NobleMotion Dance

What NobleMotion Dance does

NobleMotion Dance is a privately held contemporary dance company founded in Houston, Texas in 2008 by Co-Artistic Directors Andy Noble and Dionne Noble, now in its 16th season (2024-2025). The company's core product is original contemporary dance productions that integrate advanced technology — including AI/ML real-time projection design, brain-computer interface EEG technology, autonomous AI agents operating as co-performers, and innovative climbable set/sculpture design — distinguishing it within the Houston and national dance landscape. Beyond the main company, NobleMotion operates an integrated ecosystem comprising NMD2 (a professional training and performance company for dancers 18+), NMD+ Accelerate (an invitation-only choreographic development program), and annual Summer and Winter Dance Intensives serving pre-professional (ages 13-17) and professional dancers (18+). Productions typically cast 10-33 dancers and are presented at Houston venues including The Hobby Center's Zilkha Hall and MATCH, with additional reach via the Texas Touring Roster, Wolf Trap, the United Nations AI for Good Global Summit (Geneva 2024), and MARCO (Mexico 2024).

NobleMotion's revenue model is a hybrid arts-nonprofit mix spanning ticket sales ($22-$38.50 standard, $65 premium for immersive gallery experiences), donations via PayPal and mail, dance intensive registration fees ($350-$650), NMD2 memberships, and grants/sponsorships from the Texas Commission on the Arts, Houston Arts Alliance, National Endowment for the Arts, Mid-America Arts Alliance, and various corporate sponsors. Go-to-market is event-driven, with seasonal productions, annual intensives, and curated touring engagements rather than continuous commercial sales. Customer segments split between arts patrons purchasing tickets/donations, pre-professional and professional dancers participating in training programs, and institutional partners (venues, research centers such as the University of Houston BRAIN Center, and international festivals). The company has been recognized as Houston's Best Dance Company by the Houston Press in 2015, 2016, and 2019, and was featured on ABC's Emmy-nominated American Crime in 2016.

Name

NobleMotion Dance

Legal name

NobleMotion Dance

Website

https://noblemotiondance.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

NobleMotion Dance is a Houston-based contemporary dance company that produces technology-integrated performances, professional training programs (NMD2), and dance intensives for arts patrons and dancers aged 13 and up.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts / Contemporary Dance

NAICS

Dance Companies (711120), Dance Companies (71112)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Contemporary & Modern Dance (MPAGADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Dance Festivals & Dance Series (MPAGADAJ), Dance Education (Ballet, Contemporary, Hip-Hop, Cultural Dance) (EDAMAAAH)

Keywords

• Contemporary dance performances
• Professional dance training
• Dance intensives
• AI-integrated choreography
• Neuroscience dance research

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from main stage performances at venues including The Hobby Center, MATCH, and touring performances. Standard ticket prices range $22-$38.50 for some shows, with premium experiences like Escape Velocity at $65.
2. Donations and Fundraising: Accepts donations through PayPal and mail. Regular fundraising campaigns for ongoing operations and specific productions.
3. Arts Grants and Sponsorships: Funding from Mid-America Arts Alliance Artistic Innovation Grant, Texas Commission on the Arts, Houston Arts Alliance, National Endowment for the Arts, and corporate sponsors. Also received support from Dance Source Houston Micro Grant and Foundation for Contemporary Arts Emergency Grant.
4. Dance Intensives: Summer and Winter intensive programs charging registration fees ($350-$650) for dance training workshops serving professional and pre-professional dancers.
5. NMD2 Membership Fees: NMD2 company members receive mentorship, training, and performance opportunities with some member benefits including discounts to annual dance intensives.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

NobleMotion Dance is a Houston-based professional contemporary dance company that creates and presents original dance productions integrating cutting-edge technology (AI/ML projection design, EEG brain-computer interfaces, real-time video processing, climbable sculptural set designs). The company operates a main performance company, a second professional training and performance company (NMD2), an invitation-only choreographic development program (NMD+ Accelerate), and annual Summer and Winter Dance Intensives for pre-professional and professional dancers.

