SIDEWAYS Contemporary Dance Company

What SIDEWAYS Contemporary Dance Company does

SIDEWAYS Contemporary Dance Company is a private nonprofit performing arts organization founded in 2006 by Charlotte Foster Williamson and headquartered in Roswell, Georgia. The company produces original contemporary dance works that combine Ballet, Jazz, Modern, African, Ballroom, and aerial silks techniques, with choreography grounded in Laban notation and movement abstraction. Its core product portfolio centers on a recurring slate of seasonal productions — most notably the annual holiday show Once Upon A Holiday (running since 2007), Breaking Bounds, BLACKOUT, Reverberations, Frankenstein's Frolic, Love Stories, Pop!, and W.O.M.A.N. — performed primarily at 7 Stages Theater in Atlanta and Blessed Trinity High School in Roswell.

Beyond ticketed performances, SIDEWAYS operates educational services including technique classes ($100/hour), workshops ($300-$500), and half-day to 5-day summer intensives ($400-$3,200), as well as custom choreography for weddings and studios at $150 per minute of choreography. The company also runs the Foster-Schmidt Dance Academy for Down Syndrome as a community outreach sub-brand offering weekly classes, and conducts outreach performances at schools and recreation centers such as Dunbar Recreation Center and Suwannee Elementary.

Revenue is generated through six streams: ticket sales, educational programs and workshops, corporate sponsorship packages (Bronze $150 to Premium $1,250), individual memberships ($35 Supporter to $250 Angels), wedding and custom choreography services, and donations via an annual fundraising campaign targeting $20,000. Go-to-market is event-driven and community-led, with marketing concentrated on the company website, blog, social channels (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube), email newsletters, and outreach performances. Sponsorship and government partners include FCAC (Fulton County Arts Council), Mimms, and Mstar; venue and rehearsal partners include 7 Stages Theater, Atlanta Dance Central, and Blessed Trinity High School. Operating scale is small (11-50 employees, described as a 'small ensemble'), and geographic reach is limited to North Metro Atlanta.

Name

SIDEWAYS Contemporary Dance Company

Legal name

SIDEWAYS Contemporary Dance Company

Website

https://sidewaysdance.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SIDEWAYS Contemporary Dance Company is a Roswell, Georgia nonprofit that produces original contemporary dance performances and offers dance education, workshops, intensives, and community outreach for families, students, and local audiences in North Metro Atlanta.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts Services

NAICS

Dance Companies (711120), Dance Companies (71112), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Contemporary & Modern Dance (MPAGADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Dance Education (Ballet, Contemporary, Hip-Hop, Cultural Dance) (EDAMAAAH), Dance Performances (THAJAFAD), Youth/Student & Community Dance Recitals (MPAGADAI)

Keywords

• Contemporary dance performances
• Dance education workshops
• Custom choreography services
• Community dance outreach
• Performing arts productions

Headquarters

HQ city

Roswell

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Performance Ticket Sales: Primary revenue stream from selling tickets to main stage productions including Once Upon A Holiday, Breaking Bounds, and other seasonal shows.
2. Educational Programs & Workshops: Revenue from teaching workshops and masterclasses to schools, dance studios, and individual dancers. Includes technique classes, composition labs, and summer intensives.
3. Sponsorship Packages: Corporate sponsorship program with four tiers (Bronze $150, Silver $275, Gold $500, Premium $1,250) providing advertising and promotional benefits to local businesses.
4. Membership Program: Annual membership tiers ranging from $35 Supporter to $250 Angels, providing tickets, recognition, and exclusive access to productions.
5. Wedding & Event Choreography: Custom choreography services for weddings including first dance choreography and event ambiance, quoted per project.
6. Donations & Fundraising: Annual fundraising campaign targeting $20,000 to support affordable performances and community engagement programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SIDEWAYS Contemporary Dance Company produces original contemporary dance performances and offers dance education services for the North Metro Atlanta area. Its core offerings include annual theatrical productions such as Once Upon A Holiday and Breaking Bounds, dance workshops and summer intensives, custom choreography for weddings and studios, and corporate sponsorship and membership programs. The company also operates the Foster-Schmidt Dance Company, a community outreach program serving individuals with Down syndrome.

Product overview

SIDEWAYS Contemporary Dance Company is a performing arts organization offering live dance performances and dance education services. The company's core product portfolio includes annual performance productions (Once Upon A Holiday, Breaking Bounds, BLACKOUT, Reverberations, Frankenstein's Frolic, Love Stories, Pop!) and educational services (workshops, master classes, intensives, wedding choreography). The company also operates Foster-Schmidt Dance Company as a community outreach sub-brand providing dance instruction for individuals with Down syndrome. Additional offerings include membership programs and corporate sponsorship tiers. The company was founded in 2006 and is based in Roswell, Georgia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Foster-Schmidt Dance Company: Community outreach dance academy for people with Down Syndrome, providing classes and performance opportunities
• Once Upon A Holiday
• Breaking Bounds
• Frankenstein's Frolic
• Reverberations

