New York Live Arts

What New York Live Arts does

New York Live Arts is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit performing arts organization headquartered in Chelsea, New York City, operating from a 20,000-square-foot facility at 219 W 19th Street that includes a 184-seat basement theater with state-of-the-art lighting and sound, two 1,200-square-foot dance studios (David R. White and Jerome Robbins) with custom sprung floors, ballet barres, mirrors, and full-range sound systems, plus a 448-square-foot conference room and an 80-capacity lobby event space. Founded as a standalone entity in 2011, it serves as the institutional home of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company (founded 1982), one of the most recognized modern dance-theater companies internationally. The organization functions both as a presenting venue and as an artist development hub for emerging through mid-career movement-based artists, with programming spanning artist residencies (Live Feed, Fresh Tracks, Randjelović/Stryker RCA), festivals (Live Artery, Live Ideas, Live Arts Pride), educational residencies and partnerships, gallery exhibitions (Ford Foundation Live Gallery), and discussion series (Bill Chats).

Its business model combines multiple revenue streams: ticket sales structured with pay-what-you-wish community options, $30 standard admission, $10 student rush, and a $250 "What-It-Really-Costs" premium tier; facility rentals (theater $5,000-$10,000+ performance rates, $10-$75/hr studio, $60-$120/hr conference, lobby for receptions); individual donations and Patrons Circle memberships; institutional grants from Ford Foundation, Mellon Foundation, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Bloomberg Philanthropies, NYC Cultural Affairs, NYSCA, and Dance/NYC; the $100/year Live Core artist membership (which bundles fiscal sponsorship, subsidized studio booking, and professional development); and merchandise sales (Square online shop). Pricing discounts (20%) are available to students, seniors, Live Core members, and groups of 10+.

The underlying technology stack is operational rather than proprietary: Salesforce for online ticketing, Square for e-commerce, Skedda for studio scheduling, Mindbody for class registration, Vimeo for video, Dropbox for technical documentation, and Google Forms for applications such as Fresh Tracks auditions. Go-to-market is event-driven (live performances, residencies, festivals, educational programming, and JanArtsNYC co-presentations), supplemented by direct-to-consumer ticket sales and field/group sales for organizational buyers. Customer segments include professional dance artists, educational institutions (multi-year partnerships with Loyola Marymount University, NYU Tisch, Bard College, Lincoln Center Institute, James Baldwin School, Corlears School), the general arts-attending public in NYC, independent artists needing affordable studio/performance space, and the LGBTQIA+ community for Live Arts Pride. International reach is delivered through the resident company's 200+-city, 40-country touring history.

Name

New York Live Arts

Legal name

New York Live Arts

Website

https://newyorklivearts.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

New York Live Arts is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit performing arts center in Chelsea, NYC, operating a 184-seat theater and two studios. It hosts the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company and supports emerging through mid-career dance artists via residencies, festivals, education programs, and venue rentals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts Center

NAICS

Dance Companies (711120), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131), Performing Arts Companies (7111), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Performing Arts Centers & Presenters (Programming/Booking) (MPAGABAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Performing Arts Organizations (Theater, Dance, Opera, Music) (BPAGAHAB), Theater & Performing Arts Venue Operations (Playhouses, Opera Houses) (MPAGALAB), Dance Performances (THAJAFAD)

Keywords

• Performing arts center
• Contemporary dance programming
• Artist residency programs
• Venue rental services
• Arts education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from performances, shows, and events at the 184-seat theater. Community ticket pricing model with pay-what-you-wish options, standard tickets starting at $30, and premium 'What-It-Really-Costs' tickets at $250.
2. Space Rentals: Rental income from theater, studios, conference room, and lobby spaces to artists, non-profit organizations, and businesses. Includes subsidized rates for qualifying non-profits and Live Core members.
3. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible contributions from individuals including Patrons Circle members, gala attendance, and general donations.
4. Institutional Grants: Support from foundations and government cultural affairs including NYC Cultural Affairs, NYSCA, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Ford Foundation, Mellon Foundation, and others.
5. Membership Programs: Live Core artist membership program at $100/year providing access to services, subsidized studio time, and discounts.
6. Merchandise Sales: Sale of merchandise including Bill T. Jones branded items through online shop.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

New York Live Arts operates a 20,000 square foot performing arts facility in Chelsea, NYC, featuring a 184-seat basement theater and two 1,200 square foot studios. The organization presents contemporary dance and movement-based performances through its resident Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company and curated artists, while supporting the artistic lifecycle through commissions, residencies (Live Feed, Fresh Tracks, RCA), and festivals (Live Artery, Live Ideas, Live Arts Pride). It also generates revenue by renting its theater, studios, conference room, and lobby to performing arts groups, non-profits, and commercial companies.

