What idance does

iDance (legal name: Shawn Silver Irish Dancing) is a sole proprietorship founded by Shawn Silver in St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada, that operates as a personal Irish dance brand encompassing instruction, live performance, and cultural ambassadorship. The company's core products are dance classes, international master classes, and performance/show bookings at festivals and cultural events, supplemented by touring productions (Celtic Fire, Talamh an Eisc) and regional affiliate entities (iDance Australia, iDance Portugal, iDance Iceland, iDance America). Revenue derives from professional-services fees — class tuition, performance fees, and workshop charges — with no disclosed pricing model and no proprietary technology platform; the website (idance.ca) functions as a static media archive rather than an interactive commercial system.

The business is entirely founder-centric: Shawn Silver's personal credentials (Riverdance, Magic of Ireland alumni) and cultural-trade-mission sponsorship from Canadian government agencies (ACOA, NL Department of Tourism, the so-called 'Department of Intangibles') are the primary commercial assets. The customer base is diversified across festivals, schools, government cultural initiatives, and community nonprofits, but each engagement is episodic rather than contractually recurring. The company expanded internationally through the early 2010s, establishing affiliates in Canada, Iceland, Portugal, and Australia, with China announced as a planned next market.

As of 2019, the website has been converted to a read-only archive, the founder is on sabbatical from teaching dance classes (the main recurring revenue line), and the business has suspended registration, store checkout, and member directory functions. Operations appear reduced to occasional show bookings and international cultural-mission appearances, with no evidence of active expansion, hiring, or new product development in the post-2019 period.

Name

idance

Legal name

Shawn Silver Irish Dancing

Website

https://idance.ca

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

iDance is a sole-proprietorship Irish dance brand founded by Shawn Silver in Newfoundland, Canada, offering dance classes, international master classes, and festival performance bookings, supported by a network of regional affiliates in Australia, Iceland, Portugal, and America. The founder is currently on sabbatical from teaching and the website operates as a static archive.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts & Dance Instruction

NAICS

Dance Companies (711120), Agents and Managers for Artists, Athletes, Entertainers, and Other Public Figures (7114)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Dancers, Choreographers & Dance Troupes Booking (HSACAHAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Talent Booking Agencies (Live Performance) (MPAIAGAB), Artist Booking, Talent Buying & Agency Services (MPAGAAAF)

Keywords

• Irish dance instruction
• Celtic dance performances
• Dance master classes
• Irish cultural promotion
• Festival dance bookings

Headquarters

HQ city

St. John's

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Dance Classes and Instruction: Teaching Irish dance classes to children and adults; currently on sabbatical from teaching
2. Show Bookings and Performances: Performance fees for show bookings at festivals, events, and private functions
3. Workshop and Master Class Fees: Master classes taught at various locations internationally

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

iDance is a sole-proprietorship Irish dance brand run by founder Shawn Silver that delivers live Irish dance performances, in-person dance classes, and traveling master classes to individuals, festivals, schools, and cultural organizations. The idance.ca website has operated as a static read-only archive of Irish dance media, photos, and career highlights since 2019. Revenue comes primarily from performance fees, class fees, and master class/workshop fees booked directly through the founder.

Product overview

iDance is a single, unified service offering — an online archive for Irish dance-related material centered on Shawn Silver's work as a dancer, choreographer, and instructor. The core offering is the digital archive (media, photos, career records) supplemented by in-person dance classes, workshops, and show bookings. Shawn Silver's touring productions include 'Celtic Fire' and 'Talamh an Eisc'. The operation extends globally through affiliated branches in Australia, Portugal, and America, with subsidiary dance companies like the Exploits River Dance Company. The portfolio represents a personal/culturally-focused service rather than a platform-with-modules architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Dance Classes In-person Irish dance instruction taught by founder Shawn Silver for children and adults, beginners through experienced dancers, historically held at the iDance studio in St. John's, Newfoundland. Currently on sabbatical.
• Dance Workshops and Master Classes Traveling Irish dance master classes and workshops delivered by Shawn Silver at international venues (e.g., Bexhill Hall in Australia), open to children and adults, beginners and experienced dancers.
• Show Bookings and Performances Bookable Irish dance performance service featuring Shawn Silver and/or affiliated dancers for festivals, events, cultural celebrations, and private functions worldwide.
• Celtic Fire Touring Irish dance show produced by Shawn Silver, featuring high-energy traditional and athletic Irish dance performances.
• Talamh an Eisc Touring Irish dance show produced by Shawn Silver, covered in Celtic Life International Magazine (September 2012).
• iDance Australia Australian branch of the iDance network, operating in partnership with Cape Byron Celtic Dance Company to deliver Irish dance performances and master classes in Australia.
• iDance Portugal Portuguese branch of the iDance network serving a burgeoning traditional Celtic dance community with Irish dance instruction and performances.
• iDance America American branch of the iDance network providing Irish dance instruction and performances in the United States.

