The Ailey Extension
The Ailey Extension, a program of the Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, Inc., delivers open in-studio and live online dance and fitness classes in midtown Manhattan for adults, kids, and teens of all experience levels, monetizing via drop-in fees, class packages, workshops, and a corporate donor program.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersNew York, New York, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Ailey Extension does
The Ailey Extension is a community dance education program operated by the Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, Inc., founded in 2005 and based at The Joan Weill Center for Dance in midtown Manhattan. It offers open drop-in classes and workshops in Ballet, Hip Hop, Contemporary, West African Dance, Horton, Vogue, House, Commercial Jazz, Pilates, Zumba, Masala Bhangra, and Restorative Stretches, plus a Kids & Teens Sunday Series and an intensive teen program (Ailey Experience NYC). Classes are delivered both in-studio and live online, and are taught by named professional instructors drawn from the broader Ailey company ecosystem.
The program runs on standard commerce infrastructure rather than proprietary technology: registration, scheduling, and payment are handled through the Mindbody Online booking platform, supplemented by a dedicated Ailey Extension mobile app and an on-site Extension Desk at the Joan Weill Center for Dance. No AI/ML components, APIs, or proprietary models are part of the stack. Multi-studio capacity at the Joan Weill Center (Studios 1A/1B/1C/2A/2B/5A/5B/5D/LLC) supports concurrent class delivery.
Revenue is generated primarily through unit-priced drop-in class fees ($15 online, $25 in-studio), discounted multi-class packages (3, 5, and 10-class bundles), individually priced workshops and masterclasses, and Kids & Teens Sunday Series classes. A Corporate Donor Program provides a secondary channel offering employer-sponsored discounted access to employees. Customer segments are primarily consumer-driven: Adults 16+ across all experience levels, Kids & Teens aged 2-17, and Older Adults aged 60+ receiving discounted pricing. The program functions as a nonprofit community outreach initiative of the Foundation rather than a profit-maximizing commercial entity.
The Ailey Extension firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Ailey Extension
- Legal name
- Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, Inc.
- Website
- https://aileyextension.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Ailey Extension, a program of the Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, Inc., delivers open in-studio and live online dance and fitness classes in midtown Manhattan for adults, kids, and teens of all experience levels, monetizing via drop-in fees, class packages, workshops, and a corporate donor program.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Ailey Extension industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Dance Education
- NAICS
- Fine Arts Schools (61161), Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Dance Education (Ballet, Contemporary, Hip-Hop, Cultural Dance) (EDAMAAAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Dance & Movement (Ballroom, Contemporary, Social Dance) (EDAAAGAD)
Keywords
Where The Ailey Extension is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York, New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Ailey Extension business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Drop-in Class Fees: Single class fees for adult dance and fitness classes, with differentiated pricing for online ($15) vs in-studio ($25) attendance. Revenue is transaction-based, collected per class session through Mindbody platform or at Extension Desk.
- Class Packages: Multi-class packages (3, 5, and 10 classes) offering discounted per-class rates to encourage repeat attendance and customer retention.
- Workshop Fees: Specialized masterclasses and intensive workshops priced individually, featuring guest instructors for premium learning experiences.
- Kids & Teens Classes: Sunday dance classes for ages 2-17, priced individually, targeting young dancers and families.
- Corporate Donor Program: Discounted class access for employees of corporate donors, generating revenue at negotiated rates while expanding customer base through employer partnerships.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Single Online Class - $15 per class |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Single In-Studio Class - $25 per class |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Multi-Class Packages - 3, 5, and 10 class packages |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | First-Time Student Discount |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Older Adult Discount (Age 60+) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Workshop Classes - Individually priced |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Kids & Teens Sunday Series - Individually priced |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
The Ailey Extension product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Ailey Extension operates the public dance education program of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, offering open-level drop-in dance and fitness classes for adults, kids, teens, and older adults. Classes span genres such as Horton, Ballet, Hip Hop, West African, Contemporary, Pilates, Vogue, House, Zumba, and Masala Bhangra, and are taught by Ailey-affiliated instructors in person at The Joan Weill Center for Dance in NYC and online via live stream and recorded video. The program also hosts multi-day workshops and intensives such as Ailey Experience NYC and Hearts of Men.
