ballet performances while running the Auer Academy, which trains dancers from age 3 through adult.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts

NAICS

Dance Companies (711120), Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Dance Education (Ballet, Contemporary, Hip-Hop, Cultural Dance) (EDAMAAAH), Performing Arts Camps (Theater, Musical Theater, Dance) (EDAMALAI)

Keywords

• Professional ballet performances
• Dance education programs
• Ballet academy training
• Classical dance productions
• Performing arts organization

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Wayne

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from mainstage performances, studio series, family series, and special events. Ticket prices range from $15-$65 depending on performance type and date.
2. Academy Tuition: Class fees for dance education from ages 3 through adult, including curricular ballet, pre-professional programs, and adult open classes at $15 per class or $140 for 10-class bundle.
3. VIP Experiences: Premium table experiences such as stage-side tables for two at $150 including drinks and charcuterie for Love Notes performances.
4. Costume Rentals: Performance costume rentals to other dance companies, managed through Christina Brinker at 260.484.9646.
5. Donations and Annual Fund: Tax-deductible contributions supporting artistic programming, education, and community engagement. 2025 Annual Fund goal of $125,000.
6. Corporate Sponsorships: Marketing and hospitality benefits for corporate partners including playbill advertising, employee entertainment, and logo recognition.
7. Scholarship Programs: Margaret S. Klingenberger Memorial Scholarship provides need and merit-based scholarships to Academy students, raised over $25,000 to date.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Fort Wayne Ballet is a 501(c)(3) professional ballet company that produces and performs classical and contemporary ballet productions for audiences in Northeast Indiana, while operating the Auer Academy, an ABT-certified dance training school offering classes from ages 3 through adult. Revenue is generated through ticket sales for mainstage and studio performances, academy tuition, summer intensives, corporate sponsorships, donations, and ancillary services such as costume rentals to other dance companies.

Product overview

Fort Wayne Ballet is Indiana's premier professional ballet company with an affiliated dance academy. The organization operates two primary product lines: (1) Professional Company performances including mainstage productions (The Nutcracker, Midsummer Night's Dream, Swan Lake, Giselle, Romeo & Juliet, Don Quixote, Cinderella), studio series (Director's Choice, Dancer's Choice, Love Notes), and family series (Swan Princess, Wizard of Oz, Spooky Kooky); and (2) the Auer Academy of Fort Wayne Ballet, an ABT-certified training institution offering classes from ages 3 through adult, including Pre-Ballet, Ballet Levels I-V, Pre-Professional program, and Adult Open Classes. The academy also runs Summer Intensives (3-week program for ages 12-22 and 2-week Junior program for ages 10-15), summer camps, and costume rental services. Additional revenue streams include corporate sponsorships, annual fund donations, and planned giving programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Season 69 Performances Professional ballet company's full performance season featuring mainstage productions (The Nutcracker, Midsummer Night's Dream), studio series (Director's Choice, Dancer's Choice, Love Notes), and family-friendly productions (Swan Princess, Wizard of Oz, Spooky Kooky). Ticket prices range from $15 to $65 depending on performance type. Performed for regional audiences at Arts United Center, PPG ArtsLab, and Fort Wayne Museum of Art.
• Auer Academy of Fort Wayne Ballet Comprehensive dance training academy offering classes for students ages 3 through adult using the American Ballet Theatre National Training Curriculum. Includes Pre-Ballet, Ballet Levels I-V, Pre-Professional program, Adult Open Classes, and Trainee programs. One of only ten schools nationwide designated as an ABT Certified School.
• Fort Wayne Ballet Summer Intensive 2026 Three-week intensive dance training program for advanced dancers ages 12-22 featuring master classes, repertory, and performance opportunities with the company's professional instructors and visiting artists.
• Junior Summer Intensive Two-week full-day intensive program for beginner-intermediate dancers ages 10-15 covering ballet, pointe/pre-pointe, jazz, modern, conditioning, and repertory, culminating with an in-studio performance. Priced at $500.
• Summer Camps and Classes

