Dancewear Solutions
Dancewear Solutions is a Saint Louis-based direct-to-consumer e-commerce retailer of discount dance apparel, shoes, tights, and accessories, owned by Weissman and serving dancers, teachers, and studio customers across all 50 U.S. states.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersSt Louis, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Dancewear Solutions does
Dancewear Solutions is a direct-to-consumer e-commerce retailer of discount dance apparel, footwear, tights, and accessories, headquartered at 6750 Manchester Avenue in Saint Louis, Missouri, and operating as a subsidiary of Weissman, a long-tenured dancewear company that also runs a separate wholesale platform at Weissmans.com for studio owners and coaches. The storefront sells across multiple categories — leotards, tops, bottoms, dresses, shoes, tights, kids, dance team, gymnastics, performance wear, and accessories — and carries both proprietary in-house brands (Balera, Balera Performance, FlexTek Soft, FlexTek Smooth) and third-party brands (Bloch, Capezio, Bunheads, Mirella, Pastry, Apolla Performance Wear). Underlying technology is a standard e-commerce retail platform with no disclosed proprietary features, APIs, or integrations, supporting unit-priced transactions, free shipping on orders over $45, sitewide promotional discount codes, and a dedicated clearance ("Last Look") channel.
The business model is straightforward unit e-commerce revenue: customers purchase directly through the website for shipment to all 50 U.S. states, with marketing driven by an owned content library (DWS Obsessed blog), email and SMS campaigns, and organic social presence across Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Pinterest, and YouTube. Pricing is set at the SKU level with promotional markdowns as the primary demand lever rather than algorithmic or personalized pricing. The customer base spans individual dancers, parents of dance students, dance teachers, studio owners (routed to the wholesale site), and dance teams, with no disclosed enterprise or anchor contracts. Leadership is headed by CEO and founder Ken Ellingsen; no funding rounds, acquisitions, M&A activity, or leadership transitions beyond the founder relationship are documented in available sources.
Dancewear Solutions firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Dancewear Solutions
- Legal name
- Dancewear Solutions
- Website
- https://dancewearsolutions.com
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Dancewear Solutions is a Saint Louis-based direct-to-consumer e-commerce retailer of discount dance apparel, shoes, tights, and accessories, owned by Weissman and serving dancers, teachers, and studio customers across all 50 U.S. states.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Dancewear Solutions industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Dancewear Retail
- NAICS
- Shoe Retailers (45821), Clothing, Clothing Accessories, Shoe, and Jewelry Retailers (458)
- SIC
- Retail-Shoe Stores (5661), Retail-Apparel & Accessory Stores (5600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Specialty Footwear Retail (Dance, Skate, Cleats, Bowling, etc.) (CRAAADAJ)
Keywords
Where Dancewear Solutions is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- St Louis
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Dancewear Solutions business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Direct E-commerce Sales: Direct-to-consumer online retail of dancewear, dance shoes, tights, and accessories. Customers purchase through the website with orders shipped to the 50 U.S. states. Revenue generated through product sales with promotional discounts.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Standard retail pricing with promotional discounts |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Dancewear Solutions product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Dancewear Solutions is an online retailer that sells discounted dancewear, dance shoes, tights, and accessories to individual dancers, students, and parents across the United States. The catalog spans practice wear, performance costumes, team uniforms, kids dancewear, and gymnastics apparel, sourced from a mix of in-house brands (Balera, FlexTek) and third-party brands (Bloch, Capezio, Bunheads, Mirella, Pastry, Apolla). A separate wholesale channel at Weissmans.com is operated by the parent company for studio owners and coaches.
Product overview
Dancewear Solutions is an e-commerce dancewear retailer offering a comprehensive portfolio of discount dance apparel, costumes, shoes, and tights. The platform provides products across multiple categories including leotards, tops, bottoms, dresses, shoes, tights, kids dancewear, dance team gear, gymnastics wear, and performance wear. The company carries both in-house brands (Balera Dancewear, Balera Performance, FlexTek Soft, FlexTek Smooth) and third-party brands (Bloch, Capezio, Bunheads, Mirella, Pastry, Apolla Performance Wear). They also operate Weissman Teacher Site as a separate wholesale platform for studio owners and coaches. The product offering spans practice wear for class, performance costumes for stage, and accessories for dancers of all levels.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Dancewear Solutions Online Store Direct-to-consumer online retail platform selling discounted dance apparel, costumes, shoes, and tights for dancers of all levels across the United States.
- Leotards Dance leotards in camisole, tank/halter, short sleeve, long sleeve, and unitard styles in various materials and designs, for practice and performance.
- Dance Shoes Dance shoes including ballet slippers, pointe shoes, jazz shoes, tap and character shoes, hip-hop sneakers, lyrical and contemporary shoes, and acro and gymnastics shoes.
