Creation Station Dance

What Creation Station Dance does

Creation Station Dance, operating as Creation Station Franchise LLC, is a children's dance studio franchise founded in late 1992 by Judy Carmen ('Ms. Jude') in a sub-700-square-foot space in Sherman Oaks, California. The company delivers age-appropriate dance instruction for children from 16 months to 16 years, spanning ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, musical theater, contemporary, a Princess Series, and a K-Pop series, all built on a proprietary curriculum that Judy Carmen has developed and refined over 31+ years. Programming includes weekly themed lessons, hundreds of proprietary props and costumes, story-based teaching (e.g., Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Giselle), and a progression pathway from toddler classes through the CSA Academy Level Dance Program for advanced students. The product suite is anchored by recurring dance class subscriptions, with birthday party packages ($575 for 2-hour events, 5,000+ parties hosted historically), summer camps ($65-70/day), specialty classes (K-Pop, Pre Drill Team Prep, Toddler Yoga via a 2022 partnership with LARK + EVERGREEN), and the mobile 'CS To Go' outreach program for schools and organizations.

The business operates through owned studios in Southern California (Culver City, Huntington Beach/Fountain Valley, Mission Viejo, Northridge, Torrance, Tustin), a New York presence at Reebok Sports Club NY, and a Dallas, Texas studio opened in 2017, with national expansion pursued through franchise licensing under a 23+ year franchise development playbook. Distribution is primarily direct-to-consumer through walk-in studio classes and a free trial funnel, supplemented by event-driven birthday parties, community-led CS To Go programs, and online scheduling via the third-party MindBody platform. Pricing is subscription-based at $92 per 4-week term with a $40-44 annual family membership, plus a 25% sibling discount. The company is privately held, bootstrapped (no external funding rounds disclosed), and operates with 11-50 employees across its network.

Name

Creation Station Dance

Legal name

Creation Station Franchise LLC

Website

https://creationstationdance.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Creation Station Dance is a multi-location children's dance studio franchise founded in 1992 that delivers proprietary, age-appropriate dance instruction for children ages 16 months to 16 years through owned studios in California, New York, and Texas, supplemented by franchise licensing, mobile outreach (CS To Go), birthday parties, and seasonal camps.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Dance Education

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (61161), Fine Arts Schools (611610)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Dance Education (Ballet, Contemporary, Hip-Hop, Cultural Dance) (EDAMAAAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Kids Party Entertainment (Clowns, Magicians, Characters) (HSACACAG), Birthday Party Services (HSACACAA), Youth/Student & Community Dance Recitals (MPAGADAI)

Keywords

• Children's dance classes
• Dance studio franchise
• Early childhood dance
• Dance education programs
• Mobile dance instruction

Headquarters

HQ city

Culver City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Dance Class Enrollment: Subscription-based recurring revenue from 4-week class term enrollments. Classes offered at $92 per 4-week session at California locations, with annual membership fees of $40-44 per family. Sibling discounts of 25% provide upsell opportunities.
2. Birthday Party Packages: One-time party bookings at $575 for 2-hour interactive events including art projects, dance games, and entertainment for up to 20 children. Additional fee of $15 per child for parties up to 25 kids.
3. Summer Camp Programs: Seasonal day camps at $65-70 per student offering 3 hours of dance, art, games, and themed activities. Non-refundable, non-transferable bookings.
4. Specialty Dance Classes: Premium specialty classes including K-Pop series ($96 for members, $110 for non-members) and Pre Drill Team Prep classes generating incremental revenue from existing student base.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Creation Station Dance sells recurring weekly dance classes for children ages 16 months to 16 years, delivered through a proprietary curriculum of weekly themed lesson plans, props, costumes, and age-appropriate instruction across ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, musical theater, and contemporary styles. The studio also packages themed birthday parties, summer day camps, gift cards, and a mobile outreach program (Creation Station To Go), with all enrollment managed through the MindBody platform across seven owned and franchised locations.

