What Flying Steps Entertainment does

Flying Steps Entertainment GmbH is a Berlin-based urban dance entertainment company founded in 1993 by Vartan Bassil and Kadir 'Amigo' Memis. The company operates a portfolio of flagship live productions that fuse breakdance with classical music, ballet, contemporary dance, stage illusions, and digital light sculpture design, including Red Bull Flying Bach (ECHO Klassik Sonderpreis winner, 35+ countries, 500,000+ live audience), Red Bull Flying Illusion (arena tour), Flying Pictures (museum residency with OSGEMEOS and Pfadfinderei), Flying Hänsel & Gretel, Flying Lights (Wintergarten Varieté Berlin residency through Feb 2026), and Flying Mozart (Spring 2025 premiere with RBB Rundfunkchor).

The business monetizes through multiple streams: (1) corporate and venue bookings of flagship shows (one-off and short-run engagements with individually quoted pricing); (2) custom corporate show development (1,993+ commissioned productions completed since founding for clients including Microsoft, BMW, Mercedes, Volkswagen, IKEA, H&M, Nike, Spotify, and the German Federal President's reception); (3) workshops and team-building services; (4) street/guerilla promotion and advertising-campaign talent; (5) Flying Steps Academy, Germany's largest urban dance school with 75-80 instructors, 100+ weekly courses across 20 dance styles, expanding from 1 to 4 Berlin locations between 2024 and 2025 and serving 4,000+ students weekly; and (6) documentary/media distribution. Distribution combines direct enterprise sales (led by Stefan Lechermann), venue partnerships (theaters, varietés, museums), the Academy's own enrollment system, and digital platforms.

The company is privately held, founder-influenced (Vartan Bassil as Creative Director, Timm Benjamin Zolpys as CEO/Geschäftsführer), with no disclosed institutional investors or M&A activity. Strategic priorities visible in recent activity include scaling the Academy footprint, launching new flagship shows to refresh the touring portfolio, and extending recurring venue residencies such as the Wintergarten partnership.

Name

Flying Steps Entertainment

Legal name

Flying Steps Entertainment GmbH

Website

https://flyingsteps.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Flying Steps Entertainment is a Berlin-based urban dance entertainment company that produces touring shows fusing breakdance with classical music and illusions, develops custom corporate entertainment, and operates Germany's largest urban dance school across four Berlin locations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Entertainment & Dance Performance

NAICS

Dance Companies (71112), Other Performing Arts Companies (711190)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Urban/Street Dance Performances (Hip-Hop, Breaking) (MPAGADAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Theater, Musicals & Performing Arts (THAJAFAB), Dance Education (Ballet, Contemporary, Hip-Hop, Cultural Dance) (EDAMAAAH)

Keywords

• Live dance performances
• Urban dance school
• Corporate event entertainment
• Breakdance productions
• Dance workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Show booking fees: Flying Steps earns revenue by booking existing shows (Flying Bach, Flying Illusion, Flying Lights, Flying Pictures, Flying Hänsel & Gretel) for corporate events, galas, varietés, and theaters. Shows are booked as excerpts or full-length programs with pricing based on crew size, stage dimensions, and duration.
2. Custom corporate show development: The company creates individually tailored dance show concepts for brand and product staging, meetings, conferences, and corporate events. This includes formats like Breakball, Rocky Show, Violin Beat, and classical music meets breakdance. Pricing is individually quoted based on complexity, crew requirements, and development time.
3. Workshop and team building services: Flying Steps dancers are booked as teachers and coaches for workshops, covering topics such as urban dance, classical dance, breakdance, nutrition, and fitness. Workshops are offered for smaller events, meetings, and corporate team building activities.
4. Street and guerilla promotion: Planning and execution of spontaneous dance shows, flash mobs, and brand message advertorials. Provision of dancers for advertising campaigns and music video productions.
5. Film and documentary distribution: Flying Revolution documentary released on DVD, Blu-Ray, and digital platforms (iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Maxdome, Videoload, Videociety) on November 8, 2018.
6. Flying Steps Academy: The Academy operates as Germany's largest urban dance school, offering over 100 courses per week across multiple dance styles. Revenue comes from course fees. Expanded to 2 locations in 2024 and 4 locations by 2025.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Flying Steps Entertainment produces, tours, and licenses large-scale urban dance shows that fuse breakdance, hip-hop, ballet, and contemporary dance with classical music and stage illusions (e.g., Flying Bach, Flying Illusion, Flying Pictures, Flying Hänsel & Gretel, Flying Lights, Flying Mozart). It also operates Germany's largest urban dance academy, develops bespoke corporate show concepts for brand events, and runs workshops and team-building programs.

