DIAVOLO

What DIAVOLO does

DIAVOLO | Architecture in Motion is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit creative movement production company founded in 1992 by Jacques Heim and headquartered in Los Angeles, California. The company's defining methodology fuses custom-designed architectural structures with dance, acrobatics, stunt work, circus arts, and pedestrian movement, generating performances that have toured 250+ cities across 14 countries and been seen by over 100 million people, including high-profile appearances on America's Got Talent Season 12 (2017) and the 2024 GRAMMY Awards with Dua Lipa.

DIAVOLO operates a platform-plus-modules structure anchored on its core product ESCAPE — a 70-minute, two-act intimate live performance for 90 attendees per show staged at the company's recently opened L'ESPACE DIAVOLO black box theater at 616 Moulton Avenue, Los Angeles, with audiences seated within 5 feet of performers. Surrounding programs include VOLO (a professional education and performance company for paid local LA engagements), the S.O.S. Signs of Strength Veterans Program (workshops and performances serving 500+ veterans since 2016), seasonal Summer and Winter training intensives priced at $700 per participant, weekly studio classes at $20 per session, K-12 and university educational programming reaching 13,000 students annually, and the T.R.U.S.T. in-school assembly presented via partnership with The Music Center of Los Angeles.

The business model blends five distinct revenue streams: 501(c)(3) tax-deductible ticket donations for ESCAPE; paid training intensives and weekly classes; contracted school residencies, assemblies, and workshops; touring performance bookings handled through McDonald/Selznick Associates; and institutional grants plus major-foundation contributions, with $500,000+ support from the Cheng Family Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, California Arts Council, and Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, plus infrastructure sponsorship from The Ahmanson Foundation and The Perenchio Foundation. Customer segments span K-12 and university educational institutions, U.S. military veterans, live arts audiences, and pre-professional/professional dancers.

Name

DIAVOLO

Legal name

DIAVOLO | Architecture in Motion

Website

https://diavolo.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

DIAVOLO | Architecture in Motion is a Los Angeles-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit creative movement production company that uses custom architectural structures and dance to serve live arts audiences, K-12 and university students, U.S. military veterans, and pre-professional dancers through its ESCAPE resident show, educational programs, and Veterans Program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts

akta.pro primary industry

Training Delivery Providers (In-Person, Virtual, Train-the-Trainer) (BPACANAM)

Keywords

• Contemporary dance performance
• Movement arts education
• Nonprofit performing arts
• Veteran rehabilitation arts
• Architecture in motion

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales & Donations: ESCAPE is presented as an exclusive private event with three tiers of 501(c)(3) tax-deductible donations. All proceeds benefit DIAVOLO's Educational and Military Veterans Programming.
2. Intensive Training Programs: Seven-day Winter and Summer intensives at $700 flat rate per participant, with early bird discounts available. Programs include professional footage, training with company members, and potential consideration for employment.
3. Weekly Classes: Ongoing weekly training classes at $20 per session covering techniques, structure series, and tricking for dance.
4. VOLO Education Company: Local education and performance company offering paid opportunities including school assemblies, teaching residencies, workshops, intensives, and local performances in Los Angeles.
5. Government & Foundation Grants: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, DIAVOLO receives support from National Endowment for the Arts, California Arts Council, Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, and other arts foundations listed on supporters page.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

DIAVOLO is a nonprofit creative movement production company that creates live performances, training programs, and educational experiences integrating custom-designed architectural structures with human movement. Its core paid offerings include the resident show ESCAPE at L'ESPACE DIAVOLO, seasonal dance intensives (Winter/Summer), weekly classes, K-12/university school programs, and the S.O.S. Signs of Strength Veterans Program. The company operates L'ESPACE DIAVOLO, a 90-seat black box theater at 616 Moulton Avenue, Los Angeles.

Product overview

DIAVOLO | Architecture In Motion is a creative movement production company that functions as a platform-plus-modules architecture centered around its core live performance product. The main offering is ESCAPE, an intimate 70-minute resident show at L'ESPACE DIAVOLO featuring the company's signature architectural structures. The company extends its methodology through educational programs including VOLO (professional educational company), the Veterans Program (S.O.S. Signs of Strength), and various training intensives (Summer and Winter). Additional offerings include weekly classes, school programs, in-school assemblies (T.R.U.S.T.), and in-studio offerings. All programs leverage DIAVOLO's unique movement aesthetic that blends dance, stunt work, acrobatics, circus arts, and pedestrian movement with architectural set pieces.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• S.O.S. Signs of Strength: DIAVOLO's Veterans Program that uses movement workshops and public performances to help veterans restore their personal strengths.
• VOLO
• L'ESPACE DIAVOLO
• T.R.U.S.T.