Products and services

• Once Upon A Holiday Annual holiday dance performance blending Alice in Wonderland with festive themes, featuring aerial silks performances and pre-show appearances by Foster-Schmidt Dance Company. Aimed at families and general audiences in North Metro Atlanta.
• Breaking Bounds Annual repertory concert featuring multiple dance pieces exploring social and emotional themes, performed at 7 Stages Theater with modern, jazz, and contemporary choreography.
• BLACKOUT: The Struggle for Equality Dance concert examining the struggle for equality experienced by minority groups, combining Ballet, Jazz, African, Modern, and Ballroom dance influences with emotionally-stirring choreography.
• Reverberations Performance exploring how one decision or action continues to affect the future, featuring pieces including 'The Pledge' based on the Max Gruver Foundation story.
• Frankenstein's Frolic Halloween festival featuring dance performances, carnival games, trunk-or-treat, and collaborative performances with Foster-Schmidt Dance Company and Atlanta Rising Talent.
• Educational Workshops and Masterclasses Dance education programs for students ages 8 through high school, including 'Everyone is An Artist' workshops, technique classes in multiple styles, and outreach programs for inner-city children.
• Summer and Day Intensives Dance instruction programs including Composition Lab, SIDEWAYS Repertory Class, Half Day Intensives ($400), Whole Day Intensives ($700), and 5 Day Summer Intensives ($3,200).
• Wedding Choreography Custom choreography services for wedding first dances and ambient dance performances at wedding events.
• Custom Choreography Original dance piece creation for studios and clients, priced at $150 per minute of choreography including six hours of rehearsal time.
• Membership Programs Tiered membership options including Supporter ($35), Contributor ($60), Family ($125), and Angels ($250), offering benefits such as tickets, newsletters, program recognition, and meet-and-greet events.
• Corporate Sponsorship Programs Corporate sponsorship tiers: Premium ($1,250), Gold ($500), Silver ($275), Bronze ($150), offering program features, tickets, and promotional opportunities for local businesses.
• Foster-Schmidt Dance Company (Community Outreach Program) Dance academy providing weekly classes and summer workshops for individuals with Down syndrome, focusing on muscle tone, balance, coordination, and performance opportunities.
• Love Stories Dynamic performance weaving together popular love songs to explore different shades of love including family evolution.

Quantifiable outcome

• Productions have been running since 2006, with Once Upon A Holiday running for over 10+ years as a holiday tradition

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Max Gruver FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019SIDEWAYS partnered with the Max Gruver Foundation for their show 'Reverberations' and specifically the piece 'The Pledge' based on the tragic experience of Max Gruver in September 2017, supporting the family in Roswell, GA.
• Foster-Schmidt Dance Academy for Down SyndromecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoster-Schmidt Dance Academy (FSDA) is the community outreach program of SIDEWAYS, dedicated to giving children with Down syndrome an opportunity to develop self-confidence through dance. SIDEWAYS dancers teach weekly classes and incorporate FSDA performances at summer and holiday productions.
• 7 Stages TheatercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner7 Stages Theater serves as SIDEWAYS' primary performance venue and home away from home since 2008. The company produces multiple major productions annually at this Little Five Points venue.
• Atlanta Dance CentralcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAtlanta Dance Central hosts SIDEWAYS company rehearsals and Frankenstein's Frolic events. The partnership allows SIDEWAYS to utilize studio space and collaborate on youth dance programming.
• Atlanta Rising TalentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAtlanta Rising Talent is a youth dance company that performs alongside SIDEWAYS at events like Frankenstein's Frolic and provides young dancers with performance opportunities.
• Blessed Trinity High SchoolminorOthersBlessed Trinity High School in Roswell serves as a performance venue for Once Upon A Holiday and other productions, providing their stage for SIDEWAYS shows.
• FCAC (Fulton County Arts Council)minorOthersFCAC is listed as a proud sponsor of SIDEWAYS, providing funding or organizational support for dance programming.
• MimmsminorOthersMimms is listed as a proud sponsor of SIDEWAYS.
• MstarminorOthersMstar is listed as a proud sponsor of SIDEWAYS.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Atlanta Ballet: Atlanta's flagship professional ballet company and the largest dance organization in the metro. Directly comparable as a Georgia-based professional dance company performing classical and contemporary works to local audiences, though significantly larger and older than SIDEWAYS.
• Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre: Atlanta-based contemporary ballet company founded in 2017. Closely comparable as a younger contemporary dance organization competing for the same Atlanta audience and sponsorship dollars, with similar emphasis on modern repertoire.
• CORE Dance: Atlanta-based contemporary dance organization producing live performance and educational programming. Directly comparable as a Metro Atlanta contemporary dance peer with educational outreach components and similar small-ensemble economics.
• Verb Ballets: Cleveland-based contemporary ballet company of similar small-ensemble scale. Closely comparable as a small professional contemporary dance company producing repertory seasons with educational outreach components.

Regional players

• Georgia Ballet: Regional professional ballet company based in Marietta, GA (also serving Metro Atlanta). Comparable as a Georgia-based professional dance company competing for the same North Atlanta audience and school partnership channels.
• Savannah Dance Theatre: Regional professional dance company in Savannah, GA. Comparable as a Georgia-based nonprofit dance company producing seasonal performances and educational programming, though operating in a different metro.

Broad incumbents

• Ballet Memphis: Mid-size regional professional ballet company with strong educational programming. Comparable as a nonprofit dance organization combining live performance with community education, at a larger operational scale than SIDEWAYS.
• Hubbard Street Dance Chicago: Major contemporary dance company with extensive education and community programs. Comparable as a contemporary dance organization emphasizing narrative choreography and education, but operating at significantly larger scale with national touring.

Others

• Callanwolde Fine Arts Center: Atlanta-area nonprofit arts education center offering dance classes and programming. Comparable as a Metro Atlanta arts education provider potentially partnering with or competing against SIDEWAYS for student workshop revenue.
• Atlanta Dance Central: Atlanta dance studio that hosts SIDEWAYS rehearsals and co-hosts Frankenstein's Frolic events. Comparable as a local dance infrastructure partner and potential peer for studio-based educational programming in the same market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/SIDEWAYSDance
• Facebookfacebook.com/SidewaysDance
• Instagraminstagram.com/sidewaysdance
• Xx.com/sidewaysdance
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sideways-contemporary-dance-company

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 SIDEWAYS Contemporary Dance Company