What DANCE WITHOUT LIMITS does

Dance Without Limits Inc. is a 501c3 nonprofit organization founded in 2012 (per board-page reference) and based in Urbandale/West Des Moines, Iowa, that delivers adaptive dance instruction to children and young adults with special needs in the Des Moines Metro Area. The organization was established by Ann Ungs, a physical therapist at Blank Children's Hospital, and Monika Peltz, a professional ballet instructor, combining clinical expertise with dance pedagogy to serve a population underserved by conventional studios. Its core offering consists of two annual sessions (fall and spring) of weekly one-hour Movement and Technique classes held on Sundays at The School of Classical Ballet and Dance (SCBD) in West Des Moines, with class sizes capped at 6-9 students to ensure adequate volunteer support. Specialized accessibility features include Lite-Gait equipment for children needing standing support and an ASL-accredited staff member with volunteers learning basic signs for deaf or hard-of-hearing participants.

The program operates a direct-to-consumer model with session-based enrollment at $50 per dancer for an entire fall or spring session (9-10 weekly classes), generating what amounts to a low-four-figure gross registration revenue ceiling given the hard capacity cap. The organization relies on a volunteer base — primarily teens — and a 7-member board of directors, several of whom have personal ties to the special-needs community. End-of-session recitals and, more recently, Festival of Trees mini performances serve as participant showcase events. Marketing is community-driven through Facebook, an email list, local WHO13 News coverage, and a YouTube channel featuring recital videos. There is no disclosed digital product, app, or technology platform; the offering is fundamentally a physical, human-delivered service with adaptive equipment rather than a software or scalable technology business.

The entity is governed as a mission-driven nonprofit without external venture or institutional investment, and operates under a single geographic footprint (Des Moines Metro Area) with no expansion signals beyond the addition of ancillary performance venues. The business model's predictability is constrained by its concentration in one segment, one city, and one venue, balanced by the recurring semi-annual enrollment cadence and an embedded community volunteer infrastructure that produces stable but not growing throughput.

Name

DANCE WITHOUT LIMITS

Legal name

Dance Without Limits Inc.

Website

https://dancewithoutlimits.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Dance Without Limits is a 501c3 nonprofit in West Des Moines, Iowa offering adaptive ballet and tap instruction for children and young adults with special needs, running two annual sessions of weekly one-hour classes with Lite-Gait equipment and ASL support at a partner studio.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Urbandale

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Session Registration Fees: Primary revenue stream from session-based registration fees. Participants pay $50 per dancer for the entire fall or spring session. Sessions consist of weekly one-hour classes held over approximately 9-10 weeks.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Dance Without Limits is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that provides dance programs (ballet and tap instruction) for children and young adults with special needs in the Des Moines Metro Area. The program operates twice yearly in fall and spring sessions, offering one-hour weekly classes including Movement Classes for participants needing one-on-one volunteer support and Technique Classes for more independent dancers, with adaptive equipment such as Lite-Gait and American Sign Language accommodations, culminating in end-of-session recitals.

Product overview

Dance Without Limits is a 501c3 non-profit organization offering a dance program for children and young adults with special needs in the Des Moines Metro Area. The program operates on a session-based model with two annual sessions (fall and spring), providing one-hour weekly classes. The core offerings consist of Movement Classes for students needing additional support and one-on-one volunteer assistance, and Technique Classes for more independent dancers who can follow ballet and tap instruction with minimal assistance. Each session culminates in a recital performance for family and friends. The program utilizes Lite-Gait equipment for children requiring extra support with standing and offers American Sign Language communication through trained staff and volunteers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Movement Classes One-hour weekly dance classes designed as the primary Dance Without Limits program for students new to the program or those requiring one-on-one volunteer support and additional assistance. Multiple time slots are available for ages 4 through 18+ with age-specific groupings.
• Technique Classes One-hour weekly dance classes for students who can follow ballet and tap instruction without the aid of a special volunteer, with one or two volunteers present to assist with structure while encouraging independence. Available to students in wheelchairs or using equipment they can manage independently, and for ages 11-18+; requires Program Coordinator approval.
• End of Session Recitals Performance recitals held at the end of each fall and spring session where participants showcase what they have learned for family and friends, plus additional mini performances at community events such as the Festival of Trees.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• National Dance Institute (NDI): National Dance Institute is a nonprofit that teaches dance to children, including children with disabilities, through in-school and after-school programs. Directly comparable as a mission-driven nonprofit delivering structured dance instruction to youth with diverse abilities, supported by trained instructors and volunteers.
• Mark Morris Dance Group (Dance for PD): Mark Morris Dance Group runs Dance for PD, a flagship adaptive dance program offering free classes for people with Parkinson's and other movement disorders. Directly comparable to DWOL because it is an arts-organization-led adaptive dance offering for clinical populations, using specialized instruction and trained volunteers.
• Boston Ballet Adaptive Dance: Boston Ballet operates an Adaptive Dance program for children with Down syndrome, autism, and other disabilities. Directly comparable to DWOL in that a professional ballet institution offers inclusive dance classes tailored to children with special needs, often with trained support staff and adaptive accommodations.

Broad incumbents

• Easterseals: Easterseals is a large national nonprofit providing disability services including recreation, therapy, and inclusive programs for children and adults. Broadly comparable as a scaled incumbent serving the same special-needs population across many services, including adaptive recreation where DWOL operates.
• Ability First: Ability First provides programs and services for children and adults with disabilities, including recreation, camps, and community activities. Broadly comparable as a disability-services nonprofit with recreation programming targeting the same end-user population that DWOL serves.
• Move United: Move United (formerly Disabled Sports USA) is a national adaptive sports organization providing recreation and competitive opportunities for people with disabilities. Broadly comparable as an incumbent in adaptive physical activity, relevant to DWOL's adaptive dance mission even though its focus is more on sports than performing arts.

Regional players

• Bay Area Outreach & Recreation Program (BORP): BORP is a Berkeley, California-based nonprofit offering adaptive sports and recreation for people with disabilities. Regionally comparable to DWOL as a community-level adaptive recreation provider, though geographically separate from DWOL's Des Moines footprint.

Others

• The School of Classical Ballet and Dance (SCBD): SCBD is DWOL's host studio in West Des Moines, providing the physical space for all Dance Without Limits classes. An adjacent ecosystem participant rather than a competitor — it supplies venue capacity that DWOL relies on, making its continued partnership material to DWOL's operations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC-q-vG4ZjXNyM-7pYc14sWw/featured?view_as=subscriber
• Facebookfacebook.com/DanceWithoutLimits
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dance-without-limits

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 DANCE WITHOUT LIMITS