Product overview

NobleMotion Dance operates as a unified portfolio of professional dance offerings centered around its main contemporary dance company. The core company produces original technology-forward productions incorporating AI, projection design, and neuroscience collaborations. Supporting the main company are NMD2 (a professional training and performance company for emerging dancers), NMD+ Accelerate (an invitation-only choreographic development program), and Summer and Winter Dance Intensives (annual training programs for pre-professional and professional dancers). The ecosystem is designed to develop talent from training through professional performance, with all programs connected through shared artistic leadership by Co-Artistic Directors Andy and Dionne Noble.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NMD2: A professional training and performance company for dancers 18 and up, focused on cultivating artistic skills and professional excellence to prepare dancers for careers in dance.
• NMD+

Products and services

• NobleMotion Dance Main Company Productions The primary professional dance company presenting original contemporary dance productions with advanced technology integration including AI, projection design, and neuroscience collaborations. Performances held at Houston venues including The Hobby Center and MATCH, plus national and international touring.
• NMD2 Professional Training and Performance Company A professional training and performance company for dancers 18 and up that cultivates artistic skills and professional excellence to prepare dancers for careers in dance. Company members train extensively in contemporary art forms, work with choreographers on new works, and perform locally and with the main company.
• NMD+ Accelerate Invitation-Only Performance Program An invitation-only performance program where dancers work with dynamic local choreographers. Features six master choreographers who each choreograph 1-minute segments woven together to create one large piece, premiered in NMD2 performances at MATCH.
• Summer Dance Intensive Week-long contemporary dance experience for professional-level dancers (18+) and pre-professional (ages 13-17). Training includes contemporary/modern technique, ballet, jazz, partnering, improvisation, and NMD and guest repertory. Located at PAC Dance Studio, Spring, TX.
• Winter Dance Intensive Three-day contemporary dance experience for dancers 13 and up with two tracks: Pre-Pro and Pro. Placement determined by technical skill and age appropriateness. Training includes contemporary, ballet, jazz, improvisation, and repertory classes.

Quantifiable outcome

• Three-time winner of Houston Press Best Dance Company (2015, 2016, 2019)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and flagship.

• Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Monterrey (MARCO)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 May 2024International venue in Mexico that presented Meeting of Minds in September 2024 as part of their event programming.
• The Hobby CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Primary home venue for major productions. Hosted Vortex 10th anniversary, annual seasons, and ExxonMobil Discovery Series presentations including Meeting of Minds (2024).
• Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing ArtsmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Presented LiveWire at 2022 International Workshop on the Neural and Social Bases of Creative Movement. International venue for science-dance collaboration.
• Glade Arts FoundationmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 August 2022Gallery venue that hosted Escape Velocity immersive dance performance August 2022, featuring AI technology and climbable sculptures in unique gallery setting.
• Musiqa (Houston contemporary music ensemble)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Two-decade ongoing collaboration creating innovative performances fusing contemporary music and dance. Collaborations include LiveWire (2022), Meeting of Minds (2024), Tonal Impact, NobleMotion Unplugged, and numerous other productions featuring music composition and performance.
• University of Houston BRAIN Center (Jose Luis Contreras-Vidal)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Pioneering partnership integrating neuroscience research with dance performance. Dancers wear EEG caps during performances while researchers deploy mobile brain-body imaging technology. Research furthers understanding of how the mind initiates spontaneous and prepared movement. Presented at Wolf Trap Brain and Dance Conference 2022.
• Anthony Brandt (Composer)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Created original score for LiveWire - 10 short movements for two string quartets. Musiqa Artistic Director and composer collaborating on neuroscience-dance performance.
• Jeremy Stewart (AI/Machine Learning Designer)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 August 2019Multimedia artist and AI researcher who creates real-time interactive video systems. Developed novel AI software generating video in response to performer movement for Prometheus, Section 6, and other works. Technical director on multiple productions involving A.I. and wearable hardware.
• Jared Doster (Industrial Designer)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 September 2017Industrial design engineer who created 5 custom built interactive sets for Catapult including deconstructed tunnels, flipping doors, and 12-foot spinning/teetering structures. Also designed climbable sculptures for Stalactites and Escape Velocity. Original founding member of NMD.
• ABC Television / American Crime (John Ridley)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2016Hired by creator John Ridley to choreograph pivotal 4-minute contemporary dance scene for episode aired February 3, 2016. Shot with NFL wire cam in one long take. Original score by Mark Isham. Nine of ten dancers from Texas.
• Texas Commission on the Arts (Texas Touring Roster)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2014Listed on Texas Touring Roster since 2014, enabling regional touring across Texas. TCA Arts Respond Performance Support Program helps present NMD at venues throughout the state.
• Badie Khaleghian (Composer/Multimedia Artist)coreTechnology or IntegrationRice University doctoral candidate in composition. Created immersive projection design responding to live EEG data for Meeting of Minds. Composes music and creates multimedia installations for NMD productions.
• Bryan Ealey (Lighting Designer)coreTechnology or IntegrationResident Lighting Designer and Technical Director for NMD. MFA Lighting Design from UC San Diego. Creates lighting designs that shape stage environments for all major productions.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• MOMIX: Moses Pendleton's dance company producing visually driven, prop-and-projection-rich contemporary performances. Comparable to NobleMotion for combining athleticism with sculptural set design and immersive visual technology.
• Whim W'Him: Seattle-based contemporary dance company founded by a former Pacific Northwest Ballet dancer, focused on commissioning original contemporary work. Comparable in mid-sized scale and repertory-driven contemporary model.
• Pilobolus: Internationally touring contemporary dance company known for visually inventive, technology-integrated, and acrobatic work. Highly comparable to NobleMotion in its use of innovative staging design and multimedia to differentiate contemporary dance for general audiences.
• BODYTRAFFIC: Los Angeles-based contemporary dance company presenting original works by established and emerging choreographers. Comparable in size, repertory model, and ambition to build a sustainable touring contemporary dance brand.
• Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet: New York-based contemporary dance company with a repertory-focused model and commissioned works from leading choreographers. Comparable in repertoire-driven programming and production scale to NobleMotion.
• Trey McIntyre Project: Ballet-based contemporary dance company producing original repertory with strong visual identity and touring productions. Similar mid-sized scale and repertoire-development model to NobleMotion.

Broad incumbents

• Batsheva Dance Company: Internationally renowned Israeli contemporary dance company with a strong research-driven creative practice ( Gaga movement language). Comparable in artistic ambition and reputation for physically demanding contemporary work, though based internationally and at larger scale.
• Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: One of the most prominent modern dance companies globally, with extensive national and international touring and educational programming. Comparable as a high-reputation contemporary/modern dance brand, though at much larger scale and institutional footprint than NobleMotion.

Regional players

• Houston Ballet: Houston's largest and most established dance organization, sharing NobleMotion's home market and overlapping venue relationships (Wortham Theater Center vs. Hobby Center/MATCH). Comparable as a Houston dance brand but operates at significantly larger scale and with classical ballet repertoire.

Emerging players

• Skybetter & Associates: Contemporary dance project by choreographer Emery LeCrone/Sydney Skybetter, focused on interdisciplinary and technology-adjacent performance work. Comparable as a smaller-scale contemporary dance venture exploring cross-disciplinary collaborations similar to NobleMotion's AI and neuroscience work.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NobleMotionDNC
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCOYPcfi5LCMQOw24hNBVSWA
• Facebookfacebook.com/NobleMotionDance
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/noblemotion-dance
• Instagraminstagram.com/noblemotiondance

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 NobleMotion Dance