- Tights Dance tights in convertible, footed, footless and capri, fishnet, stirrup, and body styles, starting at $5.95.
- Kids Dancewear Dance apparel designed for children including leotards, tops, bottoms, dresses, skirts, tutus, unitards, accessories, shoes, and tights.
- Dance Team Apparel Coordinated dance team apparel including leotards, unitards, tops, bottoms, dresses, accessories, and shoes for team uniforms.
- Performance Wear
Companies that use Dancewear Solutions
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Dancewear Solutions technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Dancewear Solutions partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- WeissmancoreDancewear Solutions is owned by Weissman, which operates a separate wholesale website (Weissmans.com) for studio owners and coaches. Weissman provides wholesale pricing on exclusive dancewear styles for dance studios.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves1 record
Expansion highlights4 records
Dancewear Solutions competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Amazon: Mass-market e-commerce marketplace stocking numerous dancewear brands including Bloch, Capezio, and Balera. Competes on breadth, Prime shipping, and price, but offers limited specialty guidance for sizing, style matching, and dance-specific fit.
- Lululemon: Large athletic and studio-wear retailer with growing share of dance, yoga, and pilates apparel purchases. Represents an adjacent incumbent whose brand strength and omni-channel presence could pull demand from DWS's premium tier.
- Bloch: Premium international dancewear brand stocked by DWS. Operates its own retail and wholesale globally with focus on ballet pointe shoes, leotards, and footwear, overlapping DWS's specialty dance footwear assortment.
- Capezio: Historic dancewear brand operating its own direct-to-consumer retail alongside wholesale. Sells shoes, leotards, tights and accessories in the same categories DWS carries, but with stronger brand authority and premium positioning.
- Nike: Global athletic footwear and apparel giant with dance-specific sneaker lines (e.g., the "Dance" category) and hip-hop footwear. Competes with DWS in the athletic/dance crossover segment and benefits from enormous scale and marketing.
Others
- Etsy: Marketplace for handmade and boutique dance apparel, costumes, and accessories. Overlaps with DWS in custom and small-batch costume demand, especially for dance teams and competitions, though DWS competes more on standardized inventory and price.
- Weissman: DWS's parent company and operator of the B2B wholesale platform Weissmans.com, serving studio owners and coaches with exclusive styles. Sister/parent entity providing inventory, brand partnerships, and shared back-office scale.
Emerging players
- Mirella: Specialty dancewear brand carried by DWS as a third-party label. Operates its own direct channels for dance shoes and apparel in the same categories as DWS, representing a manufacturer-side peer with overlapping customer base.
Direct peers
- Curtain Call Costumes: Online specialty retailer of dancewear and performance costumes serving dancers, studios, and competition teams. Comparable to DWS in niche positioning, team-uniform offerings, and discount pricing on multi-brand inventory.
- Discount Dance Supply: Direct online dancewear retailer offering discounted apparel, shoes, and accessories to dancers and studios nationwide. Closely competes with DWS on price and assortment across ballet, tap, jazz, and lyrical categories.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Dancewear Solutions social profiles
Digital presenceDancewear Solutions financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Dancewear Solutions leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Dancewear Solutions funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Dancewear Solutions M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Dancewear Solutions
What does Dancewear Solutions do?
Dancewear Solutions is an online retailer that sells discounted dancewear, dance shoes, tights, and accessories to individual dancers, students, and parents across the United States. The catalog spans practice wear, performance costumes, team uniforms, kids dancewear, and gymnastics apparel, sourced from a mix of in-house brands (Balera, FlexTek) and third-party brands (Bloch, Capezio, Bunheads, Mirella, Pastry, Apolla). A separate wholesale channel at Weissmans.com is operated by the parent company for studio owners and coaches.
Is Dancewear Solutions a public or private company?
Dancewear Solutions is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Dancewear Solutions founded?
Dancewear Solutions was founded in -1. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Dancewear Solutions based?
Dancewear Solutions is headquartered in St Louis, United States, in the North America region.
How does Dancewear Solutions make money?
One revenue line is on record: direct E-commerce Sales.
Who are Dancewear Solutions's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Amazon, Lululemon, Bloch, Capezio and Nike. Others are Etsy and Weissman. Mirella is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are Curtain Call Costumes and Discount Dance Supply.
Does Dancewear Solutions have an API?
No public API is recorded for Dancewear Solutions.
What industry is Dancewear Solutions in?
Dancewear Solutions's product category is Dancewear Retail. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAAADAJ, Specialty Footwear Retail (Dance, Skate, Cleats, Bowling, etc.). Its NAICS code is 45821 and its SIC code is 5661.