DanceWorks Chicago

What DanceWorks Chicago does

DanceWorks Chicago is a nonprofit dance company founded in 2006 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The organization focuses on community building through dance and serves early-career dancers and emerging choreographers by providing training, collaboration, mentorship, and performance opportunities. It operates as a resident company at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts and engages a roster of 58 dancers supported by 11 staff employees. As of 2025 the company is in its 18th season of continuous operation.

The company runs a diversified portfolio of programs including New Dances (a choreographic showcase series), DanceBytes (short-form works), ChoreoLab (choreographic development), DanceForce (performance ensemble), DanceChance and DanceFlight (educational and outreach initiatives), Dance360 (immersive programming), and Center Stage (performance platform). It also administers a Microgrant Program for Chicago-based dance artists that supported 21 recipients in 2025.

As a nonprofit, DanceWorks Chicago's revenue model relies on donations, foundation grants, community support, and earned program/ticket revenue. The organization has expanded internationally through its "Hallo, Deutschland!" tour to Germany and has built educational partnerships with Shenandoah Conservatory and James Madison University. It participated in the See Chicago Dance 20th Anniversary Gala, signaling continued engagement with the broader Chicago dance ecosystem.

Name

DanceWorks Chicago

Legal name

DanceWorks Chicago

Website

https://danceworkschicago.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

DanceWorks Chicago is a nonprofit dance company founded in 2006 in Chicago that supports early-career dancers and emerging choreographers through training, mentorship, performance programs, and microgrants at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts (Dance)

NAICS

Dance Companies (71112), Performing Arts Companies (7111)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Contemporary & Modern Dance (MPAGADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Dance Education (Ballet, Contemporary, Hip-Hop, Cultural Dance) (EDAMAAAH), Dance Festivals & Dance Series (MPAGADAJ), Youth/Student & Community Dance Recitals (MPAGADAI)

Keywords

• Contemporary dance performances
• Dance training programs
• Choreographic development
• Dance mentorship programs
• Nonprofit dance company

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago, Illinois

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, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Donations and Support: DanceWorks Chicago relies on donations and community support as indicated by the prominent Donate button on their website. The organization is a nonprofit focused on community building rather than commercial revenue generation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

DanceWorks Chicago is a Chicago-based nonprofit dance company that provides training, collaboration, mentorship, and performance opportunities for early career dancers and emerging choreographers. The company operates a portfolio of programs including the annual New Dances festival, DanceBytes, ChoreoLab, DanceForce, Dance360 summer intensive, DanceChance, DanceFlight, and an annual international Hallo, Deutschland! tour to Germany, all anchored at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts.

Product overview

DanceWorks Chicago is a Chicago-based dance company offering a comprehensive portfolio of dance programs and performance opportunities. The core offering centers on professional development for early-career dancers and choreographers through training, collaboration, mentorship, and performance. Key programs include the annual New Dances festival, DanceBytes performance series, ChoreoLab and DanceForce training programs (Dance360), DanceChance for emerging choreographers, and DanceFlight performances. The company also operates an international touring program (Hallo, Deutschland! Tour in Germany) and offers a Microgrant Program for Chicago-based artists. Performances are held primarily at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, with the company currently in Season 18+.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• New Dances

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ruth Page Center for the ArtscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDanceWorks Chicago is proudly in residence at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts at 1016 N. Dearborn St., Chicago. This serves as their primary home venue for performances and events including the New Dances annual showcase, DanceFlight series, and Center Stage events.
• International Arts & Artists Cultural Exchange ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership that enabled Björn Helget to become DanceWorks Chicago's first international dancer in 2011, expanding his training and professional experience through cultural exchange.
• See Chicago DancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDanceWorks Chicago participated in See Chicago Dance's 20th Anniversary Gala celebrating 30+ years of service under Julie Nakagawa's leadership, indicating ongoing collaborative relationship within the Chicago dance community.
• Thodos Dance ChicagocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership on the New Dances initiative, a joint production that showcases Chicago choreographers and supports the local dance ecosystem through shared resources and audiences.
• Chicago Dancers UnitedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-host of the 'Put Yourself Center Stage' community event, combining resources to support Chicago's dance community and celebrate local artists.
• Bergische SymphonikerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with the symphony orchestra for the Hallo, Deutschland! 2024 Tour performances in Solingen, Germany, demonstrating cross-disciplinary artistic partnerships.
• James Madison UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual residency program with the Shenandoah Conservatory Dance Ensemble, providing educational exchange and collaborative performances.
• Bruce Wood DanceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDanceFlight collaboration featuring partner company works, bringing diverse contemporary dance to Chicago audiences.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Pilobolus: A US-based dance company known for innovative choreography, touring, and educational programming. Comparable in mission around artistic development and touring economics, though larger in scale and more commercially oriented internationally.
• Winifred Haun & Dancers: A small Chicago contemporary dance company with a similar mission of developing emerging choreographers and presenting original work. Highly comparable in size, structure, and target audience to DanceWorks Chicago, making it a close niche competitor.

Regional players

• Chicago Repertory Ballet: A Chicago-based ballet company that, while rooted in classical repertoire, competes in the same metro donor and audience market and vends performances at the Ruth Page Center ecosystem. Less directly competitive on contemporary repertoire but comparable on nonprofit funding dynamics.

Direct peers

• Thodos Dance Chicago: A Chicago-based contemporary dance company and explicit partner of DanceWorks Chicago on the New Dances initiative. Shares the same city, target audience of early-career dancers, and contemporary-dance repertoire focus, making it the single most directly comparable peer.
• River North Dance Chicago: A Chicago-based contemporary dance company with a similar size and mission of producing new works by emerging choreographers. Directly competes for performance slots, dancer talent, and Chicago-based donor support in the same contemporary dance niche.
• Visceral Dance Chicago: A Chicago contemporary dance company with a similar repertoire and mission-driven nonprofit structure. Both companies serve the Chicago modern dance market, recruit emerging choreographers, and operate at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts circuit.
• Giordano Dance Chicago: A long-established Chicago dance company with a strong ensemble model and education programming. While larger and more legacy-oriented, it competes for the same Chicago donor pool, venue slots, and emerging dancer talent as DanceWorks Chicago.
• Bruce Wood Dance: A contemporary dance company that has collaborated with DanceWorks Chicago on the DanceFlight series. Comparable in scale and repertoire, both companies focus on commissioning and presenting contemporary choreographic work for live audiences.

Broad incumbents

• Hubbard Street Dance Chicago: A flagship Chicago contemporary dance organization with a much larger ensemble, school, and national touring footprint. Operates in the same metropolitan dance ecosystem and competes for donors, audiences, and government arts funding, but at a substantially larger scale.
• Joffrey Ballet: A premier Chicago-based dance institution with deep endowment, large audience base, and education programming. While classical/neoclassical rather than contemporary, it competes with DanceWorks Chicago for the same Chicago arts donors, venue partnerships, and aspiring dancers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/DanceWorksChicago
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/danceworks-chicago
• Instagraminstagram.com/danceworkschicago

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 DanceWorks Chicago