The Black Artists Dance Collective

What The Black Artists Dance Collective does

The Black Artists Dance Collective (TBADC) is an Atlanta-based nonprofit alliance of Black dance professionals founded in 2020 that delivers tuition-free dance education and career-development programming to young BIPOC dancers in the metro Atlanta area. Its primary product is a two-week Summer Intensive hosted at Spelman College's Mary Schmidt Campbell Center for Innovation & the Arts, which accepts 24 dancers aged 13-18 per cohort and provides training in ballet, jazz, modern, contemporary, musical theater, hip-hop, acting for dancers, vocal coaching, and wellness. Adjacent programs include a College Prep Week (with a College Board partnership and audition pathways to Point Park, Howard, George Mason, Marymount Manhattan, and Pace), master classes with industry professionals, an aggregated scholarship resource, and a Community Directory connecting users to Black-owned dance businesses in Atlanta.

The organization is led by Executive Artistic Director Shonica Gooden and a founding member cohort that includes performers with credits from Broadway productions (Hamilton, CATS, Wicked, Bring It On), commercial work (Beyonce's Homecoming, Black Panther 2), and faculty appointments at Pace University and Marymount Manhattan College. TBADC's business model is donor-funded: all programs are free to participants, and the organization raises contributions through its website and GiveButter donation platform. There is no disclosed revenue, no funding rounds, and no equity or venture involvement; the organization reports an operating headcount of 1-10.

TBADC reports a 100% college acceptance rate for rising seniors in its 2025 College Prep cohort and over $855,000 in cumulative college aid awarded through its College Prep Programs. Distribution is regional, with auditions and applications administered through Google Forms and an annual application cycle, and marketing conducted primarily through Instagram and the organization's website.

Name

The Black Artists Dance Collective

Legal name

The Black Artists Dance Collective

Website

https://tbadcollective.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Black Artists Dance Collective is an Atlanta-based nonprofit that provides tuition-free dance intensives, college prep, master classes, and mentorship to young BIPOC dancers ages 13-18 in metro Atlanta, funded by community donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Dance Education

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (61161), Fine Arts Schools (611610)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Dance Education (Ballet, Contemporary, Hip-Hop, Cultural Dance) (EDAMAAAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Performing Arts Camps (Theater, Musical Theater, Dance) (EDAMALAI), Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC), Arts Admissions Counseling (Music/Theater/Visual Arts Auditions & Portfolios) (EDANAEAN)

Keywords

• Dance education
• Tuition-free intensives
• Youth dance mentorship
• College prep dance
• Community dance programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: TBADC is a nonprofit organization that relies on donor support and community contributions to fund its tuition-free intensives and programs. The organization promotes its mission through a dedicated donation platform (GiveButter) and encourages supporters to join the TBADC family to facilitate access to quality dance training and reduce barriers for students in the community.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Black Artists Dance Collective (TBADC) is a nonprofit organization that delivers tuition-free, two-week summer dance intensives, college preparation programs, master classes, and mentorship to young BIPOC dancers ages 13-18 in metro Atlanta. Training is led by professional dancers with Broadway and major production credits, covering ballet, jazz, modern, contemporary, musical theater, hip-hop, acting, vocal coaching, and wellness. The organization also maintains a Community Directory connecting users to Black-owned dance businesses and curates scholarship resources for the Atlanta Black dance community.