Product overview
The Ailey Extension is a dance and fitness class program offering open classes taught by renowned instructors for people of all ages, backgrounds, and experience levels. The program operates as a unified class scheduling platform with two delivery modes: in-studio classes at The Joan Weill Center for Dance in midtown Manhattan, and online virtual classes. The portfolio includes core dance technique classes (Ballet, Hip Hop, Contemporary, West African Dance, Horton, Vogue, House), fitness classes (Pilates, Zumba, Masala Bhangra, Restorative Stretches), special workshops (Intro to Heels, Zumba Masterclass), intensive programs (Ailey Experience NYC for teens), and Kids & Teens classes for ages 2-17 on Sundays. Classes are offered at multiple skill levels from Absolute Beginner to Intermediate/Advanced, and bookings are managed through Mindbody Online platform.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Companies that use The Ailey Extension
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The Ailey Extension technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Feature3 records
The Ailey Extension partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Ailey Extension competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Broadway Dance Center: NYC-based drop-in dance studio providing a wide range of technique classes to adults of all levels. Same direct-to-consumer, pay-per-class model and broad technique portfolio (ballet, jazz, hip hop, contemporary, etc.) as Ailey Extension.
- Steps on Broadway: Iconic NYC open-class dance studio offering drop-in classes across many techniques to all skill levels. Directly comparable in product (drop-in adult dance classes), target customer (recreational dancers and professionals), and pricing model (pay-per-class).
- Gibney: NYC nonprofit dance organization offering drop-in classes, workshops, and community programming across multiple techniques. Closely comparable nonprofit-affiliated model, community mission, and adult open-class offering.
- Peridance Capezio Center: Long-established NYC dance studio offering open classes and training programs in multiple techniques. Comparable to Ailey Extension in product breadth, customer base (all-level adult dancers), and NYC in-studio drop-in model.
- Mark Morris Dance Center: Brooklyn-based dance studio operated by the Mark Morris Dance Group offering drop-in classes for adults and kids. Comparable product (open dance and fitness classes) and nonprofit-affiliated structure similar to Ailey Extension.
Emerging players
- CLI Studios: Online dance instruction platform offering classes with professional dancers across multiple techniques. Comparable in online delivery modality and technique breadth, though CLI is purely digital vs. Ailey Extension's hybrid model.
- Steezy: Subscription-based online dance class platform. Competes primarily in the online channel of Ailey Extension with on-demand dance instruction at lower price points.
Regional players
- The Ailey School: The professional training school of the Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, also based at the Joan Weill Center. Adjacent offering (certificate programs for serious students) compared to Ailey Extension's recreational/community focus, sharing brand, facility, and instructor pipeline.
- Dancewave: Brooklyn-based nonprofit dance organization offering classes for youth and adults. Comparable mission-driven model and community-class offering; smaller scale and different neighborhood than Ailey Extension.
Others
- Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: The flagship performing company of the foundation; sister organization sharing brand and infrastructure. Not a direct competitor for classes, but represents the brand asset that powers Ailey Extension's positioning.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks4 records
Key highlights3 records
Customer concentration
The Ailey Extension social profiles
Digital presenceThe Ailey Extension financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Ailey Extension leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
The Ailey Extension funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Ailey Extension M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Ailey Extension
What does The Ailey Extension do?
The Ailey Extension operates the public dance education program of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, offering open-level drop-in dance and fitness classes for adults, kids, teens, and older adults. Classes span genres such as Horton, Ballet, Hip Hop, West African, Contemporary, Pilates, Vogue, House, Zumba, and Masala Bhangra, and are taught by Ailey-affiliated instructors in person at The Joan Weill Center for Dance in NYC and online via live stream and recorded video. The program also hosts multi-day workshops and intensives such as Ailey Experience NYC and Hearts of Men.
Is The Ailey Extension a public or private company?
The Ailey Extension is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Ailey Extension founded?
The Ailey Extension was founded in 2005. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Ailey Extension based?
The Ailey Extension is headquartered in New York, New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Ailey Extension make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Drop-in Class Fees are the primary driver. The others are class Packages, workshop Fees, kids & Teens Classes and corporate Donor Program.
Who are The Ailey Extension's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Broadway Dance Center, Steps on Broadway, Gibney, Peridance Capezio Center and Mark Morris Dance Center. Emerging players are CLI Studios and Steezy. Regional players are The Ailey School and Dancewave. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is listed as an others.
Does The Ailey Extension have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Ailey Extension.
What industry is The Ailey Extension in?
The Ailey Extension's product category is Dance Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMAAAH, Dance Education (Ballet, Contemporary, Hip-Hop, Cultural Dance), with a secondary code of EDAAAGAD, Dance & Movement (Ballroom, Contemporary, Social Dance). Its NAICS code is 61161 and its SIC code is 7900.