Moving into Dance Mophatong

What Moving into Dance Mophatong does

Moving into Dance Mophatong (MID) is a South African non-profit professional dance company and accredited training organisation founded in 1978 by Sylvia Glasser in Johannesburg. It operates as one of the country's first mixed-race dance companies, established during apartheid, and is headquartered at the Newtown Cultural Precinct with a 28-person staff and a six-member professional dance company. MID's core intellectual property consists of two proprietary methodologies: Afrofusion, a syncretic dance form integrating African ritual and movement with Western contemporary dance, and Edudance, a movement-based pedagogy that uses dance and rhythm to teach academic and social subjects such as HIV/AIDS, nutrition and gender issues in schools.

The organisation operates an integrated pipeline combining performance, training, and community impact. It runs a fully accredited one-year Performing Arts Training Course (PATC, NQF Level 4 via SAQA) plus a second/third-year trainee and internship programme that selects up to 22 first-year students and culls to 5-10 second-years and 3-5 third-years. Its professional company performs at festivals and theatres both domestically and internationally across Africa, Malaysia, Europe, South America, Asia, Australia, the USA and Canada, and delivers corporate services including event entertainment, team-building workshops, stress relief programmes and Edudance-driven marketing campaigns. The company also runs Saturday open classes for children (ages 5-12) and adults in Newtown, Johannesburg, priced at R80-R480 per session or month.

MID's business model blends earned revenue with grant and donation funding typical of a Section 18A-registered NPO. Earned streams include corporate event bookings, festival and theatre performances, school-based Edudance contracts, short courses, and consumer Saturday classes. The larger portion of operating support comes from donations, bursaries (R54,000 per student per year), and corporate and government sponsorships including the National Arts Council, Rand Merchant Bank, Anglo American and Dance For All. Governance is provided by a four-person board (chairman Hilton Lawler) with Nadia Virasamy as CEO/Director of Education and Sunnyboy Mandla Motau as Artistic Director following founder Sylvia Glasser's 2013 transition.

Name

Moving into Dance Mophatong

Legal name

Moving Into Dance Mophatong

Website

https://midance.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts & Dance Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Dance Theatre (Narrative/Experimental) (MPAGADAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Dance Education (Ballet, Contemporary, Hip-Hop, Cultural Dance) (EDAMAAAH), Dancers, Choreographers & Dance Troupes Booking (HSACAHAD), Youth/Student & Community Dance Recitals (MPAGADAI)

Keywords

• Contemporary African dance
• Professional dance performances
• Performing arts training
• Dance education programmes
• Community dance outreach

Headquarters

HQ city

Johannesburg

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Sponsorships: As a Non-Profit Organisation, MID relies on funding, donations and sponsorships from corporate, government and individuals. Specific bursary amount mentioned is R54,000 per student per year.
2. Corporate Services: Performance entertainment for corporate functions and events, team-building movement workshops, stress relief programmes, and marketing campaigns using dance.
3. Education Services: Edudance programmes for teaching scholarly and social concepts, community and school outreach, arts and culture teaching in schools, short courses in arts management, events management, dance training and choreography, and social awareness workshops.
4. Festival and Theatre Performances: Professional contemporary dance performances for festivals, theatres, and community venues, including Afrofusion, traditional African dance, and site-specific productions.
5. Open Dance Classes: Recreational dance classes offered on Saturdays for children and adults. Kids classes: Daily R80, Monthly R320; Adults: Daily R150, Monthly R480.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Moving into Dance Mophatong is a non-profit professional contemporary African dance company and accredited training organisation that delivers live dance performances, the SAQA-accredited Performing Arts Training Course (NQF Level 4), a Trainee/Internship Programme, the proprietary Edudance educational methodology, and open recreational dance classes. The company produces Afrofusion works and delivers corporate entertainment, school outreach, festival/theatre performances, and community programmes across South Africa and internationally.

