David Dorfman Dance

What David Dorfman Dance does

David Dorfman Dance (DDD) is a New York-based nonprofit contemporary dance company founded in 1987 by choreographer David Dorfman, with a mission to make post-modern dance accessible to diverse audiences through innovative, inclusive, movement-based performances described as radically humanistic. The company operates with a small core team of 9 staff and is governed by a Board of Directors including Rudy Nickens (President), Matt Oldani (Treasurer), and Karen Waltuck (Secretary), with Dorfman serving as Artistic Director and Founder, Sara Procopio as Managing and Development Director, Corinne Lohner as Company Manager, and Sam Crawford as Music Director and Sound Designer.

DDD's core products are evening-length dance works, the most recent of which are truce songs (world premiere January 2025 at Irondale Center, Brooklyn), Half-Way Back: A Semi-Retrospective (2025, reviving 2004-2005 works Lightbulb Theory, Impending Joy, and Approaching Some Calm), and (A)Way Out of My Body (2020). A new work, The Front Line, is in development for a Summer 2027 premiere at American Dance Festival. The company layers educational programs (Emerging Artist Summer Intensive at Connecticut College, Winter Intensive at Barnard College, pricing $450-$550 plus housing and meal add-ons) and community workshops (Moving with Momentum, Kinetic Diplomacy) on top of touring performance. There is no proprietary technology platform; DDD is delivered through live performance, in-person workshops, dance films on Vimeo, and a Squarespace website.

The business model combines earned and contributed revenue. Earned income comes from performance booking fees via exclusive tour representation (H-Arts Management, Harold Norris), intensive tuition ($450 early bird / $550 standard per participant, with optional $165-$210/week dormitory and meal plans), and merchandise sales through the website store. Contributed income includes online donations (credit card, Zelle, PayPal, mail) and project-specific grants from the Harkness Foundation for Dance, New Music USA, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, New York State Council on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Geographic reach spans North and South America, Great Britain, Europe, Central Asia, and Africa through partnerships including DanceMotion USA (US State Department/Brooklyn Academy of Music), USAID/Glasswing International, and the American Dance Festival. Anchor venue relationships include Lincoln Center, BAM, Joyce Theater, 92NY, Jacob's Pillow, and Connecticut College, where DDD has been Company-in-Residence for 19 years and Dorfman serves as Professor of Dance.

Name

David Dorfman Dance

Legal name

David Dorfman Dance

Website

https://daviddorfmandance.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

David Dorfman Dance is a New York-based nonprofit contemporary dance company founded in 1987 that creates and tours evening-length performance works, educational intensives, and community workshops, serving general audiences, colleges, and emerging dance artists primarily through venue bookings and foundation grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts

NAICS

Dance Companies (711120), Performing Arts Companies (7111), Fine Arts Schools (61161)

akta.pro primary industry

Contemporary & Modern Dance (MPAGADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Dance Theatre (Narrative/Experimental) (MPAGADAC), Dance Education (Ballet, Contemporary, Hip-Hop, Cultural Dance) (EDAMAAAH), Dance Performances (THAJAFAD)

Keywords

• Contemporary dance performances
• Dance education intensives
• Community dance workshops
• Live performance touring
• Choreographic residency programs

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Performance Revenue: DDD generates revenue through booking fees for touring performances at venues and festivals. The company maintains exclusive tour representation through H-Arts Management.
2. Educational Programs: DDD offers summer and winter intensives for emerging artists at $450-$550 per participant, plus optional housing and meal plans. Revenue from educational programming.
3. Donations and Philanthropy: DDD accepts donations via credit card through their online giving platform, Zelle, PayPal, and snail mail. Donations support their mission of bringing dance to diverse audiences worldwide.
4. Merchandise Sales: DDD sells merchandise through their website store.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

David Dorfman Dance is a contemporary dance company that creates, produces, and tours original evening-length dance works and repertory pieces. The company also offers dance education through summer and winter intensives, conducts community workshops and outreach projects, and sells branded merchandise.

Product overview

David Dorfman Dance (DDD) is a contemporary dance company founded in 1987, offering live performance productions, educational programs, and community workshops. The core products include evening-length dance works: truce songs (newest), The Front Line (work-in-progress), and Half-Way Back (semi-retrospective). Educational offerings include Emerging Artist Summer and Winter Intensives at Connecticut College and Barnard College. Community engagement includes Moving with Momentum and Kinetic Diplomacy workshops. The company also produces dance films and has an extensive archive of past productions dating from 1986 to present.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• truce songs An evening-length contemporary dance work exploring peace with self, others, and the world through athletic dancing merged with poignant emotion, text, live original music, and visual design. Touring repertory piece for general dance audiences.
• Half-Way Back: A Semi-Retrospective A retrospective performance featuring three iconic DDD works from 2004-2005 (Lightbulb Theory, Impending Joy, and Approaching Some Calm), presented with originating cast members and alumni. Touring repertory offering.
• The Front Line An upcoming dance-theater work set in a middle school gymnasium turned polling site for an imagined Election Day 2040, exploring democracy, voting rights, and community. Currently in creation.
• DDD Emerging Artist Summer Intensive An annual summer intensive held at Connecticut College focusing on DDD's trademark risky, frisky and vulnerable movement, open to intermediate and advanced dancers seeking professional training.
• DDD Emerging Artist Winter Intensive A winter intensive program held at Barnard College for emerging artists to study DDD movement techniques and choreography.
• Moving with Momentum Workshop A workshop employing improvisation combined with choreographed sequences where dancers of all ages and experiences can find joy and discovery through movement.
• Kinetic Diplomacy Workshop A workshop combining text and movement to access personal, political, and humorous stories, blending literal and abstract notions of presence, equity, and agency.
• DDD Merchandise Branded merchandise sold through the company's online store.

