A Fairytale Ballet

What A Fairytale Ballet does

A Fairytale Ballet is a children's ballet education studio founded in 2000 by Tanya Johns and headquartered in the Chicago/Evanston metropolitan area. The company serves toddlers through high-schoolers (approximately 18 months through 12th grade) through age-segmented classes built around its proprietary "Fairytale Ballet" curriculum, an in-house Academy Program for advanced students, and the AFB Repertory Theater, a student dance company that performs staged productions. The business operates three physical studio locations across the Lakeview, Bucktown, and Evanston neighborhoods.

Revenue is generated primarily through session-based class tuition (published pricing in the $459–$524 per session range), birthday party packages (starting at $525), private lessons ($40–$125 per hour), summer/winter camps, and gift certificates. Ancillary growth channels include pop-up classes in North Shore suburbs (Highland Park, Glencoe, and surrounding areas) and outreach partnerships with local schools, Montessori programs, and Girl Scout troops. The company also operates an "Own A Studio" page on its website, signaling exploratory interest in franchising or licensing its curriculum and brand.

The operation is a service-intensive, founder-led small business with no disclosed external funding, no public technology stack, and no institutional or corporate customers. The core deliverable is in-person dance instruction delivered by trained instructors across three fixed studio locations, with brand equity built over more than two decades of continuous operation and recognition in trade publications such as Dance Teacher Magazine.

Name

A Fairytale Ballet

Legal name

Ballet d'Enfant IL Inc.

Website

https://afairytaleballet.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

A Fairytale Ballet is a Chicago-area children's ballet studio founded in 2000 that offers proprietary curriculum classes, parties, camps, and private lessons for ages 18 months through 12th grade across three physical locations in Lakeview, Bucktown, and Evanston.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Dance Education

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (61161), Fine Arts Schools (611610), Dance Companies (711120), Dance Companies (71112)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAMAAAH

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

Education/Supplemental & Enrichment Programs (Arts, STEM, Language)/Arts & Creative Enrichment (Visual Arts, Music, Theater, Dance)

Keywords

• Children's ballet classes
• Dance education programs
• Ballet studio services
• Preschool dance instruction
• Youth ballet training

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Class Tuition: Recurring session-based tuition for ballet classes ranging from Fairytale Ballet (toddlers/preschool) through Academy program (K-12th grade). Sessions run for 12-16 week semesters with per-session pricing.
2. Birthday Party Services: In-studio and in-home birthday party packages featuring fairytale ballet themes, costumes, and dance activities. Additional surprise princess character appearances available.
3. Summer and Seasonal Camps: Week-long and multi-day camp programs with themed fairytale ballet content, crafts, and activities.
4. Private and Semi-Private Lessons: Individualized instruction at studio or in-home locations, offered in 30, 45, or 60 minute increments.
5. Gift Certificates: Gift certificates available for class sessions, camps, birthday parties, and specialty events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

A Fairytale Ballet is a children's ballet dance school operating three studio locations in the Chicago metropolitan area (Lakeview, Bucktown, Evanston). It delivers in-person dance education through a trademarked Fairytale Ballet program for toddlers (18 months) through preschoolers (age 5) and an Academy Ballet program for grades K-12, supplemented by camps, birthday parties, private lessons, and outreach programs for schools.

Product overview

A Fairytale Ballet is a ballet dance school offering a two-division program structure: the Fairytale Ballet Program for toddlers and children ages 18 months to 5 years, featuring weekly fairytale-based classes with costumes and props; and the Academy Ballet Program for grades K-12, providing enhanced classical ballet education with Pre-Ballet, Apprentice, and Repertory levels plus specialty classes (Pointe, Tap, Jazz, Contemporary, Broadway). Additional offerings include seasonal camps and workshops, birthday parties, private/semi-private lessons, outreach programs for schools and organizations, gift certificates, and the AFB Repertory Theater student dance company. The school operates multiple studio locations in Chicago (Lakeview, Bucktown) and Evanston, Illinois.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Academy Ballet: Academy Program that explores classical ballets for ballerinas K-12th Grade with emphasis on ballet technique, French terminology, traditional barre work and group choreography.
• Fairytale Ballets
• A Fairytale Ballet Repertory Theater (AFBRT)

Products and services

• Fairytale Ballet Program
• Academy Ballet Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 24 years of operation inspiring magical dance beginnings

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• School of Rock: National music education franchise with structured curriculum, performance-based progression (similar to A Fairytale Ballet's Repertory Theater), and franchised expansion model targeting parents seeking premium enrichment.
• My Gym: Children's fitness and movement franchise targeting similar early-childhood age segments with structured classes, camps, and birthday parties under a multi-location retail model.
• The Little Gym: Established children's motor-skill development franchise with multiple U.S. locations, serving similar toddler-through-elementary age families with structured enrichment classes and birthday party offerings.
• The Coder School: Children's enrichment franchise offering structured, curriculum-driven after-school programs with a comparable franchise unit model, premium pricing, and parent-focused marketing in suburban metros.
• Club Pilates: Large franchise in the boutique fitness/education space with similar group-class, membership-driven unit economics and rapid multi-studio footprint expansion.
• New York City Ballet Education: Major professional ballet organization with a children and youth education division (pre-ballet through advanced), offering comparable age-segmented curricula and the brand authority of an established institution.
• Goldfish Swim School: Large children's enrichment franchise delivering year-round swim instruction to similar family demographics, with comparable recurring session pricing, birthday party add-ons, and multi-studio retail footprint.

Direct peers

• Tippi Toes Dance: Children's dance franchise focused on toddlers through elementary-age ballet, tap, and creative movement with in-studio classes, camps, and birthday party offerings — directly overlapping with A Fairytale Ballet's product mix and customer segment.
• Dance to EvOLvE: Children's dance education provider offering structured, age-segmented ballet and dance classes with in-studio and outreach programming to schools, directly comparable in curriculum structure and target demographic.
• Tutu School: National ballet education franchise targeting toddlers through young children with a story-based, dress-up curriculum. Most directly comparable to A Fairytale Ballet given overlapping age segment, branded curriculum, and franchise growth model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/afairytaleballet
• Facebookfacebook.com/afairytaleballet
• Instagraminstagram.com/afairytaleballet
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/a-fairytale-ballet

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 A Fairytale Ballet