Academie De Ballet

What Academie De Ballet does

Academie De Ballet, operating as ADB Dance Center, is a private, family-owned dance education institution founded in 1989 by Arnora and David Hummel in Chesapeake, Virginia. The studio serves over 1,000 students from the Hampton Roads region across eight disciplines: ballet and pointe, conditioning, lyrical and contemporary, jazz, tap, acrobatics, and hip-hop. Its foundational methodology is the Vaganova (Russian) ballet technique, taught by internationally trained faculty including graduates of the National Ballet College of Belarus and the Kyiv Municipal Academy of Dance who performed professionally with companies such as the Bolshoi Belarusian Theater, Mariinsky Theatre, and Donetsk National Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre.

The studio operates from a 12,000 square-foot facility at 904 Oak Grove Road featuring four large studios with 18-foot ceilings, spring floors, and parent viewing galleries. Its core product is structured, age-tiered dance education starting at age 3 (Stars program) and progressing through Ballet 1-6, with add-on programs including the ADB Allstars competition team (regional and national competitions under director Melissa Moore), the Ballet Training Company (BTC) pre-professional track, and a strategic partnership with Masterworks Performing Arts — a performing arts company that produces original story ballets televised on Direct TV and international networks.

The business is a direct-to-consumer, subscription-based service. Revenue is generated primarily through monthly tuition on a 10-month installment plan, with rates scaling from $75/month (1 hour/week) to $980/month (20 hours/week), plus $45/month per additional class hour. Ancillary revenue includes annual registration fees ($75 first student, $25 per additional family member), recital costume fees ($80-$120), recital venue fees ($80 per family), and a $75/month competition team surcharge. The studio is currently led by Executive Director Melissa Moore, with Assistant Director Mandie Griffith supporting operations and the Hummel family retaining ownership.

Name

Academie De Ballet

Legal name

Académie de Ballet & Dance Center

Website

https://academiedeballet.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Academie De Ballet (ADB Dance Center) is a family-owned dance school in Chesapeake, Virginia, founded in 1989, serving over 1,000 Hampton Roads students across eight disciplines using the Vaganova method, with pre-professional and competition team programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Dance Instruction

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (61161), Fine Arts Schools (611610), Dance Companies (71112)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Theatre Education, Training & Conservatories (MPAGABAN), Performing Arts Colleges (Theatre, Dance, Musical Theatre) (EDAHAJAD), Youth/Student & Community Dance Recitals (MPAGADAI)

Keywords

• Ballet instruction
• Dance education
• Youth dance training
• Competition dance team
• Pre-professional ballet

Headquarters

HQ city

Chesapeake

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 - Class Instruction: Monthly tuition fees based on weekly class hours, ranging from 1 hour ($75/month) up to 20 hours ($980/month). Additional classes beyond 20 hours are charged at $45 per class hour per month. This is the primary recurring revenue stream for the studio.
2. Registration and Administrative Fees: Annual registration/administration fee of $75 for first student and $25 for each additional immediate family member, due at time of registration.
3. Recital Costume Fees: Recital costume fees of $80-$120 per costume, due before December 1st. Actual rate dependent on cost fluctuations due to tariffs.
4. Recital Venue Fees: Recital venue fee of $80 per immediate family, due before April 1st.
5. Competition Team Fees: ADB Allstars competition team fee of $75 per month, added to tuition total.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Academie De Ballet is a multi-studio dance school providing in-person instruction in Ballet & Pointe, Jazz, Tap, Lyrical & Contemporary, Hip-Hop, Acrobatics, and Conditioning for students ages 3 through adult. The studio uses the Vaganova Russian ballet method as its foundational technique and supplements core classes with the ADB AllStars competition team and Ballet Training Company (BTC) pre-professional program. Tuition is offered as monthly subscriptions based on class hours, ranging from $75 to $980 per month.

Product overview

Academie de Ballet operates as a multi-studio dance education institution offering structured training across eight dance disciplines: Ballet & Pointe, Conditioning, Lyrical & Contemporary, Jazz, Tap, Acrobatics, and Hiphop. The academy uses the Vaganova Russian ballet method as its foundational technique. Supplementary programs include the ADB AllStars Competition Team for regional and national competition participation, Masterworks Productions as a pre-professional performing arts ballet company, and the Ballet Training Company (BTC) for advanced pre-professional training. The school serves over 1,000 students from age 3 through adult, with four large studios and viewing windows.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ballet & Pointe Classes

Quantifiable outcome

• Students accepted to professional ballet companies including Nashville Ballet, Israeli Ballet, Ballet West, Ballet Memphis, Pittsburgh Ballet, and others
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Masterworks Performing ArtscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1991Masterworks is a performing arts company founded by Arnora Hummel in 1991, partnered with Academie de Ballet. The company specializes in training young men and women in dance and drama with a focus on excellence, originality, and faith. Masterworks' purpose is to prepare youth to use their God-given gifts in performing arts to give testimony to the Lord. Productions have been televised on Direct TV, Middle East television, and aired throughout parts of Africa. Original works include Storyland Christmas, The Christmas Gift, Hadassah, Lily and the Gypsies, and The Eternal Covenant.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• The Rock School for Dance Education: Pre-professional dance education in Philadelphia with intensive ballet training and competition pipeline. Comparable to ADB's pre-professional BTC and YAGP preparation.
• American Ballet Theatre Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School: ABT's training program with graded curriculum and progression to professional company. Comparable to ADB's Vaganova-based curriculum and pre-professional pipeline.
• School of American Ballet: Official school of New York City Ballet, providing pre-professional Vaganova-based ballet training. Comparable to ADB's BTC and Vaganova curriculum for serious ballet students.
• Dance Theatre of Harlem School: School with multi-discipline training and pre-professional company pathway. Comparable to ADB's combination of technique classes and Masterworks performing company.
• Boston Ballet School: One of the largest ballet school networks in the U.S. with multiple locations and structured progression. Comparable to ADB's claim as one of the largest dance schools on the East Coast.
• Joffrey Ballet School: Pre-professional ballet and contemporary training program with structured curricula across multiple levels. Directly comparable to ADB's progression from Stars through BTC and accepted to Joffrey.
• Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (Ailey School): Renowned dance school offering classical and contemporary training. Comparable to ADB's rigorous curriculum and listing of accepted-to-Alvin-Ailey outcomes.
• Houston Ballet Academy: Pre-professional academy affiliated with Houston Ballet, providing intensive training. Comparable to ADB's pathway accepts students to ballet companies.
• Pacific Northwest Ballet School: Comprehensive dance school with multiple levels and disciplines. Comparable to ADB's multi-discipline offering (ballet, jazz, contemporary, tap).
• Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet: Intensive pre-professional ballet training program with strong competition and placement record. Comparable to ADB's ADB AllStars competition circuit and conservatory placements.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/academiedeballet
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/academie-de-ballet

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Academie De Ballet