Gottaswing

What Gottaswing does

Gottaswing LLC is a privately held swing dance education and events company founded in 1994 by Tom Koerner and Debra Sternberg, headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia. The company teaches Lindy Hop, Jitterbug, Charleston, Balboa, and related swing dance styles to roughly 4,000 students per year across 15 venues in Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia, with a licensee in Charlotte, North Carolina extending the brand to an additional market.

The core product is an 8-week group class curriculum (beginner, intermediate, and specialty) priced at $160 per person, built on a proprietary partner-rotation teaching method that the founders describe as the fastest way to learn swing. Around this curriculum the company layers a calendar of social dance events featuring live bands and DJs ($10-$35 admission, with a beginner lesson included in the price) and a roster of specialty workshops covering Balboa, Charleston variations, aerials, and choreographed performance routines. Distribution is entirely physical: classes run at partner venues such as the Spanish Ballroom at Glen Echo Park, DanceSport Dupont, Tysons Ballroom, BlackRock Center for the Arts, and Colvin Run Dance Hall.

Revenue comes from per-student class registration fees, per-event dance admissions, specialty workshop tickets, and a licensee royalty arrangement in Charlotte. The company has no software product, no app, and no digital delivery channel; marketing is community-embedded via a weekly Swingmail newsletter, social media, the website calendar, and participation in events like the July 4 National Independence Day Parade. Ownership is retained by the founders, with no disclosed external investors or institutional funding.

Name

Gottaswing

Legal name

Gottaswing LLC

Website

https://gottaswing.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Gottaswing LLC is a private, founder-owned swing dance school founded in 1994 that teaches Lindy Hop, Jitterbug, and related styles through 8-week group classes and social dance events at 15 venues across the DC metropolitan area, serving over 4,000 adult students annually and licensing its brand in Charlotte, NC.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Dance Instruction Services

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Dance Competitions & Showcases (Non-Esports) (MPAGADAH)

Keywords

• Swing dance instruction
• Lindy hop classes
• Social dance events
• Ballroom dance workshops
• Partner dance training

Headquarters

HQ city

Fairfax

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices16 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Class Registration Fees: Primary revenue stream from eight-week session classes at $160 per person. Specialty workshops priced at $20-160 per person. Classes held at partner venues throughout DC metro area.
2. Dance Event Admissions: Revenue from social dance events featuring live bands or DJ music. Admission ranges from $10-35 per person. Dances include beginner lessons in the price of admission.
3. Franchise/Licensee Model: Licensed operations in other markets, currently including Charlotte, North Carolina.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Gottaswing delivers in-person swing dance instruction through eight-week beginner, intermediate, and specialty group classes at 15+ partner venues across the DC metropolitan area, and operates weekly and special social dance events featuring live bands and DJs. The business also licenses its brand and curriculum to a Charlotte, NC operator.

Product overview

Gottaswing is a swing dance education and social events company operating since 1994 in the greater Washington DC-metropolitan area. The core offering consists of eight-week beginner and intermediate group dance classes at 15+ locations, supplemented by specialty workshops (Balboa, Charleston, aerials, performance routines) and social dance events featuring live bands and DJs. The company does not offer a software platform; all offerings are in-person service classes and events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Beginner Swing Dance Classes Eight-week group beginner classes teaching the essentials of swing dance including six-count patterns, eight-count Lindy Whip and Circle, Charleston, lead-and-follow skills, and transitions. No partner required; partners are rotated in classes.
• Intermediate Swing Dance Classes Eight-week group intermediate classes building on basics to expand dance vocabulary and skills. Students should be familiar with six-count patterns, Lindy Whip and Circle, and Charleston.
• Specialty Classes

Quantifiable outcome

• 4,000+ students taught annually
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Arthur Murray Dance Studios: Largest ballroom and partner-dance instruction franchise in the world, offering group and private lessons across multiple dance styles. Directly comparable to Gottaswing's core group-class-plus-events model, with far broader geographic reach and a franchise-based expansion approach.
• Boogie Down Swing: Toronto-based Lindy Hop and swing dance school running group classes, social dances, and workshops. Closely comparable to Gottaswing in its Lindy-Hop-specialist focus, group-class-plus-social-event format, and brand-driven community.
• Fred Astaire Dance Studios: National ballroom and social dance franchise with group classes, private lessons, and social events. Operates the same group-class-plus-events format as Gottaswing, targeting adult learners seeking partner dance instruction and a community.

Regional players

• Dance Place: DC-based dance and performing arts venue offering classes, workshops, and performances across multiple dance styles including swing and social dance. Comparable as a regional DC dance-education competitor with an attached performance venue.
• Joy of Motion Dance Center: DC-area dance school offering group classes and workshops across multiple styles including swing, Lindy Hop, and social dance. Direct regional competitor sharing Gottaswing's DC metro footprint and community-instruction model.
• 920 Dance: Charlotte, NC-based dance studio offering group classes and events in partner dance styles. Particularly relevant given Gottaswing's Charlotte licensee — same metro, overlapping adult social-dance customer base.
• CityDance: Washington DC-based dance education and performance organization offering classes for adults and youth. Competes for the same adult social-dance student in the DC metro area as Gottaswing, with overlapping class-and-event programming.

Others

• Greater Washington Swing Dance Society: DC-area nonprofit swing dance community organization hosting dances, events, and lessons. Adjacent community/ecosystem player sharing the DC swing-dance customer pool with Gottaswing, but operating as a volunteer nonprofit rather than a paid instruction business.

Emerging players

• Decatur Swing: Atlanta-metro Lindy Hop and swing dance community running regular group classes and social dances. Comparable niche Lindy Hop community operator with similar event-driven GTM and curriculum approach.
• Studio Swing: Regional swing and Lindy Hop dance studio offering group classes and social events. Comparable as a niche specialist swing-dance school with a similar class-plus-events revenue model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/GottaswingDC
• Facebookfacebook.com/Gottaswing
• Instagraminstagram.com/gottaswingdc
• Xx.com/gottaswing
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gotta-swing

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 Gottaswing