Product overview

New York Live Arts is a performing arts center in Chelsea, NYC, offering venue rentals, resident company programming, and artist development services. The organization operates as a unified venue with a 184-seat theater and two studios for both in-house productions and rental use. Its core programming centers on the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company and includes artist residency programs (Live Feed, Fresh Tracks, RCA), festivals (Live Artery, Live Ideas, Live Arts Pride), gallery exhibitions (Ford Foundation Live Gallery), discussion series (Bill Chats), and artist support services (Live Core). Venue rental includes theater, studio, conference, and lobby spaces.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bill T. Jones / Arnie Zane Company The resident dance company of New York Live Arts, founded in 1982, recognized as one of the most innovative forces in modern dance-theater. Performs worldwide and offers educational programs including company licensing and creative residencies for universities.
• 184-Seat Theater Rental

Quantifiable outcome

• 60+ years of continuous programming through Fresh Tracks program
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 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

Integration7 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Loyola Marymount UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEight-year partnership that brings Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company's works and its pedagogical and performative philosophy to LMU's campus and the Los Angeles area. Includes educational programming and student engagement.
• NYU Tisch School of the ArtscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company teaches as part of Tisch Summer Residency Festival. NYU Tisch hosts the annual 'Dances by Dancers' concert, a self-produced concert of dancers and makers inside the company.
• Bard CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCompany members teach an innovative curriculum rooted in the Company's creative model and highly collaborative methods at Bard College.
• Lincoln Center InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLincoln Center Institute uses Company works in its educator-training and in-school repertory programs, exposing students to contemporary dance methodology.
• James Baldwin SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnique program providing full semester coursework with the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company integrating oral history into performance for high school students who have experienced school as unresponsive to their needs.
• Corlears SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCompany performers teach bi-weekly sessions to families in the Chelsea community, exploring the world of ideas through movement techniques, theater, and storytelling.
• YoungArtsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLive Arts serves as a New York partner for the National YoungArts Foundation, supporting young artists in the NYC area.
• Triskelion ArtsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCo-presenting partner for Live Artery Festival, expanding reach of contemporary dance programming.
• Danspace ProjectminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCo-presenting partner for Live Artery Festival.
• The Chocolate Factory TheaterminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCo-presenting partner for Live Artery Festival.
• Under the RadarminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCo-presenting partner for Live Artery Festival.
• L'Alliance New YorkminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCo-presenting partner for Live Artery Festival.
• Pick Up Performance CominorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCo-presenting partner for Live Artery Festival.
• Sweat Variant StudiominorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCo-presenting partner for Live Artery Festival.
• Slow FactorycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit organization working at intersection of climate justice and human rights. Co-curated Live Ideas 2023: Planet Justice festival, exploring climate justice as rooted in social justice, anti-colonialism, and global collaboration.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Performance Space New York: East Village presenter of experimental live art with overlapping artist pool, mission, and small-theater operating economics.
• American Dance Festival: Premier US dance presenting and commissioning organization with residency, education, and festival programming analogous to NYLA's Live Feed and RCA.
• The Kitchen: Chelsea-based nonprofit presenting experimental performance across dance, music, and visual art; highly comparable mission, neighborhood, and small-venue presentation model.
• Gibney: NYC performing arts center combining studio rentals, residency programs, and presentation in multiple locations; directly comparable operating model to NYLA's venue-plus-artist-services structure.
• The Chocolate Factory Theater: Long Island City-based experimental dance and performance presenter; co-presenting partner on Live Artery and overlapping artist ecosystem.
• The Joyce Theater Foundation: Chelsea-based dance presenter operating a comparable mid-size theater in the same NYC neighborhood, with overlapping mission of presenting contemporary dance, rental operations, and education programs.
• La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club: Long-running NYC experimental performance venue with parallel residency, commissioning, and international artist-development programs; comparable scale and structure.
• Danspace Project: NYC nonprofit dedicated to presenting experimental dance; co-presenting partner with NYLA on Live Artery, sharing audience, artist pool, and funding sources.

Broad incumbents

• MASS MoCA: Larger multidisciplinary performing arts presenter and venue operator with comparable mix of presenting, residency, and rental revenue, but at significantly greater scale and broader artistic remit.
• Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM): Larger NYC presenter of dance, theater, and music; overlaps with NYLA on contemporary dance curation, festival programming, and JanArtsNYC presenter footprint, but at materially bigger scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/newyorklivearts
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/NewYorkLiveArts
• Facebookfacebook.com/NewYorkLiveArts
• Instagraminstagram.com/nylivearts
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/new-york-live-arts

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 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 New York Live Arts