SEAD - Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance

What SEAD - Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance does

SEAD – Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance is a private Austrian dance academy headquartered at Schallmooser Hauptstraße 48a, Salzburg, operating under the legal entity SEAD Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance GmbH. Founded in 1993 by artistic director Susan Quinn, the institution serves approximately 100 enrolled students drawn from more than 30 countries, delivering contemporary dance education through a four-year undergraduate program (Artist in Process), a one-year postgraduate choreographic program (I.C.E.), a one-year FIRE Year intensive, a two-year PreCollege program, short-format MoveMentors workshops, and a broad Everybodydance recreational curriculum spanning preschoolers through adults. Programs are taught in English.

The business model is tuition-led, with annual fees of €4,500 for the professional study programs, a €750 non-refundable registration deposit, and separate one-time administration fees of €2,250 (Grounding Year) and €750 (postgraduate/FIRE). Revenue is diversified across tuition, recreational Everybodydance courses (booked through the Eversports platform), MoveMentors intensive workshops, and studio/apartment rentals of the Salzburg campus. Additional operating support comes from Austrian public and cultural funders including Land Salzburg, Stadt Salzburg, ARGE, and partners such as the Salzburg Festival and SZENE Salzburg.

Distribution is centered on SEAD's single Salzburg campus combined with an annual international audition circuit spanning 15+ cities (Porto, Istanbul, Barcelona, Athens, Brussels, Stockholm, Rome, Vienna, Berlin, Paris, Salzburg) plus video auditions for distant regions. The academy maintains a long-running exchange with NYU Tisch School of the Arts (since 1998) and serves as the home base and production site for BODHI PROJECT, an internationally touring dance company that has operated under the blackmountain association since 2018. Core technology is conventional: a WordPress website, Vimeo, Instagram/Facebook, Mailchimp, and Eversports — there is no proprietary technology stack, no AI/ML capability, and no public API.

Name

SEAD - Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance

Legal name

SEAD Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance GmbH

Website

https://sead.at

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SEAD is a private Austrian dance academy in Salzburg, founded in 1993 by Susan Quinn, training approximately 100 students from 30+ countries in contemporary dance via undergraduate, postgraduate, and intensive programs, alongside recreational courses and venue rentals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts Education

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (61161), Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Dance & Movement (Ballroom, Contemporary, Social Dance) (EDAAAGAD)

Keywords

• Contemporary dance education
• Professional dance training
• Choreographic exchange programs
• Recreational dance classes
• Dance academy programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Salzburg

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Program Fees: SEAD generates revenue through annual tuition fees for its professional dance training programs including undergraduate (Artist in Process), postgraduate (I.C.E.), and FIRE Year intensive programs. Additional revenue comes from short-term movementors workshops,Everybodydance courses for adults/children/youth, and facility rentals (studios and apartments).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

SEAD is a private dance academy that delivers multi-year professional contemporary dance training programs — the four-year 'Artist in Process' undergraduate program, the one-year postgraduate 'I.C.E. - International Choreographic Exchange', the 'FIRE Year' intensive, and a two-year 'SEAD PreCollege' for ages 16–25 — supplemented by 'Everybodydance' recreational courses for preschoolers through adults, short 'MoveMentors' workshops, and studio and apartment venue rentals at its Salzburg campus.

Product overview

SEAD (Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance) is a private dance academy offering a comprehensive portfolio of professional and recreational dance education programs. The core educational offerings include the four-year Artist in Process undergraduate program, the one-year I.C.E. postgraduate choreographic program, and the FIRE Year intensive training program. Supporting programs include MoveMentors intensive workshops, the PreCollege program for young dancers, and the Everybodydance recreational courses for all ages. SEAD also operates as a venue for dance through its Haus rental services and hosts the touring dance company BODHI PROJECT. The institution serves approximately 100 students from over 30 countries with programs conducted in English.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Artist in Process (Undergraduate Program) A four-year professional training program in contemporary dance (taught in English) that prepares dancers and choreographers for careers in the performing arts through intensive physical practice, theoretical study, and performance opportunities. Targets aspiring international professional dancers.
• I.C.E. - International Choreographic Exchange (Postgraduate Program) A one-year postgraduate program (taught in English) for professional dancers who have completed prior dance training, offering independent choreographic work within a supportive artistic environment with mentorship from international dance professionals.
• FIRE Year A one-year intensive training program (Feel, Inspire, Reflect, Engage; taught in English) for dancers seeking a focused year of training before their next professional step, integrated with the professional program students.
• MoveMentors - Intensive Workshops Short, intensive one-week dance workshops (taught in English) led by international instructors, ideal for further training, skill improvement, or exam preparation for dancers and students.
• SEAD PreCollege A two-year program for young dancers aged 16-25 that bridges school education and professional dance training, with roughly 9 hours per week of technique classes, performances, and workshops to develop artistic potential.
• Everybodydance Recreational dance courses for all age groups — preschoolers, children (6–13), teenagers (14–17), and adults — offering styles including Contemporary, Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Hip-Hop, Commercial, Latin & Urban Dance, African Fusion, Theatre for Dance, Pilates, and Yoga.
• Venue Rental (Haus) Rental of SEAD's dance studios, performance spaces, and on-site apartments to external dance groups and visitors needing rehearsal space, event venues, or short-term accommodation in Salzburg.
• BODHI PROJECT Touring Dance Company An internationally touring contemporary dance company based at SEAD since 2008 (operating under the blackmountain association since 2018), representing the artistic performance output of the academy and providing professional touring opportunities for SEAD students and graduates.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100 students from 30+ countries trained annually