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Lincoln CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025DDD performed at Lincoln Center with truce songs, conducted a workshop (Kinetic Diplomacy at Play), hosted a Silent Disco, and organized Seniors Get Down event in Damrosch Park.
• Jacob's PillowcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024DDD performed (A)Way Out of My Body at Jacob's Pillow in August 2024, one of the most prestigious dance venues in the United States.
• PRISMA Foundation / ENLACES (Panama)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Professor David Dorfman and company member Kellie Ann Lynch traveled to Panama in 2019 for ten days to participate in Festival PRISMA. Working with ENLACES, a preventative program for children 9-18 years old who are disadvantaged.
• Glasswing International / USAIDminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018In May 2018, DDD traveled to El Salvador to lead Violence Prevention Workshops sponsored by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and Glasswing International. DDD worked with youth dedicated to using their bodies for peace.
• The Wooden Floor (Santa Ana)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018In 2018 and 2019, DDD was company-in-residence for The Wooden Floor's Co-Creation Lab. DDD performed Aroundtown for the Santa Ana community and set original choreography on students.
• Metamorphosis Festival (Greece)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016In summer 2016, DDD participated in the Metamorphosis Festival attended by 115,000 people at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center in Greece. Performed Athletes Project with Greek Special Olympians and dancers.
• DanceMotion USA (US State Department / Brooklyn Academy of Music)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014In 2014, DanceMotion USA (sponsored by the US State Department and the Brooklyn Academy of Music) extended DDD's work to Armenia, Tajikistan, and Turkey. While on tour, DDD met the challenge of access and inclusion with young Muslim women who became active writers, observers, and verbal participants.
• Connecticut CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDDD celebrates its 19th year as Company-in-Residence at Connecticut College where David Dorfman earned his MFA in 1981 and returned as Professor of Dance in 2004. Summer intensives are held at the college.
• Dancers' Workshop (Jackson Hole, WY)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDancers' Workshop in Jackson Hole has invited DDD for many years. truce songs was commissioned by Dancers' Workshop. DDD has worked with local dancers and puppeteers to create parade-like performances.
• ICA Boston (Global Arts Live)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDDD performed truce songs at ICA Boston as part of Global Arts Live programming.
• LEAP of New HavencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-year partnership with LEAP of New Haven including annual summer program for teenage girls on Connecticut College campus. truce songs was researched and created in residence at LEAP.
• American Dance FestivalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDDD has performed multiple times at American Dance Festival. truce songs was researched and created in residence at American Dance Festival.
• BalletBoyzminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with BalletBoyz on We Don't Own a Dog, a video for RandomAct/Channel 4UK. Featured on A Chance to Dance reality show.
• Harkness Foundation for DanceminorOthersAdditional funding provided by Harkness Foundation for Dance for truce songs.
• New Music USAminorOthersNew Music USA's Organization Fund provided funding in 2024-25 for truce songs.
• NYC Department of Cultural AffairsminorOthersFunding provided by NYC Department of Cultural Affairs for truce songs.
• New York State Council on the ArtsminorOthersFunding provided by New York State Council on the Arts for truce songs.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• MOMIX: Touring contemporary dance company of comparable size with a similar mix of family-and-arts-festival programming, theatrical dance productions, and educational residencies.
• Parsons Dance: Contemporary dance company of similar size running parallel touring, educational, and community engagement programs. Closely matches DDD's mix of repertory touring and intensives.
• Mark Morris Dance Group: Established contemporary dance company with a comparable touring model, educational programming, and presence at major US venues. Closely comparable in product (performed repertory) and customer base (presenting venues, festivals, colleges).
• Pilobolus: Innovative US contemporary dance company with strong educational programming, touring presence, and residencies. Comparable in scale and in combining theatrical production with movement-based work.
• Paul Taylor Dance Company: Historic American modern dance company with a founder-led brand and similar touring/civic profile. DDD's founder was awarded the Paul Taylor Fellowship from The Yard, evidencing direct lineage and industry recognition.
• Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company: Socially-engaged contemporary dance company with a similarly small core staff, Bessie-recognized body of work, and Bessie/Award-winning founder. Sam Crawford (DDD Music Director) has composed for BTJ, evidencing direct industry overlap.
• Camille A. Brown and Dancers: Independent, Bessie-recognized contemporary dance company of similar scale, with theater/dance hybrids and community engagement. Sam Crawford has composed for CAB, evidencing direct creative overlap with DDD.
• A.I.M. by Kyle Abraham: Independent contemporary dance company with similar touring intensity, repertory emphasis, and Bessie recognition. Sam Crawford has composed for A.I.M., further evidencing shared collaborative networks.

Broad incumbents

• Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: Much larger, established modern dance institution sharing the same venue customers (Lincoln Center, BAM, Joyce). Performs contemporary work at scale and operates a parallel school (Ailey School) comparable to DDD's intensives.
• Martha Graham Dance Company: Iconic legacy modern dance company with broader repertory and institutional footprint. Comparable as a contemporary dance producer at major venues, though with a much larger operating base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/dorfmandance
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/david-dorfman-dance

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about David Dorfman Dance