If I Can't Dance, I Don't Want To Be Part Of Your Revolution

What If I Can't Dance, I Don't Want To Be Part Of Your Revolution does

If I Can't Dance, I Don't Want To Be Part Of Your Revolution is a Dutch non-profit art foundation (ANBI status; KVK 34287147; RSIN 818679748), established in 2005 and headquartered at the Collegezaal on WG-Plein 881 in Amsterdam Oud-West, a former medical theatre of the Wilhelmina Gasthuis Hospital that is now a Rijksmonument. The organization commissions, develops, produces, and presents projects with artists, curators, and researchers at pivotal career stages, operating through multi-year thematic cycles called Editions; ten Editions have been completed, with Edition X (2024-28) marking a transition to a site-responsive, community-embedded institution anchored at its permanent venue. Its work spans live performance, film, and installations, with a stated critical focus on space, time, the body, and feminist, queer, and intersectional perspectives. The organization is led by three co-directors under a collective governance model adopted in May 2026: Anik Fournier (Archive & Education), Sara Giannini (Programme & Communications), and Annick Kleizen (Governance & Finance), supported by a Supervisory Board chaired by Christa-Maria Lerm-Hayes.

The underlying technology platform is minimal and non-proprietary: a content-managed website atificantdance.org and an archived digital research space atificantdance.studio (2020-2024) built and maintained with design studio Kommerz; no APIs, SDKs, or AI/ML capabilities are disclosed. The business model is grant-funded rather than market-revenue driven. Primary structural support comes from the Mondriaan Fund (the Dutch public cultural funding body), supplemented by project-based grants from the European Union (notably for the 'access: practices and habits' research programme with Askeaton Contemporary Arts and Bulegoa z/b), AFK (Amsterdam Fund for the Arts), het Cultuurfonds, DOEN Foundation, and Mophradat. A sliding-scale ticketing model (€5–€16.50, with free admission for students, under-18s, Museumkaart/ICOM holders, and the first Sunday of each month) generates marginal transactional revenue from public events. Distribution is multi-channel: the permanent venue at WG-terrein, a regional and international partner-venue network (Vleeshal, Framer Framed, de Appel, Stedelijk Museum, CBK Zuidoost, Rijksakademie), digital/print publications, Radio Emma, and education partnerships with Dutch Art Institute (since 2008), Sandberg Institute (new Phantom Scores Masters from September 2026), and School of New Dance Development. Customer segments are hybrid: artists/curators/researchers, higher-education students, and a general arts audience; marketing is primarily organic via the website, social media (Facebook, Instagram), and an email newsletter.

Name

If I Can't Dance, I Don't Want To Be Part Of Your Revolution

Legal name

If I Can't Dance, I Don't Want To Be Part Of Your Revolution

Website

https://ificantdance.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

If I Can't Dance is a Dutch ANBI-status non-profit art foundation, established in 2005 and based in Amsterdam, that commissions and presents performance and performativity projects with artists, curators, and researchers through multi-year Editions, serving artists, higher-education students, and general arts audiences.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Contemporary Art & Performance

NAICS

Performing Arts Companies (7111), Dance Companies (711120), Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Contemporary & Modern Dance (MPAGADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Theater & Drama Education (Acting, Improvisation, Musical Theater) (EDAMAAAG), Dance Festivals & Dance Series (MPAGADAJ)

Keywords

• Contemporary art commissions
• Performance art programming
• Artist residency programs
• Cultural research library
• Performative art practice

