St. Louis Dance Theatre

What St. Louis Dance Theatre does

St. Louis Dance Theatre (legal name: Saint Louis Dance Theatre) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit contemporary dance company founded in 2010 and headquartered at 3305 Washington Ave, St. Louis, Missouri. The organization serves as the professional home for 16 contracted artists and auditions hundreds of additional dancers annually, presenting repertory contemporary dance across a multi-venue footprint that includes the Touhill Performing Arts Center, the Skip Viragh Center for the Arts, and the Catherine B. Berges Theatre at COCA. Its product surface spans live performance (Spring Series, Fall Series, and special productions such as Gaslight Dreams and Our Voices), training programs (Open Classes, Summer Intensive, Trainee Program), community engagement initiatives (Kids Circle, Youth Access Program, Senior Embrace, Community Night Concerts), studio rentals, and a recurring annual fundraiser (Movers and Shakers Ball).

The company operates an event-driven go-to-market model anchored on a seasonal performance calendar and a multi-channel marketing approach that includes Instagram (@stldancetheatre and @bigmudddanceco), an email newsletter, and the company's website with its 'Behind the Curtains' blog. Revenue is generated through four streams: ticket sales for live performances, tax-deductible donations (one-time and recurring), fees from training and education programs, and proceeds from special events and studio rentals. The 2026-2027 'Elements of Harmony' season, presented by Paul and Kathleen Matecki, comprises five major productions running from October 2026 through May 2027, and a recurring strategic partnership with Jazz St. Louis underpins the annual 'Gaslight Dreams' collaborative production.

There is no proprietary technology platform, mobile application, API, or AI/ML capability associated with the organization. The company holds no patents, has no disclosed funding rounds, no parent company, no subsidiaries, and operates as an independent nonprofit governed by a board of directors. Geographic scope is limited to the St. Louis metropolitan region in the U.S. Midwest, with no evidence of touring, commercial licensing, or international activity in the source material.

Name

St. Louis Dance Theatre

Legal name

Saint Louis Dance Theatre

Website

https://stldancetheatre.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Saint Louis Dance Theatre is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit contemporary dance company founded in 2010, employing 16 professional artists and presenting seasonal repertory performances, training programs, and community outreach initiatives across venues in the St. Louis region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts (Contemporary Dance)

NAICS

Dance Companies (711120), Dance Companies (71112), Performing Arts Companies (7111)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

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), Dance Festivals & Dance Series (MPAGADAJ)

Keywords

• Contemporary dance performances
• Dance training programs
• Nonprofit performing arts
• Community arts programming
• Live dance productions

Headquarters

HQ city

St Louis

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue generated from sale of tickets to live dance performances including the Fall Series, Spring Series, Gaslight Dreams, and Our Voices productions.
2. Donations and Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the organization relies on tax-deductible contributions from individual donors, supporters, and sponsors. Accepts one-time and recurring donations.
3. Training and Education Programs: Revenue from Summer Intensive programs, Open Classes, and Studio Rentals for dance instruction and rehearsal space.
4. Special Events: Annual fundraiser events such as the Movers and Shakers Ball generate revenue through ticket sales and sponsorships.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Saint Louis Dance Theatre is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit contemporary dance company that presents professional repertory dance performances across multiple seasonal productions (Spring Series, Fall Series, Gaslight Dreams, Our Voices, and the annual Movers and Shakers Ball) at major St. Louis venues. It also offers training and education programs (Open Classes, Summer Intensive, Trainee Program, Studio Rentals) and community engagement initiatives (Kids Circle, Youth Access Program, Senior Embrace, Community Night Concerts) supported by tax-deductible donations and sponsorships.