Products and services

• ESCAPE ESCAPE is DIAVOLO's flagship resident show, a 70-minute visceral, intimate live performance staged in two Acts with a 20-minute intermission and post-show interaction. It follows humans struggling to break free from a chaotic world and features DIAVOLO's signature custom-made architectural structures, seating only 90 attendees within 5 feet of performers.
• VOLO Professional Company VOLO is DIAVOLO's professional educational company that shares the company's movement methodology blending dynamic movement with architectural structures through paid opportunities including school assemblies, teaching residencies, workshops, intensives, and local performances in the Los Angeles area. Some members use VOLO as a pathway to DIAVOLO's international touring company.
• Veterans Program (S.O.S. Signs of Strength) The Veterans Program (S.O.S. Signs of Strength) uses DIAVOLO's movement style as a tool to help restore veterans' physical, mental, and emotional strengths through movement workshops and public performances. Launched in 2016, it has served over 500 veterans and reached more than 22,000 audience members, and is one of 26 organizations awarded a Creative Forces Community Engagement Grant through Creative Forces: NEA Military Healing Arts Network.
• Summer Intensive 2026 A seven-day open-level intensive held August 9-15, 2026, for dancers, movers, and athletes. Participants train directly with Jacques Heim and DIAVOLO company members, exploring movement, architecture, and creation using the company's architectural set pieces. Priced at $700 with $100 early bird discount via code 'EARLYBIRD1' valid through July 1st.
• Winter Intensive 2026 A seven-day open-level intensive experience held January 4-10, 2026, from 1 PM to 9 PM daily, where participants train with Jacques Heim, Founder and Creative Director of DIAVOLO and Choreographer for Cirque du Soleil's KÀ, along with company members. Work is inspired by the ESCAPE production. Priced at $700 flat rate with full tuition reimbursement available if participant is hired for ESCAPE production.
• Weekly Classes Weekly training classes taught by DIAVOLO company members, including Structure Series (architectural movement through CAGE structure with Daemion Marcus), Techniques (company repertoire and physical problem solving with Madison Moser), and Tricking for Dance (aerial vocabulary and power development with Marcel Abadia). Priced at $20 per class, held at L'ESPACE DIAVOLO.
• School Programs K-12 and university dance programming including multi-day or multi-week residencies, creation sessions where students learn and perform original choreography, introductory-to-advanced movement workshops, and in-school showcase performances with Q&A sessions. Programs serve approximately 13,000 students annually.
• T.R.U.S.T. In-School Assembly T.R.U.S.T. is an in-school assembly show presented in partnership with The Music Center of Los Angeles, featuring DIAVOLO dancers exploring themes of teamwork and self-expression. It has become a staple of elementary schools across Los Angeles County.
• In-Studio Offerings In-studio experiences at L'ESPACE DIAVOLO's newly remodeled black box space, including classes, workshops, intensives, and guided studio tours, plus space rental opportunities for external creative projects.

Quantifiable outcome

• Veterans Program has served 500+ veterans and reached 22,000+ audience members since 2016
• +2 more outcomes

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

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• McDonald/Selznick AssociatescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProfessional booking agency representing DIAVOLO for bookings. Contact Tony Selznick at 323-957-6680 for performance inquiries. This partnership handles all professional booking requests.
• The Music Center of Los AngelescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for T.R.U.S.T. in-school assembly show presented by The Music Center. The Music Center presents DIAVOLO dancers exploring themes of teamwork and self-expression in schools across Los Angeles County.
• Creative Forces: NEA Military Healing Arts NetworkcoreOthersDIAVOLO Veterans Program is one of 26 organizations across the U.S. awarded a Creative Forces Community Engagement Grant. Creative Forces is part of NEA's Military Healing Arts Network supporting veteran healing through arts.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• BODYTRAFFIC: BODYTRAFFIC is a Los Angeles-based contemporary dance company with a strong education/outreach footprint in LA County. It competes with DIAVOLO for the same LA school-partnership funding pools (e.g., Music Center partnerships) and local audience attention.

Broad incumbents

• Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: Alvin Ailey is a major U.S. modern dance institution with national touring, in-depth education programs, and signature works — broadly comparable as a dance nonprofit with parallel revenue streams (tickets, donations, school programs, foundations).
• Batsheva Dance Company: Batsheva is an internationally established contemporary dance company with a deep methodology (Gaga) and an education/ensemble pipeline similar to DIAVOLO's VOLO. It is a broader incumbent in the dance category but shares the philosophy of training as a feeder to the company.
• Cirque du Soleil: Cirque du Soleil is the dominant large-scale acrobatic/physical theater operator, with whom DIAVOLO has direct ties — founder Jacques Heim choreographed KÀ. It overlaps in artistic category (movement + set design) but operates at much larger scale and through resident and touring productions globally.

Direct peers

• Pilobolus: Pilobolus is a movement company that builds performances around human bodies interacting with sculptural objects and each other, sharing DIAVOLO's core premise of fusing architecture/props with dance. Both are mid-sized American companies that tour, run education programs, and monetize a distinctive creative methodology.
• Blue Man Group: Blue Man Group is a performance company built on a signature movement/visual concept with resident shows and educational programming. Comparable to DIAVOLO in fusing a distinctive artistic identity with resident theater economics and group-based training pipelines.
• Bandaloop: Bandaloop is a vertical dance company that performs on architectural surfaces and structures, directly paralleling DIAVOLO's architecture-meets-movement thesis. It also runs outreach/education programs and operates as a nonprofit, making its operating model closely comparable.
• MOMIX: MOMIX is a dance-illusion company that performs using props, costumes, and architectural set pieces. Like DIAVOLO, it monetizes a signature visual-movement vocabulary through touring shows, workshops, and educational residencies.
• STOMP: STOMP is a movement-and-object performance company that has built long-running resident/off-Broadway shows. Like DIAVOLO, it leverages a singular creative concept into touring, licensing, and educational/workshop revenue.

Others

• Young Audiences: Young Audiences is a national arts-education nonprofit that places performing artists in K-12 schools, directly comparable to DIAVOLO's school programs and T.R.U.S.T. assemblies. It represents both a channel partner and a comparable operator in DIAVOLO's education vertical.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@DiavoloDanceTheater
• Facebookfacebook.com/DiavoloLA
• Instagraminstagram.com/diavolo_la
• Xx.com/diavolo_la
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/diavolo-dance-theatre

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 DIAVOLO