Ballet Arkansas

What Ballet Arkansas does

Ballet Arkansas is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional ballet company founded circa 1979 and headquartered at 520 Main Street in downtown Little Rock's Creative Corridor. It fields a 17-member Company Artist roster on competitive 30-week contracts and is ranked among the Largest 75 Ballet Companies in America by the Dance Data Project. The organization operates three integrated business lines: (1) a mainstage performance season anchored by The Nutcracker Spectacular (performed with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra at Robinson Center), The Sleeping Beauty, Don Quixote: A La Mancha Love Story, and a world premiere of The Great Gatsby; (2) the Ballet Arkansas School for Dance, a year-round training program for ages 3 through adult with Youth and Adult Divisions, summer intensives, an invitation-only YAGP competitive team, and the only dance school in Little Rock staffed entirely by current Company Artists; and (3) a community outreach portfolio including K-12 classroom programs and Student Matinee Series serving 10,000+ students annually, L.E.A.P. preschool visits, Dance for All Seasons senior programming, a Performer Request Program, and a Community Cast audition pipeline drawing 250+ participants annually into mainstage productions.

The organization generates revenue across ten distinct streams: individual and corporate donations across seven recognition tiers (Corps de Ballet up to $999 through Lorraine Cranford Circle $50K+), production and event sponsorships (Bronze $500+ through Season Sponsor $25K+), a Sponsor-an-Artist program ($1,500 per Company Artist), ticket sales via Robinson Center Box Office and online, school tuition (Youth Division with $35 registration plus monthly fees; Adult Division month-to-month), summer program tuition ($135-$725 per program), community cast audition fees ($30 audition + $200 production/costume), specialized workshops and audition prep ($225-$350), planned giving vehicles (CGAs, CRTs, IRA rollovers), and merchandise via Bonfire. Operational technology is delivered through standard SaaS — DanceStudio-Pro for enrollment, SalsaLabs for donations and email, Bonfire for merchandise, and Google Forms for K-12 reservations. Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer with on-site program delivery within a 30-mile radius of Little Rock; digital channels (Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter) and earned media in regional outlets (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, AY Magazine, Arkansas Times) drive audience development. The organization reaches approximately 50,000 audience members annually and serves 10,000+ K-12 students statewide.

Name

Ballet Arkansas

Legal name

Ballet Arkansas

Website

https://balletarkansas.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ballet Arkansas is a Little Rock-based nonprofit professional ballet company operating a mainstage performance season, a School for Dance, and community outreach programs serving ~50,000 audience members and 10,000+ K-12 students annually across Arkansas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Little Rock

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual & Corporate Donations: Donations at multiple tiers (Lorraine Cranford Circle $50K+, Founder's Circle $25K+, Director's Circle $15K+, Artist's Circle $7.5K+, Principal $2.5K+, Soloist $1K+, Corps de Ballet up to $999). Tax-deductible with personalized benefits packages.
2. Production & Event Sponsorship: Season sponsorship ($25K+) and tiered sponsorships (Presenting $15K+, Platinum $10K+, Gold $5K+, Silver $2.5K+, Bronze $500+) for productions and special events with customized marketing benefits.
3. Sponsor-an-Artist: $1,500 donation per Company Artist per season with perks including backstage tours, studio rehearsal invitations, and advance casting notices. One sponsor per Company Artist, per season.
4. Ticket Sales: Performance ticket sales via Robinson Center Box Office and online; Student Matinee tickets at $5-$10. Group sales and themed gala ticketing.
5. School for Dance Tuition: Recurring tuition (monthly or annual) for Youth Division (placement-based, $35 registration fee) and Adult Division (monthly enrollment, no registration fee). Sliding-scale tuition, scholarships, family and multi-class discounts.
6. Summer Programs Revenue: Summer Intensive ($725 tuition), Boot Camp ($265), Pointe & Partnering Intensive ($265), Junior Intensive ($160), Story Time Dance Camp ($135), plus non-refundable deposits per program.
7. Community Cast Audition & Production Fees: $30 non-refundable audition fee per production plus $200 production and costume fee upon casting. Auditioned across three productions per season.
8. Workshops & Audition Prep Services: Audition Ready: Prep + Photoshoot ($225), Audition Video + Non-Professional Photo Package ($350), Professional Photos with Matthew Sewell ($250).
9. Planned Giving & Legacy Gifts: Charitable Gift Annuities, Charitable Remainder Trusts, IRA Charitable Rollovers (up to $100K individual / $200K married), appreciated stock, donor-advised funds, legacy commitments, and beneficiary designations.
10. Merchandise: Branded merchandise sales via Bonfire storefront.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Ballet Arkansas is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional ballet company that produces a mainstage season of live ballet productions anchored by The Nutcracker Spectacular with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, The Sleeping Beauty, Don Quixote: A La Mancha Love Story, and the world premiere The Great Gatsby. It also operates the official School for Dance (Youth and Adult Divisions), competitive programs (YAGP Team), and community outreach initiatives serving K-12 schools, seniors, and preschoolers.

Product overview

Ballet Arkansas is a professional performing arts organization (not a software/SaaS vendor), so its "product portfolio" is a collection of live performance, education, and community engagement services rather than a unified platform with modules. The core offerings consist of (1) a Mainstage Production Season anchored by The Nutcracker Spectacular (with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra), The Sleeping Beauty, Don Quixote, and the World Premiere The Great Gatsby; (2) a School for Dance (with Youth Division for ages 3-18 and an Adult Division) offering year-round placement-based ballet and pointe training, supported by a Summer Dance Programs lineup and the competitive YAGP Team; (3) a Community Cast program that recruits auditioned community performers to share the stage with the company's 17 professional Company Artists; (4) K-12 Education Programs (Unbound, Dance Discovery, STEM Exploration, Master Classes, Virtual Field Trips) plus a Student Matinee Series; (5) Community Outreach Programs such as L.E.A.P. (Language, Expression, Art, Play) for preschoolers and Dance for All Seasons for seniors; and (6) ancillary offerings including Workshops/Audition Prep, the Performer Request Program, the Luminous Turning Pointe Gala, and the multi-year Nutcracker Project capital campaign. Operational infrastructure spans a DanceStudio-Pro/GoStudioPro enrollment portal, SalsaLabs donation platform, Bonfire merchandise storefront, Venmo/PayPal Giving Fund donation channels, and Google Forms reservation workflows.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Nutcracker Spectacular: Arkansas's largest and longest-running holiday production featuring Ballet Arkansas artists, a community cast of more than 300, and live music by the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra.
• Ballet Arkansas School for Dance
• Dance for All Seasons
• L.E.A.P. (Language, Expression, Art, Play)
• The Nutcracker Project
• K-12 Education Programs

Products and services

• The Nutcracker Spectacular Arkansas's largest and longest-running holiday production performed annually with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra at Robinson Center. Features a community cast of 300+ alongside the company's 17 professional artists performing Tchaikovsky's iconic score with live orchestral accompaniment.
• The Sleeping Beauty Classical full-length ballet performed at Robinson Center with Community Cast 10+, set to Tchaikovsky's score. Part of the 26|27 Season and accompanied by a K-12 Student Matinee performance.
• Don Quixote: A La Mancha Love Story Arkansas Premiere of Don Quixote performed at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts with Community Cast 12+. Inspired by Miguel de Cervantes' novel, featuring bravura dancing, comedy, romance, and theatrical spectacle.
• The Great Gatsby (World Premiere) A world premiere ballet reimagining F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, launching the 26|27 Season with immersive visual art integration and contemporary musical enhancements.
• Student Matinee Series K-12 educational performance series serving thousands of Arkansas students with abbreviated performances of mainstage productions, accompanied by Study Guides, held at 10:30 AM for public, private, and homeschool groups.
• K-12 Education Programs Classroom-based dance education programs (Unbound, Dance Discovery, STEM Exploration, Master Classes, Virtual Field Trips) for K-12 educators statewide. Designed for kinesthetic learning and arts integration with curricula aligned to educational standards.
• L.E.A.P. (Language, Expression, Art, Play) Daycare and preschool program delivered by costumed Company Artists that nurtures young minds through storytelling, arts and crafts, and dance instruction. Available as customizable singular or recurring site visits.
• Dance for All Seasons Senior outreach program in which trained Company Artists visit community centers and retirement communities to deliver tailored movement classes for lying, seated, or standing participants, promoting mobility, balance, cardiovascular health, cognitive stimulation, and social connection.
• Ballet Arkansas School for Dance Official training school of Ballet Arkansas, providing year-round placement-based ballet, pointe, and pre-pointe instruction for ages 3 through adult. Staffed entirely by current Ballet Arkansas Company Artists in state-of-the-art studios at 520 Main Street, Little Rock, with sliding-scale tuition and scholarship opportunities.
• Adult Division Open-level ballet classes for adults 18+ at all experience levels, including Beginner, Beginner/Intermediate, and Intermediate Adult Ballet. Month-to-month enrollment with no placement required and family discounts for enrolled students' parents.
• Summer Dance Programs Summer lineup of classes, camps, workshops, and intensives for ages 3 through adult, including Summer Intensive, Junior Intensive, Boot Camps, Pointe & Partnering Intensive, Storytime Dance Camp Series, YAGP Team Intensive, Masterclasses, and Back to School Intensive.
• YAGP Team (Youth America Grand Prix) Invitation-only competitive program for Ballet Arkansas School for Dance students aged 9-19 participating in the Youth America Grand Prix, the world's largest international ballet competition. Includes coaching, classical variations, ensemble work, and masterclasses.
• Community Cast Program Audition-based program enabling community performers to share the stage with professional Company Artists in mainstage productions (Nutcracker 6+, Sleeping Beauty 10+, Don Quixote 12+). Includes separate age-grouped auditions and rehearsal schedules.
• Workshops | Audition Prep Specialized workshop offerings including Audition Ready (Prep + Photoshoot) and Audition Video + Non-Professional Photo Package for dancers preparing summer intensive, college, and company audition submissions.
• Performer Request Program Service enabling events, corporate functions, birthday parties, and fundraisers to book Ballet Arkansas Company Artists for performances and costumed appearances.
• Luminous - Turning Pointe Gala Annual fundraising gala and special event supporting Ballet Arkansas's programs, operations, and community outreach.

Named customers5 records

Segments7 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

Feature4 records

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cincinnati Ballet: Ohio-based professional ballet company with a comparable mainstage season, school, and community education programming. Sits in the same mid-size US regional tier as Ballet Arkansas.
• Nashville Ballet: Regional professional ballet company anchored in a single mid-sized Southern metro. Operates a School of Nashville Ballet, a Nutcracker production, and K-12/senior outreach programs at a scale and structure directly comparable to Ballet Arkansas.
• Tulsa Ballet: Oklahoma-based professional ballet company with similar single-state focus, comparable roster size, and a school plus community programming model that closely parallels Ballet Arkansas's portfolio.
• Ballet Memphis: Mid-size US regional professional ballet company serving a single mid-sized Southern metro. Operates a School for Dance, mainstage season, and community outreach programs at a similar scale and budget to Ballet Arkansas, making it one of the closest structural comparables.
• Louisville Ballet: Kentucky-based professional ballet company with a similar single-metro footprint, school, and community programming model. Comparable in size, structure, and donor-supported funding profile to Ballet Arkansas.
• Oklahoma City Ballet: Professional ballet company based in a single mid-sized US state capital, with comparable company size, Nutcracker-as-anchor programming, affiliated school, and donor-tier fundraising model. Closely mirrors Ballet Arkansas's institutional footprint and operating cadence.
• Kansas City Ballet: Mid-size US regional professional ballet company with an affiliated school, holiday Nutcracker production, and community engagement programs. Sits at a comparable institutional size and funding-model bracket to Ballet Arkansas.
• Eugene Ballet: Smaller regional professional ballet company with a similar non-profit, donor-supported model, school, and community programming structure. Useful smaller-scale comparable for Ballet Arkansas's outreach and education model.
• Colorado Ballet: Regional professional ballet company with an affiliated school and comparable Nutcracker-as-anchor programming. Operates at a slightly larger scale but follows the same single-metro, donor-funded institutional model as Ballet Arkansas.

Broad incumbents

• Atlanta Ballet: Significantly larger Southeastern US professional ballet company with a broader repertoire and a Centre for Dance Education. Functions as a broader incumbent in the same Southern regional ballet category, providing scale benchmark and competitive context for Ballet Arkansas.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/balletarkansas
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/balletarkansas
• Facebookfacebook.com/BalletAR
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ballet-arkansas
• Instagraminstagram.com/ballet_arkansas

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 Ballet Arkansas