Product overview

Creation Station Dance operates as a multi-location children's dance studio franchise offering a unified portfolio of dance instruction services. The core offering consists of dance classes for children ages 16 months to 16 years, utilizing a proprietary curriculum developed over 31+ years. The product suite includes: (1) Dance Classes as the primary service covering Ballet, Tap, Hip Hop, Jazz, Contemporary, Princess Series Ballet, K-Pop, and Musical Theater; (2) CSA Academy Level Dance Program for advanced older students; (3) Birthday Parties as an interactive add-on service; (4) Summer Camps as seasonal programming; (5) Creation Station To Go as a mobile outreach service; and (6) Gift Cards and Free Trial Classes as supporting offerings. All programs share the common thread of age-appropriate, creativity-focused dance education delivered through weekly themed lessons.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CS To Go: Mobile dance program that brings Creation Station classes to schools, organizations, and outside facilities.
• CSA Academy Level Dance Program
• Creation Station To Go

Products and services

• Dance Classes Age-appropriate dance instruction for children 16 months to 16 years covering Ballet, Tap, Hip Hop, Jazz, Contemporary, Musical Theater, Princess Series Ballet, and K-Pop, using a proprietary syllabus with weekly themes, props, and costumes.
• CSA Academy Level Dance Program Advanced dance program for older children transitioning from the foundational Creation Station curriculum, featuring rigorous technique training and performance opportunities for serious young dancers.
• Birthday Parties Interactive 2-hour themed birthday party packages for children ages 2 and older, including art projects, dance games, refreshments, and themed entertainment such as Princess Ballet, Hip Hop, Rock Star, Disco, Musical Theater, Cheerleading, Pirates & Princesses, and Princess Tea Party; priced at $575 for up to 20 children.
• Summer Camps 3-hour themed dance and enrichment day camps for children ages 3.5 to 6.5 years, including dancing, singing, arts and crafts, games, imaginative playtime, performances, and snack time; priced at $65-$70 per camp session.
• Creation Station To Go Mobile dance programming service that brings Creation Station classes to schools, preschools, organizations, and external facilities, with Creation Station supplying teaching staff, props, music, and curriculum while the host provides the room and storage.
• Gift Cards Digital and printable gift certificates available in customizable amounts with personalized messages, redeemable for dance classes, dance apparel, recital costumes, summer camps, and birthday parties.
• Free Trial Classes Complimentary first dance class offered to prospective students to experience the Creation Station program before committing to enrollment, available at all studio locations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 5,000 birthday parties hosted successfully over 33 years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• LARK + EVERGREEN (Katy Spartz)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 September 2022Partnership with LARK + EVERGREEN and instructor Katy Spartz to offer Toddler Yoga classes at Creation Station locations. Classes include fun animal poses, breathing and calming techniques, and motion activities for young children. Registration handled through LarkandEvergreen.com.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Club Pilates: Large franchised boutique fitness studio chain. Comparable franchise unit economics, subscription billing, and MindBody-based scheduling, but serves adults rather than children.

Direct peers

• My Gym: Franchised early-childhood fitness and movement program for kids 6 weeks to 10 years, including dance and structured movement classes. Closely comparable business model, customer segment (parents of young children), and franchise-driven growth strategy.
• Kinderdance: Franchised movement and developmental dance program for children ages 2 to 12, delivered in preschools, child care centers, and after-school programs. Closely comparable mobile-preschool delivery model and franchise-led growth.
• The Little Gym: International children's enrichment franchise offering movement, dance, and motor-skill classes for ages 4 months to 12 years. Most directly comparable on the children's dance/movement education franchise axis, with similar age-segmented curriculum and franchise-led growth model.
• Tippi Toes Dance: Franchised children's dance company offering mobile and studio-based classes for ages 18 months to 12. Highly comparable in age segmentation, franchise model, mobile class delivery, and child-development-focused dance curriculum.
• Gymboree Play & Music: Operator of early-childhood play, music, and movement classes for infants through age 5. Direct peer in the structured-enrichment-for-toddlers category, with comparable age-range focus and parent-driven subscription model.

Broad incumbents

• Color Me Mine: Franchised paint-your-own-pottery studio chain with kids' party and class programming. Comparable in studio-based franchise model and birthday-party revenue stream, though anchored in arts/crafts rather than movement.
• School of Rock: Franchised music education program for children and teens with performance-based methodology. Comparable franchise structure, parent-paid subscription, and themed curriculum IP, but in music rather than dance.
• Goldfish Swim School: Large franchise system teaching swim lessons to children 4 months to 12 years. Comparable franchise-led children's enrichment model, parent-subscription revenue, and real-estate-driven multi-location footprint, although focused on aquatics rather than dance.

Emerging players

• Lightbridge Academy: Franchised early-childhood education and daycare provider. Adjacent peer overlapping on the parent-of-young-children customer segment, though focused on full-time care rather than enrichment classes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CreationStationDance
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/creation-station-dance

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Creation Station Dance