Product overview

Flying Steps Entertainment is an urban dance entertainment company offering a portfolio of live show productions and services. Core products include flagship shows: Flying Bach (breakdance meets classical Bach music, won ECHO Klassik award), Flying Illusion (arena show with illusions), Flying Hänsel & Gretel (Grimm-inspired HipHop show), Flying Pictures (art/music/dance production), Flying Lights (light and movement show), and Flying Mozart (with RBB Rundfunkchor). The Flying Steps Academy is Germany's largest urban dance school. Supporting services include individual/corporate show development, workshops/team building, and street promotion. A documentary film 'Flying Revolution' was released in 2018. The company has completed over 1,993 commissioned productions for clients worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Flying Steps Academy: Germany's largest urban dance school with 75+ instructors, 20 dance styles, and over 2,500 students across multiple locations in Berlin.
• Red Bull Flying Bach
• Red Bull Flying Illusion
• Flying Pictures
• Flying Hänsel & Gretel

Products and services

• Flying Bach Feature-length breakdance show that combines Johann Sebastian Bach's classical music with urban dance, bridging high culture and youth culture. Tours internationally with 7 b-boys, 1 ballerina, and up to 2 musicians. Has toured 35 countries and reached 500,000+ live audience members.
• Flying Illusion Large arena show combining breakdance with stage illusions, captivating music, and elaborate projections, featuring twelve of the world's finest dancers in a magical battle between good and evil. First show to tour through Europe's biggest arenas and stadiums.
• Flying Hänsel & Gretel Show inspired by the Brothers Grimm and Humperdinck's opera, translating the fairy tale with breakdance, HipHop, and Rap elements into contemporary times. Explores themes of social media addiction with the witch portrayed as an influencer. Combines piano performance by Christoph Hagel with classical singers, rappers, beatboxers, and electronic sounds.
• Flying Pictures Live show production combining art, music, and dance performance that brings Modest Mussorgsky's 'Pictures at an Exhibition' to life. Features stage design by Brazilian artist duo OSGEMEOS and digital light sculptures by Pfadfinderei. Performs at Hamburger Bahnhof - Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart.
• Flying Lights Show at Wintergarten Varieté Berlin featuring world-renowned Flying Steps dancers in a fusion of light and movement. Co-production partnership between Wintergarten Varieté Berlin and Flying Steps Company. Tickets sold via Eventim inhouse ticketing platform.
• Flying Mozart New show announced for Spring 2025, presented together with the RBB Rundfunkchor (Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg Choir). Part of Flying Steps' expanding show portfolio that fuses classical music with urban dance.
• Flying Steps Academy Germany's largest urban dance school located in Berlin. Offers over 100 weekly courses across 20 different dance styles including Hip Hop, Breakdance, Popping, Locking, Afro House, Contemporary Dance, and Ballet. Serves approximately 1,500-4,000 students weekly with 75-80 instructors across 5 studios.
• Flying Revolution (Documentary) 98-minute documentary film about the Flying Steps' success story, directed by Steve Won. Screened at 20 international film festivals including Montreal World Film Festival, Hofer Filmtage, and Achtung Berlin. Won Best Director at Southampton Int. Film Festival and Best Documentary at Global India International Film Festival. Available on DVD, Blu-ray, and digital platforms.
• Individual Productions (Custom Corporate Shows) Bespoke show development service that translates brand messages, product stories, and corporate themes into original dance concepts. Includes proprietary formats such as Breakball (emotionalized ball games through dance), Rocky Show (boxing-match energy), Violin Beat (violin merged with beatbox and dance), and Liquid Angles (popping and waving). Over 1,993 commissioned productions completed for companies worldwide.
• Workshops & Team Building Dance workshops led by Flying Steps dancers as teachers and coaches. Available for corporate events, meetings, and company team-building activities. Topics include urban dance, classical dance, breakdance, nutrition, and fitness.

Quantifiable outcome

• Flying Bach has toured 35 countries and fascinated more than 500,000 live audience members since its 2010 premiere.
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers41 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