Product overview

The Black Artists Dance Collective (TBADC) is a dance education and community organization offering a portfolio of programs centered around its core Tuition-Free Intensives. The primary offerings include the Summer Intensive (a two-week training program for BIPOC dancers ages 13-18), the College Prep Program (college application support and dance program auditions), Master Classes with industry professionals, a Community Directory connecting dancers to Black-owned dance businesses, and Scholarship/Mentorship resources. The organization operates from Atlanta and aims to bridge the gap between the Atlanta Black dance community and the broader dance world through education, community engagement, and philanthropy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Summer Intensive Program A tuition-free, two-week intensive dance training program for BIPOC artists ages 13-18 in the metro Atlanta area. Provides instruction in ballet, jazz, modern, contemporary, musical theater, hip-hop, acting for dancers, vocal coaching, and wellness. Selected participants commit to both weeks of the intensive and exemplify professionalism.
• College Prep Program A week-long program designed to help young Black dancers navigate the college application process, including seminars on financial aid strategies, college auditions for dance programs, and mentorship from program directors. 100% of rising seniors who participated in the 2025 program received college acceptances.
• Master Classes

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $855,000 awarded through College Prep Programs to support young dancers' education
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Spelman CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025TBADC hosts its Summer Intensive auditions and College Prep Week at Spelman College. The organization utilized the Mary Schmidt Campbell Center for Innovation & the Arts (CI&A Building) for its 2025 and 2026 intensive programs.
• College BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for College Prep Week seminars focusing on financial aid strategies and navigating the college application process for young dancers.
• Point Park UniversityminorOthersParticipating institution in Summer '25 College Prep program where students had the opportunity to audition for collegiate dance programs.
• Howard UniversityminorOthersParticipating institution in Summer '25 College Prep program where students auditioned for collegiate dance programs.
• George Mason UniversityminorOthersParticipating institution in Summer '25 College Prep program where students auditioned for collegiate dance programs.
• Marymount Manhattan CollegeminorOthersParticipating institution in Summer '25 College Prep program. Jamal White, founding member, serves as Assistant Professor of Dance at this institution.
• Pace UniversityminorOthersParticipating institution in Summer '25 College Prep program where students auditioned for collegiate dance programs.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Atlanta Ballet: Atlanta's premier professional ballet company and academy offering pre-professional training for youth. Direct regional competitor for Atlanta dance students and donor dollars, though focused on classical ballet and serving a broader demographic.
• Performing Arts Atlanta: Atlanta-based nonprofit presenting and supporting performing arts programming across dance, theater, and music. Comparable Atlanta arts ecosystem presence and donor audience, with a broader artistic scope.

Direct peers

• Collage Dance Collective: Memphis-based professional dance company with a strong diversity, equity, and inclusion mission and pre-professional training programs. Comparable BIPOC dance education nonprofit model, though located in a different regional market.
• National Dance Institute: New York-based nonprofit using dance to transform the lives of children through in-school and after-school programs. Comparable dance education nonprofit model with broader geographic reach and longer operating history.
• Philadanco: Philadelphia-based nonprofit professional dance company with associated training programs focused on Black dancers and choreographers. Comparable mission of developing Black dance talent through rigorous training and performance.
• Dance Theatre of Harlem: A New York-based nonprofit dance institution with a parallel mission of training and presenting classical and contemporary ballet for underrepresented dancers. Highly comparable as a BIPOC-focused dance education and performance organization, though at much greater national scale.
• Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater / The Ailey School: Iconic American dance company and school with a long-standing social mission to use dance to enlighten, empower, and uplift underrepresented communities. Closely comparable mission, education-plus-performance model, and donor-supported structure.
• Brown Girls Do Ballet: Nonprofit dedicated to increasing the participation of brown girls in ballet, including scholarship partnerships referenced in TBADC's program. Directly comparable BIPOC dance access mission at a smaller national scale.

Others

• BODYTRAFFIC: Los Angeles-based contemporary dance company where TBADC co-founder Jamal White serves as Artistic Fellow. Comparable contemporary dance ecosystem connection rather than direct programmatic overlap.
• Point Park University Conservatory of Performing Arts: Pittsburgh-based collegiate dance program that is both a TBADC College Prep audition partner and a source of founder alumni (Shonica Gooden, Amber Jackson, Brianne Sellars). Comparable pre-professional dance training focus at the higher-education level.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/tbadcollective/?hl=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-black-artists-dance-collective

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 The Black Artists Dance Collective