Product overview

Moving into Dance Mophatong is a non-profit professional dance company and accredited training organization offering a portfolio of services organized around three core pillars: Professional Dance Performances (the professional dance company offering live performances, corporate services, festival/theatre bookings, and community outreach), Education and Training (the one-year accredited Performing Arts Training Course, the second/third-year Trainee/Internship Programme, and recreational Open Classes for children and adults), and the Edudance Programme (using dance and movement to teach academic concepts and social issues). These offerings are interconnected—the training programmes feed talent into the professional company, while Edudance and outreach services serve as both community impact initiatives and practical training opportunities for students.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Professional Dance Company Performances A professional contemporary African dance company offering live performances at theatres, festivals, corporate events, and community venues, featuring Afrofusion, traditional African dance, and site-specific works. The professional dance company consists of six named dancers performing nationally and internationally.
• Performing Arts Training Course (PATC) A one-year fully accredited training programme (NQF Level 4) covering dance technique, choreography, teaching, marketing, arts management, and business planning for aspiring professional dancers. Selects no more than 22 first-year students per year through a rigorous audition process.
• Trainee/Internship Programme Second and third-year apprenticeship programme providing intensive practical training in performance, choreography, teaching dance, and arts administration with a stipend. Retains 5-10 second-year and 3-5 third-year students.
• Edudance Programme An educational methodology using dance, music, rhythm and creative movement to teach academic concepts and social issues in schools and community settings. Subjects taught include nutrition, global warming, water and electricity conservation, the ozone layer, history of South Africa, child rights, HIV/AIDS, and social awareness issues.
• Open Dance Classes Weekly recreational dance classes for children (ages 5-12) and adults held every Saturday from 10:00am to 12:00pm at 1 Helen Joseph Street, Newtown, Johannesburg. Kids Daily R80, Monthly R320; Adults Daily R150, Monthly R480. Provides basic and advanced professional dance training in various styles.
• Corporate Services Performance entertainment for corporate functions and events, team-building movement workshops, stress relief programmes, and marketing campaigns using dance. Also includes Edudance for corporate conferences and functions.
• Education and School Services Arts and culture teaching in schools, short courses in arts management and choreography, Edudance outreach presentations, and social awareness workshops on issues such as gender abuse, nutrition, HIV/AIDS, and road safety delivered in schools in Soweto, Alexandra, Tembisa, Hillbrow, and Vosloorus.
• Festival and Theatre Performances Innovative contemporary dance, ritualistic Afrofusion, site-specific works, and traditional African dance performances booked at festivals and theatres domestically and internationally across Africa, Malaysia, Europe, South America, Asia, Australia, USA, and Canada.
• Community and School Outreach Taking dance into townships, teaching dance in schools as part of the arts and culture curriculum, and performing socially relevant dance works in communities in Soweto, Alexandra, Tembisa, Hillbrow, Vosloorus, and Johannesburg City.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 45 years of continuous operation since 1978
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• DFC (Dance For All)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDFC is acknowledged alongside other funders for supporting the development and growth of MID and its programmes.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Joburg Ballet: Joburg Ballet is a Johannesburg-based professional dance company and accredited training organisation, also operating as an NPO from the Newtown precinct. It is directly comparable to MID as a South African professional dance company offering classical/contemporary performances plus accredited training programmes.
• Vuyani Dance Theatre: Vuyani Dance Theatre is a contemporary African dance company founded by Gregory Maqoma in Johannesburg. It directly competes with MID in producing original contemporary African choreography for festivals, theatres, and international touring, with a comparable training and community impact mission.
• Flatfoot Dance Company: Flatfoot Dance Company is a South African contemporary dance company producing original choreography for festivals, theatres, and educational programmes. It is directly comparable to MID as a contemporary African dance company with a parallel focus on community engagement and education.
• Isango Ensemble: Isango Ensemble is a Cape Town-based performing arts company that produces African adaptations of opera, theatre, and dance for international audiences. It is comparable to MID as a South African dance/performing arts company with strong international touring presence and a development/training mission.
• Forgotten Angle Theatre Collaborative: Forgotten Angle Theatre Collaborative is a Mpumalanga-based dance and physical theatre company producing experimental contemporary work and development programmes for emerging dancers. It parallels MID's role as a producing/development organisation serving African contemporary dance artists.

Emerging players

• Sibikwa Arts Centre: Sibikwa Arts Centre is an Ekurhuleni-based community arts centre offering dance, music, and theatre training programmes targeting youth from previously disadvantaged communities. It parallels MID's Edudance and outreach model of using dance as a tool for education and social development.
• National School of the Arts: National School of the Arts is a Johannesburg performing arts secondary school offering specialised dance, music, and theatre tuition. It is comparable to MID as a Johannesburg-based dance training institution feeding talent into the South African professional dance ecosystem.

Regional players

• Cape Town City Ballet: Cape Town City Ballet is a professional ballet company based in the Western Cape offering classical and contemporary performances and training. It is comparable as a South African professional dance company and accredited training institution, though operating in a different geography from MID.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/moving-into-dance-mophatong

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Moving into Dance Mophatong