Headquarters

HQ city

Amsterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Structural Public Funding: Primary revenue from structural support by Mondriaan Fund, supplemented by project-based grants from European Union, AFK (Amsterdam Fund for the Arts), Cultuurfonds, and DOEN Foundation.
2. Ticketed Events: Revenue from ticketed events with sliding scale pricing model.
3. ANBI Non-profit: Non-profit foundation with ANBI status in the Netherlands, facilitating tax-deductible donations and structural funding.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Develops, produces, and presents commissioned projects with artists, curators, and researchers exploring the evolution and typology of performance and performativity in contemporary art. Programming is organised around multi-year thematic cycles called Editions (currently Edition X, 2024-28), spanning live performance, film, and installations. The organisation also runs educational programmes with academic partners (Dutch Art Institute, Sandberg Instituut, School of New Dance Development) and maintains a specialised library and archive.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Artist and Research Commissions (Editions programme) Long-term commissioned projects with artists, curators, and researchers exploring performance and performativity in contemporary art, organised as multi-year thematic cycles. Output spans live performance, film, and installations. Targeted at practitioners at pivotal stages in their careers.
• Public Programme (Exhibitions, Performances, Symposiums, Workshops) Public-facing exhibitions, performances, symposiums, workshops, and reading groups held at the Collegezaal in Amsterdam and partner venues (Vleeshal, CBK Zuidoost, Framer Framed, de Appel, Stedelijk Museum, Rijksakademie). Ticketed with sliding scale pricing. Free entry for students, children under 18, Museumkaart/ICOM holders, and on the first Sunday of each month.
• Library and Archive Specialised research library and archive acting as a research hub for performance practices within visual arts, with emphasis on feminist, queer, and marginalised voices, histories, and methodologies. Includes scholarly material, monographs, exhibition catalogues, creative writing, scores, scripts, sound, video, film, and the full range of If I Can't Dance publications. Open by appointment on Wednesdays.
• Educational Programmes Yearly courses and study groups delivered with academic partners: Dutch Art Institute (ArtEZ) since 2008 with course tutors and student cohorts; two-year Masters in Performance 'Phantom Scores' at Sandberg Institute beginning September 2026; annual courses at School of New Dance Development (Academy of Theatre and Dance).
• Radio Emma Radio programme that unpacks key terms from research with invited local guests from various disciplines.
• Publications and Readers Published Readers documenting collaborative research, with book launches and presentations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 20+ years of continuous operation and commissioned projects since 2005
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Sandberg InstitutemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2026Partnership to establish two-year temporary Masters in Performance entitled Phantom Scores, beginning September 2026.
• Vleeshal Center for Contemporary ArtmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on 'You Are Variations' exhibition featuring Anchan/Anna Daučíková and Christina Della Giustina. Exhibition presented for first time in Netherlands at Vleeshal in Middelburg.
• Framer FramedmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partner for Samia Henni's 'Performing Colonial Toxicity' exhibition and Nuraini Juliastuti's book launch and display.
• Dutch Art Institute (ArtEZ)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partnership for yearly COOP study group courses. Ongoing collaboration since 2008 with course tutors and student cohorts.
• School of New Dance Development (Academy of Theatre and Dance)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYearly courses delivered in partnership. Course on 'Codes of in/accessibility within performance practices' developed in dialogue with If I Can't Dance's accessibility research.
• Askeaton Contemporary ArtscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on 'access: practices and habits' artistic research programme, alongside Bulegoa z/b in Bilbao.
• Bulegoa z/bcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on 'access: practices and habits' artistic research programme with Askeaton Contemporary Arts and If I Can't Dance.
• de AppelmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of 'Rhythms of Anti-colonial Struggles: Radio Archives and the Transmission of Solidarities' symposium with yasmine eid-sabbagh.
• CBK ZuidoostmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-year collaboration including 'Tidal Gatherings' symposium and Black Speaks Back's BijlmAIR residency. Part of Sound System Ecologies project.
• PerduminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-host of 'horseshoe to heart / togethers in motion' performance programme with If I Can't Dance.
• Rijksakademie van beeldende kunstenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdvisors at the Rijksakademie, with DAI-COOP study group sessions hosted at Rijksakademie.
• De Zaak NuminorOthersMembership organization that If I Can't Dance participates in.
• MokerminorOthersAmsterdam-based membership organization that If I Can't Dance participates in.
• Atelier WGminorOthersIf I Can't Dance is part of Atelier WG community at the WG-terrein location.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• TENT: TENT is a contemporary art platform in Rotterdam presenting exhibitions, performances, and public programs. Comparable as a Dutch contemporary art organization commissioning and presenting performance and visual art with similar institutional scale and audience engagement approach.
• de Appel: de Appel is an Amsterdam-based contemporary art center focused on curatorial experimentation, performance, and artist development. Directly comparable as a co-organizing partner of If I Can't Dance's 'Rhythms of Anti-colonial Struggles' symposium and as a fellow Amsterdam institution commissioning performance and curatorial practice.
• BAK (basis voor actuele kunst): BAK is a Utrecht-based contemporary art institution focused on performance, research, and long-term artist support. Highly comparable in scale and approach to If I Can't Dance, with similar focus on performance practice, feminist and queer perspectives, and public programming in the Netherlands.
• Vleeshal: Vleeshal is a center for contemporary art in Middelburg presenting exhibitions and commissions across visual arts and performance. Directly comparable as a direct collaboration partner on If I Can't Dance's 'You Are Variations' exhibition, with overlapping curatorial focus on performance and contemporary visual art.
• CBK Zuidoost: CBK Zuidoost is an Amsterdam-based contemporary art platform focused on community-embedded artistic practice in Amsterdam Zuidoost. Directly comparable through multi-year collaborations including the Sound System Ecologies project and Tidal Gatherings symposium.
• KW Institute for Contemporary Art: KW Institute for Contemporary Art is a Berlin-based contemporary art institution focused on exhibitions, commissions, and discursive programs around performance and visual arts. Comparable as an international peer of similar scale commissioning performance-based contemporary art and operating a public program.
• Framer Framed: Framer Framed is an Amsterdam-based platform for contemporary art, migration, and decolonial practice, presenting exhibitions and public programs. Directly comparable as a co-production partner on multiple If I Can't Dance commissions including Samia Henni's 'Performing Colonial Toxicity'.
• Mophradat: Mophradat is an Amsterdam-based organization supporting contemporary arts from the Arab world through commissions and consortium programs. Directly comparable as a Consortium Commissions partner commissioning artist projects, with similar approach to international artist support and consortium-based commissioning structures.
• Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten: Rijksakademie is an Amsterdam-based post-academic research institute offering two-year artist residencies. Comparable through shared focus on artist development, with If I Can't Dance staff serving as advisors and DAI-COOP study groups hosted on its premises.

Broad incumbents

• Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam: Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam is a major museum for modern and contemporary art and design. A broader incumbent in the same Amsterdam contemporary art ecosystem, with overlapping presentation of contemporary performance and visual art, though operating at a significantly larger institutional scale and presenting historical collection alongside contemporary work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ificantdance
• Instagraminstagram.com/ificantdance_
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/if-i-can't-dance-i-don't-want-to-be-part-of-your-revolution

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about If I Can't Dance, I Don't Want To Be Part Of Your Revolution