Product overview

Saint Louis Dance Theatre is a nonprofit contemporary dance company operating as a single, unified arts organization. The company presents world-class choreography through seasonal performance series (Spring Series, Fall Series, and special productions like Gaslight Dreams and Our Voices) while offering community engagement through training programs (Open Classes, Summer Intensive, Trainee Program) and community initiatives (Kids Circle, Youth Access Program, Senior Embrace, Community Night Concerts). The organization functions as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit supported by donations and special events such as the annual Movers and Shakers Ball.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Contemporary Dance Performances (Seasonal Repertory) Ticketed professional contemporary dance productions presented throughout the season, including Spring Series, Fall Series, Gaslight Dreams (a collaboration with Jazz St. Louis), Our Voices, and the annual Movers and Shakers Ball gala. Designed for general audiences in the St. Louis region seeking world-class contemporary choreography.
• Open Classes Drop-in/community contemporary dance classes taught by STLDT professional artists, open to the public for ongoing skill development.
• Summer Intensive Short-term, intensive summer dance training program for aspiring professional and pre-professional dancers seeking concentrated contemporary dance instruction.
• Trainee Program Pre-professional training and company-preparation program for dancers pursuing a pathway into the company and the broader professional contemporary dance field.
• Studio Rentals Rental of the company's dance studio facilities to external groups and individuals for rehearsal and dance instruction.
• Community Programs Community engagement initiatives including Community Night Concerts, Kids Circle (children), Youth Access Program (youth), and Senior Embrace (seniors) that broaden access to dance for underserved populations in the St. Louis region.

Quantifiable outcome

• Each season exceeds the previous season in audience satisfaction

Named customers1 record

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

One partnership is on record.

• Jazz St. LouiscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Jazz St. Louis is a key collaborative partner in the award-winning production of 'Gaslight Dreams,' an annual collaborative performance combining contemporary dance with jazz music. This partnership has produced multiple successful productions including the 2025 season and is planned for return in December 2026. The collaboration celebrates the human spirit and combines the artistic strengths of both organizations.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet: Contemporary dance company known for repertory programming and international choreographer commissions. Comparable in artistic repertoire strategy focused on contemporary choreographic work.
• Mark Morris Dance Group: Established contemporary dance company with a professional company of comparable scale, a community education division, and a national touring profile. Represents a scaled-up version of STLDT's repertory and training model.
• Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: Iconic American modern dance company with extensive education and community outreach programs (AileyCamp, Ailey城市舞蹈学校). Comparable in the integration of performance, training, and community access, though vastly larger in scale.
• Ballet West: Regional ballet company with a similar operational footprint combining a resident professional company, school, and community outreach. Useful as a benchmark for nonprofit dance company economics and governance.

Regional players

• Touhill Performing Arts Center (UMSL): Primary presenting venue for STLDT's productions. Functions as a venue partner and indirect competitor for audience attention, season calendars, and donor relationships within the St. Louis performing arts ecosystem.
• Saint Louis Ballet: St. Louis-based classical ballet company that competes for the same regional audience, dancers, and donor base. While focused on classical rather than contemporary repertoire, it represents a directly comparable nonprofit dance institution in the same metro.

Direct peers

• Big Muddy Dance Company: St. Louis-based contemporary dance company sharing the same metropolitan market and overlapping artistic mission. Referenced directly in STLDT's Instagram presence (@bigmudddanceco), indicating close regional competition for audiences, dancers, and donors.
• Jazz St. Louis: St. Louis performing arts nonprofit and STLDT's core collaborative partner on 'Gaslight Dreams.' Operates a comparable nonprofit model with ticketed performances, education programs, and community engagement in the same regional market.
• Hubbard Street Dance Chicago: Midwest-based contemporary dance company with a comparable professional company size, repertory model, and community education programming. Closest larger-scale analogue for STLDT's operational structure and artistic positioning.
• COCA (Center of Creative Arts): St. Louis arts organization that hosts STLDT's Spring Series at the Catherine B. Berges Theatre and runs its own dance, theater, and visual arts programming. Comparable as a multi-discipline community arts education and presenting organization.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/stldancetheatre
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/st.-louis-dance-theatre

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 St. Louis Dance Theatre