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Wintergarten Varieté BerlincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWintergarten Varieté Berlin co-presents Flying Lights with Flying Steps, featuring a fusion of light and urban dance. This is a co-production partnership where Wintergarten provides the venue and Flying Steps provides world-class dancers and choreography. Flying Lights runs until February 15, 2026.
• Red BullflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerRed Bull is the flagship naming sponsor for Flying Steps' two most successful shows: Red Bull Flying Bach (premiered 2010) and Red Bull Flying Illusion (premiered 2014). Red Bull also collaborated on the Red Bull Flying Pit Stop at DTM 2016 with BMW. The Red Bull BC One collaboration has featured Flying Steps dancers as competitors and winners (Lil Zoo won Red Bull BC One 2018). Red Bull is a long-term strategic partner providing brand sponsorship, event support, and athlete-level support to the crew.
• PfadfindereicoreTechnology or IntegrationPfadfinderei is an international design studio based in Berlin that creates stage visuals, light sculptures, and stage designs for Flying Steps productions. They developed the 'Levitating Lines' digital light sculpture for Flying Pictures and provide visual design for Flying Illusion. Pfadfinderei has over 20 years of experience in music visualization, spatial staging, and media sculpture design.
• OSGEMEOS (Brazilian artist duo)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOSGEMEOS is the Brazilian twin brothers and internationally acclaimed artist duo who created the stage design and visual concept for Flying Pictures. Their fantastical figures and space-occupying elements form the centerpiece of the Flying Pictures stage design, inspired by Viktor Hartmann's original paintings from Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition.
• Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der GegenwartcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHamburger Bahnhof in Berlin serves as the venue host for Flying Pictures. Director Udo Kittelmann invited Flying Steps back to the museum after first hosting their 2010 Flying Bach premiere at the Neue Nationalgalerie. The museum provides exhibition space for OSGEMEOS' works during the day and performance space in the evening.
• Christoph HagelflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerChristoph Hagel is the opera conductor and artistic co-director who co-created Flying Bach with Vartan Bassil in 2010. He provides piano and harpsichord performances and artistic direction, interpreting classical music for Flying Bach productions. He is the creative mind behind using Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier for the show.
• Vivan & Ketan BhatticoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVivan and Ketan Bhatti are composers who have worked with Flying Steps since 2009 and created the electronic music for Flying Bach, for which they received the ECHO Klassik Sonderpreis. They adapted Mussorgsky's classical composition for Flying Pictures into a contemporary interpretation matching the dancers' beats and rhythms.
• MANdo (Beatboxer)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman-Argentinian beatboxer who performs live with the acoustic ensemble during Flying Pictures evening performances, contributing to the unique fusion of Mussorgsky's music.
• RBB RundfunkchorminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRBB Rundfunkchor (Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg Choir) is collaborating with Flying Steps on the new show Flying Mozart, premiering in spring 2025.
• Steve Won (Filmmaker)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner29-year-old filmmaker Steve Won directed Flying Revolution, the Flying Steps' documentary feature film that debuted at 20 international film festivals. Flying Revolution was Steve Won's directorial debut.
• insglück (Berlin event agency)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerBerlin-based event agency insglück collaborated with Flying Steps Entertainment on the opening ceremony of Hannover Messe 2016, developing an impressive interactive show combining urban dancers, production robots, and LED screens.
• Gutmann MediaminorOthersGutmann Media is listed as a partner on Flying Steps' website, providing media or communication support.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• Wanted Posse: Veteran French hip-hop dance crew from Paris that competes in international breakdance championships and produces live performances. Direct comparable in style, competitive footprint, and live-show economics.
• The Ruggeds: Dutch breakdance crew originating from the same Battle of the Year circuit as Flying Steps, also producing live urban dance shows and corporate performances. Closely comparable in genre, competitive history, and B2B event model.
• Riverdance: Iconic Irish dance production that tours globally as a feature-length staged show with an established licensing/venue model. Closely comparable to Flying Steps' flagship touring IP such as Flying Bach and Flying Illusion.
• Millennium Dance Complex: Pioneering Los Angeles dance studio known for high-profile choreographers and urban/contemporary dance training. Comparable to Flying Steps Academy as a global destination for urban dance education with a similar scale of weekly student throughput.
• Pineapple Dance Studios: Large London-based multi-style dance studio offering courses across urban, contemporary and ballet genres. Comparable to Flying Steps Academy as a sizeable dance education business serving aspiring and professional dancers.

Others

• Battle of the Year (BOTY): Long-running international breakdance competition series in which Flying Steps secured two world titles. Closely connected event ecosystem player to Flying Steps' competitive dance heritage and brand-building.
• Red Bull BC One: Red Bull's flagship one-on-one breakdance competition series, which Flying Steps' flagship sponsor operates and in which Flying Steps dancers have competed and won. Relevant adjacent ecosystem player to Flying Steps' brand and talent pipeline.

Broad incumbents

• Blue Man Group: Long-running original live entertainment production combining movement, music, and visual spectacle in a touring resident show format. Comparable to Flying Steps as a touring live entertainment brand with a feature-length staged title.
• Cirque du Soleil: The world's largest live theatrical entertainment producer, operating original touring arena shows with comparable artistic and production complexity to Flying Steps' flagship productions, though at a much larger commercial scale.
• Stomp: Enduring percussive street-performance touring production featuring movement-based theatrical acts. Comparable to Flying Steps' arena-scale touring productions in delivery model and global tour footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/vartanbassil
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/flyingsteps93
• Facebookfacebook.com/FlyingStepsAcademy
• Instagraminstagram.com/FlyingSteps93
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/flying-steps-academy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Flying Steps Entertainment