Named customers1 record

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• blackmountain associationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018The blackmountain association has overseen BODHI PROJECT since 2018, supporting the touring dance company's operations and artistic development.
• BODHI PROJECTcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008SEAD has been the home base and production site of the internationally touring dance company BODHI PROJECT since 2008. Since 2018, BODHI PROJECT operates under the blackmountain association. The company provides professional performance opportunities and touring experience for SEAD students and graduates.
• New York University Tisch School of the Arts - Dance DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1998Since 1998, SEAD and NYU Tisch have maintained a collaborative exchange program where SEAD students spend six weeks annually in New York to broaden their dance horizons and enrich their practice. This partnership provides international exposure and educational exchange between two leading dance institutions.
• ARGE (Arbeitsgemeinschaft)minorOthersFunder and supporter of SEAD operations
• Salzburg Festival (Salzburger Festspiele)minorOthersCultural partner and supporter of SEAD
• Land SalzburgminorOthersRegional government funding and support for SEAD
• Stadt SalzburgminorOthersMunicipal government support for SEAD
• SZENE SalzburgminorOthersLocal dance and performance venue partner
• PLUSminorOthersPartner organization supporting SEAD
• Aktiv KarteminorOthersPartner/sponsor organization

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• ImPulsTanz – Vienna International Dance Festival: Vienna-based international dance festival and summer workshop platform offering intensive training; adjacent rather than competing — SEAD's MoveMentors workshops and BODHI PROJECT operate in the same international workshop ecosystem.

Regional players

• Tanzquartier Wien: Vienna's centre for contemporary dance production and presentation with associated training/development programs; a regional peer that operates in overlapping programming territory (Central European contemporary dance ecosystem) without directly competing for SEAD's Salzburg-based students.

Direct peers

• Folkwang University of the Arts – Dance Department: Essen-based university with one of Germany's most respected contemporary dance programs; a comparable professional training pathway in the DACH region.
• HfS Ernst Busch – Centre for Contemporary Dance: Berlin's state-funded performing-arts school offering contemporary dance training; competes with SEAD for the same pool of German-speaking and international contemporary dance students.
• The Place: London's centre for contemporary dance combining a training school with a performance venue and touring company model — analogous to SEAD's combined academy-plus-BODHI PROJECT-plus-venue-rental structure.
• Codarts Rotterdam: Rotterdam-based university for performing arts offering contemporary dance bachelor programs; comparable in size, international orientation and curriculum scope to SEAD.
• London Contemporary Dance School: UK's leading conservatoire-style contemporary dance school at Trinity Laban, offering professional training and summer programs; directly comparable to SEAD's Artist in Process undergraduate program in curriculum and target student.
• PARTS (Performing Arts Research and Training Studios): Brussels-based contemporary dance training school founded by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker; offers multi-year professional programs and draws an international student body, making it the closest functional and reputational peer to SEAD.
• School for New Dance Development (SNDO): Amsterdam-based postgraduate program in contemporary dance/choreography at the Amsterdam University of the Arts; comparable to SEAD's I.C.E. postgraduate track in mission, structure and international student composition.

Broad incumbents

• Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater / The Ailey School: A globally recognized dance institution combining a major touring company with a professional training school — a broader and larger incumbent of SEAD's combined academy-plus-company model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevimeo.com/user110907203
• Facebookfacebook.com/SalzburgExperimentalAcademyofDance
• Instagraminstagram.com/seaddancecenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sead-salzburg-experimental-academy-of-dance

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries1 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 SEAD - Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance