AERIAL DANCE CHICAGO

What AERIAL DANCE CHICAGO does

Aerial Dance Chicago (ADC) is a Chicago-based nonprofit 501(c)(3) contemporary dance company and school, founded in 1999 by Chloe Jensen and Kip Conwell as one of the world's first professional concert dance companies dedicated to aerial dance. ADC operates Chicago's first dance center built specifically for aerial dance, opened in January 2014 at 4028 W Irving Park Rd, and serves youth (ages 6-18), adults at all skill levels, and a pre-professional Youth Dance Ensemble for ages 10-18. Instruction spans aerial fabric, aerial hoop (lyra), sling, bungee, bars, ropes, and ballet, delivered through 8-week term classes, Open Studio practice slots, workshops, and ticketed performances.

The core technology layer is physical rather than software: ADC's instruction and choreography use suspended apparatus and a proprietary portable freestanding rigging system that deploys indoors or outdoors without stakes or cables (large rig: 30x30ft footprint, 21ft ceiling; small rig: 22x22ft, 16ft ceiling). Distribution runs through three channels — the Irving Park studio (direct), on-site bookings at schools/universities/venues (enterprise), and online ticketing for events such as Winter Flight, Feature Presentation, Solo Flight, Chicago Live! at Navy Pier, and youth showcases.

Revenue is generated through class tuition ($168 per 8-week term for ground-based classes, $256 for aerial apparatus, $720 for Youth Dance Ensemble), event tickets priced $0-$60, group workshops at $300 per session, apparatus sales (fabric package $240), portable rig rentals, and tax-deductible individual donations supported by grants from the Illinois Arts Council and the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation. The organization reaches over 10,000 people annually through classes, performances, school residencies, and community programming, and operates without equity funding under a board-led governance model.

Name

AERIAL DANCE CHICAGO

Legal name

Aerial Dance Chicago

Website

https://aerialdancechicago.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Aerial Dance Chicago is a Chicago-based nonprofit dance company and school founded in 1999 that delivers aerial and ballet instruction to youth and adults, trains a pre-professional Youth Dance Ensemble, and produces ticketed performances, reaching over 10,000 people annually through its Irving Park studio and off-site residencies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts Education

NAICS

Dance Companies (711120), Fine Arts Schools (61161), Dance Companies (71112)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Dance Theatre (Narrative/Experimental) (MPAGADAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Dance Education (Ballet, Contemporary, Hip-Hop, Cultural Dance) (EDAMAAAH), Youth/Student & Community Dance Recitals (MPAGADAI), Dance & Movement (Ballroom, Contemporary, Social Dance) (EDAAAGAD)

Keywords

• Aerial dance instruction
• Contemporary dance performance
• Youth dance ensemble
• Aerial fabric classes
• Ballet school programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago Park

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, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Class Tuition: 8-week term classes in ballet and aerial dance disciplines. Tuition varies by class type and student age.
2. Performance Tickets: Ticket sales for ADC's productions including Feature Presentations, Winter Flight, Solo Flight, and other performances. Prices range from $0 to $60.
3. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible charitable contributions as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Aerial Dance Chicago runs an in-person dance school offering adult and youth classes in aerial fabric, lyra (aerial hoop), sling, and ballet in 8-week terms, a pre-professional Youth Dance Ensemble for ages 10-18, and a professional company that produces ticketed annual concert performances. The organization also books on-site performances, teaching residencies, and workshops at external venues, and rents a proprietary portable aerial rigging system that allows performances without fixed infrastructure.

Product overview

Aerial Dance Chicago is a nonprofit contemporary dance company and school offering in-person instruction in aerial dance and ballet for all ages and skill levels. The core offering consists of adult and youth class programs (fabric, sling, lyra, ballet) in 8-week terms, the Youth Dance Ensemble pre-professional training program, and ticketed performance events including Winter Flight, Feature Presentation, Solo Flight, and Monster. Additional offerings include event booking services with portable rig rental for off-site performances and residencies, aerial fabric apparatus sales, and open studio access. The company operates Chicago's first dedicated aerial dance studio and has served the community since 1999.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Adult Dance Classes In-person dance instruction for adults across multiple apparatus including aerial fabric, sling, lyra (aerial hoop), and ballet. Classes range from beginner to professional levels, offered in 8-week terms at ADC's Chicago studio.
• Youth Dance Classes In-person dance instruction for youth ages 6 and up, including aerial fabric and ballet classes at beginning through pre-professional levels, offered in 8-week terms.
• Youth Dance Ensemble (YDE) A pre-professional youth training program for dancers ages 10-18, requiring weekly classes and rehearsals and culminating in performances with the professional company. Program runs August through April with tuition of $720 per 8-week term.
• Performances and Events Annual showcase performances including Winter Flight, Feature Presentation, Solo Flight, and youth ensemble showcases, presented at ADC studio, Ruth Page Center, Navy Pier, and other venues. Tickets range from $10 to $60.
• Event Booking Services Bookings for aerial dance performances and residencies at schools, universities, and events, both indoor and outdoor. Includes portable rig setup for venues without rigging infrastructure.
• Portable Rig Rental Freestanding portable rigging system available for indoor or outdoor venues. Large rig requires 30x30ft space with 21ft ceiling clearance; smaller rig requires 22x22ft space with 16ft ceiling clearance. No stakes or cables required.
• Aerial Fabric Apparatus Aerial fabric apparatus packages and accessories for personal practice, including fabric package ($240) and zippered canvas bag ($25).
• Open Studio Access Hourly rig point access for self-directed practice at $20 per rig point, free when used as makeup credit for missed class.
• Group Workshops Group workshop sessions for teams or organizations at $300 per session, covering aerial dance and movement basics.

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Knox CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Performance residency in collaboration with The Orpheum Theatre in Galesburg, Illinois for 'Written on the Body' production.
• Elements Contemporary BalletcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2014Collaborative production of AYA, an original evening-length ballet merging aerial dance and contemporary ballet. AYA premiered at North Shore Center for Performing Arts July 2014 and Athenaeum Theatre October 2015. The collaboration expanded from an initial pilot to a full world premiere.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Mark Morris Dance Group: Major American contemporary dance company with affiliated school and extensive community programs. Comparable dual company-plus-school nonprofit structure at significantly larger scale.
• Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: Iconic American modern dance company with school (Ailey School) and extensive community/outreach programming. Comparable nonprofit dance company + school + outreach structure at national scale.
• Cirque du Soleil: Global commercial entertainment company specializing in aerial and acrobatic live performance. Operates in an overlapping aerial performance category but at vastly larger scale and as a commercial enterprise rather than a nonprofit school-plus-company.

Direct peers

• Momix: Connecticut-based dance company known for visually inventive, apparatus-using choreography and touring shows. Highly comparable on avant-garde physical production and touring-residency model.
• Joffrey Ballet: Chicago-based professional dance company and school. Directly comparable nonprofit dance institution with classes for all ages, performance season, and tuition-based education programs.
• Pilobolus: American modern dance company known for physically extreme, non-traditional choreography and extensive touring. Closely comparable in pushing boundaries of conventional dance vocabularies, aerial-adjacent physicality, and repertory-driven production model.
• Giordano Dance Chicago: Chicago contemporary/jazz dance company and school. Same hybrid company-plus-school nonprofit model in the same metro, with comparable youth ensemble/academy programming.
• Hubbard Street Dance Chicago: A Chicago-based professional contemporary dance company that operates a school and outreach programs. Closest geographic and structural peer to ADC — same city, same dual company-plus-school model, similar nonprofit funding mix — though contemporary rather than aerial.
• Aeriosa Dance Society: Vancouver-based aerial dance company producing site-specific performances. One of the few dedicated aerial concert dance companies, sharing the niche category with ADC.

Emerging players

• The Cabiri: Chicago-based circus arts troupe with aerial performance. Geographically and thematically adjacent to ADC in the aerial/circus-arts performance space in Chicago. (ADC board member Lauran Drackett is also a freelance dancer for The Cabiri.)

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/aerialdancechicago
• Facebookfacebook.com/AerialDanceChicago
• Instagraminstagram.com/aerialdancechicago
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aerial-dance-chicago

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 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 AERIAL DANCE CHICAGO