Dance Academy of Libertyville

What Dance Academy of Libertyville does

Dance Academy of Libertyville is a privately held, single-location dance instruction studio based at 746 E. Park Ave., Libertyville, Illinois, serving families in Libertyville and the surrounding Chicagoland area. The academy offers in-person dance classes across multiple disciplines — ballet, jazz, contemporary, tap, hip hop, acro, and pointe — structured into a Pre Academy Program for ages 2.5-6, a graded Academy Program (Levels 1-5+) for serious students, an Open Program for flexible recreational participation, a Hip Hop Program, Private Lessons with professional instructors, and seasonal Summer programs. An auditioned "Company" track serves advanced dancers.

The business model is direct-to-consumer tuition-based, with semester registration (Fall, Spring, Summer) conducted via a third-party online registration platform (JackRabbit Class), email, and phone. Tuition is due upon registration, prorated for late enrollees, with non-refundable cutoffs by semester. Auxiliary revenue comes from studio space rental to external organizations, Girl Scout Dancer Badge workshops priced at $18 per dancer, and private lessons with named faculty. The facility comprises five studios with sprung marley floors, dressing rooms, study space, and vending machines.

The studio is founder-led, with founding director Lisa Sheppard Shipman (over 40 years teaching ballet, prior professional tenures at Ballet Arizona, Ballet Austin, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre) and current School Director Emily Winkler (jazz program lead, 20+ years as dancer/choreographer/instructor). The faculty includes a former American Ballet Theatre soloist and instructors with ABT and Cecchetti certifications. There is no proprietary technology platform, no disclosed external investment, and no multi-location footprint.

Name

Dance Academy of Libertyville

Legal name

Dance Academy of Libertyville

Website

https://danceacademyoflibertyville.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Dance Instruction Services

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (61161)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth/Student & Community Dance Recitals (MPAGADAI), Dance & Movement (Ballroom, Contemporary, Social Dance) (EDAAAGAD)

Keywords

• Dance instruction
• Ballet classes
• Youth dance programs
• Dance studio
• Summer dance camps

Headquarters

HQ city

Libertyville

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

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Registration Fees: Semester-based tuition fees charged upon registration for Academy and Open Programs. Tuition is prorated for late registration. No refunds issued after specific cutoff dates (July 31 for Fall, December 19 for Spring, May 29 for Summer).
2. Summer Programs: Summer programs running June 8 - July 30, 2026, including dance camps, Jr. Dance Intensives, jazz/contemporary intensives, ballet intensives, and tap workshops. Registration via credit card required.
3. Space Rental: The facility rents out studios to outside parties when scheduling permits, with a rental brochure and pricing available.
4. Girl Scout Dancer Badge Workshops: Workshop program for Girl Scouts at $18 per dancer, 75 minutes in length, minimum 5 dancers, maximum 25. Includes tour, dance class, and badge/certificate.
5. Private Lessons: Individual instruction in advanced ballet and pointe, tap, jazz, contemporary, modern, and ballet with specialized faculty members including Amy Rose, Andi Bissen, Brian Hare, Aimee Russon, and Stephanie Cihlar.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Dance Academy of Libertyville provides in-person dance instruction for children and adults at its Libertyville, IL studio, offering tiered programs (Pre Academy, graded Academy, Open, Hip Hop, Private Lessons) and seasonal Summer Programs across ballet, jazz, contemporary, tap, hip hop, acro, and pointe disciplines. Revenue is generated through semester-based tuition and ancillary services including Private Lessons, Studio Space Rental, and a Girl Scout Dancer Badge workshop program.

Product overview

Dance Academy of Libertyville is a dance instruction studio offering a comprehensive portfolio of programs. The core offerings include the Pre Academy Program for young children (ages 2.5-6), the Academy Program with graded progressive curriculum for serious students (Ballet levels 1-5+, Pointe, Jazz, Contemporary, Tap), and the Open Program for flexible participation. Additional offerings include a Hip Hop Program, Private Lessons with professional instructors, and Summer Programs featuring various camps and intensives. The academy also provides space rental services and special programs like the Girl Scout Dancer Badge workshop. The company does not operate a technology product platform but rather provides in-person dance instruction services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pre Academy Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Stevenson High School Varsity Dance Team coached by faculty member Laura Moschel placed top 3 in Illinois 3A State Championship for past 4 years
• +1 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Regional players

• Pacific Northwest Ballet School: School of Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle, offering graded ballet curriculum with professional faculty. Lisa Sheppard Shipman performed with PNB; DAL's pedagogy draws on PNB lineage, making it a comparable regional ballet academy.
• Houston Ballet Academy: Academy of Houston Ballet, a major US ballet training institution. Lisa Sheppard Shipman trained with Houston Ballet, giving DAL direct pedagogical lineage to this comparable regional ballet academy.

Direct peers

• Ballet 5:8: Chicago-area ballet school with affiliated professional company, offering pre-professional ballet training. Comparable to DAL in suburban Chicago ballet education and professional-track student outcomes.
• The School at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago: Chicago-based training program affiliated with Hubbard Street Dance, offering ballet, contemporary, and jazz instruction. Comparable to DAL in multi-discipline offering, professional-company affiliation, and Chicago metro area positioning.
• Ruth Page Center for the Arts: Chicago dance institution operating training programs and performances; Lisa Sheppard Shipman trained with the Ruth Page Foundation. Comparable heritage, ballet focus, and Chicago market overlap with DAL.
• Giordano Dance School: Chicago-area dance school under Giordano Dance Chicago, offering graded jazz and multi-style curriculum. Comparable as a Chicago suburban dance academy with professional company affiliation and graded youth progression.
• Joffrey Academy of Dance: Official school of The Joffrey Ballet in Chicago, offering graded ballet and multi-discipline training with professional faculty. Closely comparable to DAL as a Chicago-area academy serving serious youth dancers with progressive curricula and credentialed instructors.

Broad incumbents

• Arthur Murray International: Long-established national dance instruction franchise. Comparable to DAL as a scaled dance instruction operator, though its focus is social/ballroom rather than the youth ballet progression that anchors DAL.
• Fred Astaire Dance Studios: National franchise of dance instruction studios offering ballroom, social, and competitive dance for adults. Comparable as a multi-location dance instruction operator, though focused on social/adult dance rather than youth ballet progression.

Emerging players

• CLI Studios: Virtual dance instruction platform offering on-demand classes across multiple styles. Comparable as a competitive alternative for recreational and adult dancers — a segment where DAL's Open Program competes for share-of-time and share-of-wallet.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/DanceAcademyofLibertyville
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dance-academy-of-libertyville

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 Dance Academy of Libertyville