DanceWorks Boston

What DanceWorks Boston does

DanceWorks Boston, operating under the legal entity DanceWorks LLC, is a performance-based dance company founded in 2010 and headquartered in Boston. It targets advanced dancers aged 18 and older who want to continue choreographing and performing after college while pursuing full-time careers in other fields. The core product is the DanceWorks Boston Project, a bi-annual professional-quality production staged at Boston University's Tsai Performance Center (685 Commonwealth Ave), blending hip-hop, jazz, tap, ballet, contemporary, and Broadway styles. Each season features 29 original choreographed works performed by a collective of 200+ young adult dancers and attracts over 2,000 spectators per show.

The company has no proprietary technology underlying its core offering; the product is fundamentally a live performance and human-curated creative production. Supporting technology is limited to off-the-shelf SaaS: a Squarespace website, Ticketleap for ticketing, QuickClick for headshot e-commerce, and GoFundMe for donations. Ancillary revenue lines include professional headshot photography (James Jin Images) sold at $35 per dancer, $1 community workshops held at Willett Hall and Mass Motion, and donations to the Gerald Obah DanceWorks Legacy Fund, which awards up to $2,000 in scholarships to Black male youth dancers. The legal entity has a sister affiliate, DanceWorks New York City, forming a multi-city brand umbrella.

Revenue is generated primarily through ticket sales ($30 adult / $20 child under 12, with no service fees), complemented by headshot and workshop fees, and donations. Go-to-market is event-driven and community-led, relying on twice-yearly auditions to recruit dancers, organic social media (Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Vimeo), email distribution, and earned media coverage. The company employs 7 core staff, is privately held with no institutional funding, and is led by Owner & Executive Director Betsy Moran.

Name

DanceWorks Boston

Legal name

DanceWorks LLC

Website

https://danceworksboston.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

DanceWorks Boston is a performance-based dance company founded in 2010 that produces bi-annual sold-out shows at Boston University's Tsai Performance Center. It serves young adult dancers aged 18+ seeking post-college performance opportunities through a 200+ member collective and complementary workshops, headshots, and a scholarship fund.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts / Dance Performance Services

NAICS

Dance Companies (71112)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Contemporary & Modern Dance (MPAGADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Dancers, Choreographers & Dance Troupes Booking (HSACAHAD), Dance Performances (THAJAFAD)

Keywords

• Live dance performances
• Professional dance company
• Choreography production
• Young adult dance collective
• Performing arts shows

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

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

Revenue model

1. Performance Ticket Sales: The company generates revenue through bi-annual sold-out performances at the BU Tsai Performance Center. Tickets are sold online through Ticketleap platform with general admission pricing. Shows consistently sell out, demonstrating strong demand.
2. Headshot Photography Sales: Professional headshots are sold for $35 per dancer, including a high-res jpeg file and printed 5x7 PDF. Headshots are available for purchase online through QuickClick, with a 2% online fee included.
3. Workshop Fees: The company offers 'One Dollar Workshops' at $1 per session, providing accessible dance education opportunities while generating nominal revenue. These workshops take place at Willett Hall and Mass Motion.
4. Donations and Fundraising: The Gerald Obah DanceWorks Legacy Fund accepts donations through GoFundMe. Over $40,000 has been donated in Gerald's name. Funds support the family, Mother's Against Drunk Driving (MADD), and Gerald Obah Dance Scholarships for Black male youth dancers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

DanceWorks Boston is a performance-based dance company that produces bi-annual sold-out performances at the BU Tsai Performance Center, featuring over 200 dancers presenting 29 original choreographed works across hip-hop, jazz, tap, ballet, contemporary, and Broadway styles. The company operates an open-audition collective of 200+ young adult performers (18+) and supports its core shows with complementary paid offerings including professional headshot photography and $1 dance workshops, plus a scholarship fund (the Gerald Obah DanceWorks Legacy Fund) for Black male youth dancers.

Product overview

DanceWorks Boston is a performance-based dance company operating as a single unified offering centered on its bi-annual DanceWorks Boston Project performances at the BU Tsai Performance Center. The company supports its core performance product with complementary services including professional headshot photography through James Jin Images, video highlights on YouTube and Vimeo, and affordable One Dollar Workshops. The Gerald Obah DanceWorks Legacy Fund operates as a separate scholarship initiative supported by donations, representing the company's community outreach mission. Over 200 performers participate in each season, producing 29 original choreographed works across multiple dance styles.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• DanceWorks Boston Project The company's flagship bi-annual live dance performance production featuring over 200 performers presenting 29 original choreographed works blending hip-hop, jazz, tap, lyrical, contemporary, and Broadway styles; held at the BU Tsai Performance Center and attracts over 2,000 spectators per show.
• DanceWorks Headshot Photography Professional headshot photography service for dancers, provided by James Jin Images; includes a high-resolution JPEG file and printed 5x7 PDF, priced at $35 per headshot.
• One Dollar Workshops Affordable dance workshops offered at $1 per session, providing continuing dance education opportunities for young professionals in the Boston area.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2,000 spectators per bi-annual show
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• DanceWorks New York CitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010DanceWorks New York City is the sister company/affiliate of DanceWorks Boston. Both organizations share the DanceWorks brand and mission. Gerald Obah, honored through the Legacy Fund, danced with DanceWorks NYC for 11 seasons. The two companies have collaborated on flash mobs, special appearances, and cross-promotions. DanceWorks NYC logo appears on DanceWorks Boston's partners section.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Boston Ballet: The largest and most established professional ballet company in New England, presenting a full season at the Citizens Opera House. Operates as a broader incumbent in the same Boston dance market with significantly larger scale and resources.
• Gibney: New York-based dance organization combining performance production, community programs, and studio space. Overlaps with DanceWorks Boston's blend of performance, education/workshops, and community engagement, but with an institutional scale and footprint.
• Parsons Dance: Professional contemporary dance company producing original works and touring nationally. Comparable as an original-choreography-driven contemporary dance producer, though operating with paid professional dancers rather than amateur talent.
• Mark Morris Dance Group: Internationally recognized contemporary dance company producing an annual performance season with a mix of repertory and new works. Comparable as a contemporary dance producing entity, but operates at a professional and institutional scale well above DanceWorks Boston.
• Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: Premier American modern dance company with a large performance season, education programs, and national touring. Comparable in style overlap (modern/contemporary) and in coupling performance with community/scholarship programming, but at vastly greater scale.

Direct peers

• City Ballet of Boston: Boston-based ballet company staging ticketed live performances and developing original work. Comparable as a Boston dance performance company relying on local audience demand and seasonal show cadence.
• Boston Dance Theater: Boston-based professional contemporary dance company that produces original choreographic works and performs at regional venues. Comparable as a Boston dance production company staging original contemporary programming, though at a professional rather than amateur talent level.
• DanceWorks New York City: Sister organization under the DanceWorks brand, running the same bi-annual performance model for post-college amateur dancers in NYC. Operationally and structurally the closest possible peer, including shared brand identity and cross-promotion history.
• Urbanity Dance: Boston contemporary dance organization producing performance seasons alongside classes and community programming. Overlaps with DanceWorks Boston on contemporary choreography, Boston geography, and a hybrid performance-plus-education model.

Others

• The Dance Complex: Central Boston dance facility hosting studios, classes, and performances across many styles and companies. Functions as an infrastructure/ecosystem peer where DanceWorks Boston dancers and the broader amateur dance community intersect.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/DanceWorksBoston
• Facebookfacebook.com/danceworksboston
• Instagraminstagram.com/danceworksboston
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/danceworks-boston

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 DanceWorks Boston