Quantifiable outcome

• Revival of Irish dance as mainstream cultural activity in Newfoundland and Labrador
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Cape Byron Celtic Dance CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2012Strategic partnership for performing and teaching Irish dance in Australia. Shawn Silver partnered with Cape Byron Celtic Dance Company for the Australian Celtic Festival, performing together in the Irish Dance Spectacular. Karen Armstrong from Cape Byron Celtic Dancers worked directly with Shawn during performances.
• The Newfoundland Centre For Irish Dance Excellence (NICE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2007Don McCarron, Principal Dancer of Lord of the Dance, announced plans to offer master classes at The Newfoundland Centre For Irish Dance Excellence in St. John's, established by Shawn Silver. This represents a center of excellence for Irish dance in Atlantic Canada.
• Exploits River Dance CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2007Shawn Silver established The Exploits River Dance Company in Grand Falls Windsor, Newfoundland. The company was credited with bringing considerable profile to the community and was headliner for the Salmon Festival's opening event.
• Newfoundland Labrador Department of Tourism, Culture and RecreationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment department that supported Shawn Silver's international appearances through funding for travel, enabling his participation at Australian Celtic Festival and other international events.
• Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment of Canada's Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency recognizes Shawn Silver's contributions to the growth of Newfoundland and Labrador's economy and has assisted his professional development as an artist and entrepreneur.
• Department of Intangibles (Canadian Government)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerShawn Silver mentioned that his international tours were sponsored by the Canadian Government's Department of Intangibles, suggesting government support for cultural exports.
• Irish Cultural Centre of New EnglandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSean Grant, Executive Director, expressed commitment to creating a Celtic corridor in tradition, culture and business with Shawn Silver and iDance.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Cherish the Ladies: All-female Irish traditional music and dance touring group with an international touring schedule. Comparable as a Celtic performing-arts touring brand targeting festival and cultural-event bookings.
• Anúna: Irish vocal ensemble that tours internationally and performs at cultural festivals. Comparable as a niche Celtic arts touring ensemble that competes for cultural festival programming slots and uses a similar founder-led brand model.

Direct peers

• Magic of Ireland: Irish dance touring show that Shawn Silver has performed with directly. Comparable as a category peer in Irish dance touring shows competing for the same festival and cultural event bookings.
• Cairde Irish Dance: A contemporary Irish dance company that creates and tours original Irish dance productions. Comparable as a peer-sized Irish dance company competing for similar festival and touring bookings in the same category.
• Trinity Irish Dance Company: Chicago-based professional Irish dance company producing original works and touring performances. Directly comparable as a professional Irish dance company producing live performances and educational programming, similar in mission to iDance's dance company operations.

Broad incumbents

• Riverdance: The world's most prominent Irish dance touring show and the benchmark brand in the category. iDance founder Shawn Silver has performed with Riverdance, making it the natural broad incumbent comparable for tier-1 Irish dance touring productions.
• Lord of the Dance: Michael Flatley's globally touring Irish dance production and a direct category peer. Comparable because it operates the same touring-show business model centered on elite Irish dance performance that iDance's Celtic Fire and Talamh an Eisc productions emulate.
• Celtic Thunder: Irish music and performance touring production. Comparable as a broader Celtic cultural entertainment touring brand that competes for the same festival, cultural-event, and Celtic-audience live performance bookings.

Regional players

• Cape Byron Celtic Dance Company: Australian Celtic dance company that partnered with iDance on Australian performances and instruction. Comparable as a regional Irish/Celtic dance school and performance company, and a direct operational partner to iDance in Australia.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/idance

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries4 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 idance