Quantifiable outcome

• One of only 10 ABT Certified Schools nationwide
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Parkview HealthcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSeason Presenting Sponsor and partner through Parkview Sports Medicine division. Provides marketing visibility and community health connection to Fort Wayne Ballet performances and events.
• Aunt Millie'scoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPresenting Sponsor for The Nutcracker production and Family Night partner. Logo and name recognition in all program related marketing with special acknowledgement from the stage.
• MeijercoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPresenting Sponsor for Family Series of performances. Provides family-focused marketing partnership for child-friendly productions.
• Arts United of Greater Fort WaynecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArts Partner and host venue provider. Provides the Arts United Center as the primary performance venue for mainstage productions including The Nutcracker and Midsummer Night's Dream.
• Fort Wayne PhilharmoniccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLive orchestral accompaniment for select performances including The Nutcracker, Midsummer Night's Dream, and Romeo & Juliet. Collaborative performance partner for major productions.
• 3Rivers Federal Credit UnionminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSeason Sponsor providing financial support and community visibility for ballet programming.
• Lake City BankminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSeason Sponsor and Choreographer Circle donor. Financial and marketing support for ballet productions.
• SweetwaterminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSeason Sponsor and corporate partner providing financial support and community engagement.
• University of Saint FrancisminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate partner offering pathways for dancers through BFA Dance Degree program and Trainee Program opportunities.
• YMCA of Greater Fort WayneminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate partner hosting National Dance Institute-credited classes at local YMCA locations for community outreach.
• Boys and Girls Clubs of Fort WayneminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate partner hosting National Dance Institute-credited classes at Boys and Girls Club locations.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Indianapolis Ballet: Indianapolis-based regional professional ballet company serving Indiana audiences with both performance and academy programs. Same state, comparable regional tier, and direct competitor for the same ABT-certified student and corporate sponsor pool in Indiana.
• Cincinnati Ballet: Professional ballet company in Cincinnati, Ohio with affiliated academy and full-length classical repertoire. Neighboring Midwest market with comparable tier, similar mix of mainstage, family, and educational programming, and competing for similar regional corporate sponsors and patrons.
• Louisville Ballet: Kentucky-based regional professional ballet company with a school and mainstage season. Closely comparable in scale, mission, and programming mix to Fort Wayne Ballet, including academy and family series offerings.
• Cleveland Ballet: Ohio-based regional professional ballet company operating both performance and academy programming. Similar mid-tier regional positioning with comparable repertoire, community engagement, and corporate sponsorship model.
• Nashville Ballet: Tennessee-based regional professional ballet company with affiliated school and full season of performances. Comparable in scale, governance model, and programming structure to Fort Wayne Ballet, including Nutcracker-style family programming.
• Milwaukee Ballet: Wisconsin-based professional ballet company with both professional company and academy programming. Similar Midwest regional positioning with comparable ABT-style curriculum offerings and mainstage classical repertoire.
• Grand Rapids Ballet: Michigan-based professional ballet company with associated school. Closely comparable tier to Fort Wayne Ballet with similar community-based regional model, academy, and family/educational programming.
• Dayton Ballet: Ohio-based regional professional ballet company with academy programs. Comparable regional scale and programming mix including full-length ballets and classical repertoire.
• Kansas City Ballet: Midwest regional professional ballet company with affiliated school and full mainstage season. Comparable in scale and structure to Fort Wayne Ballet, with similar mix of classical repertoire, family programming, and academy revenue.

Broad incumbents

• American Ballet Theatre: The parent curriculum authority (ABT National Training Curriculum) that certifies Fort Wayne Ballet's Auer Academy as one of only 10 Certified Schools. ABT operates at a national/international scale with its own company, school, and curriculum licensing; FWB is a licensee/affiliate of ABT standards.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@fortwayne.ballet
• Facebookfacebook.com/fortwayneballet
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fort-wayne-ballet
• Instagraminstagram.com/fortwayneballet
• Xx.com/fwballet

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Fort Wayne Ballet