Groove With Me
Groove With Me is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit free dance school in East Harlem serving 250+ girls annually across East Harlem and South Bronx, funded by donations, corporate sponsorships, and the Tap & Tapas annual benefit.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1996
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Groove With Me does
Groove With Me (GWM) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit free dance school for girls ages 5-18, founded in 1996 by Abigail (Abby) Rosin McCreath and headquartered in East Harlem, New York City. The organization delivers approximately 42 weekly classes across styles including ballet, tap, jazz, modern, hip-hop, contemporary, African dance, step, and musical theater, serving over 250 girls per year from a defined set of East Harlem and South Bronx zip codes. Instruction is delivered by a network of 40+ volunteer teaching artists, supported by a small paid staff (Executive Director, Program Coordinator, VISTA, Counselor, Studio Assistant) and a recently launched six-week Volunteer Dance Teacher Training certification program.
The core product suite comprises free dance classes, a summer camp, the Teen Leadership Committee (TLC) and Pre-TLC leadership pipeline, and family-engagement programs such as Parent Observation Week (POP Week), In Her Shoes Week, Bring a Friend to Class Week, and a June annual recital. Groove With Me has no proprietary technology; service delivery is in-person at a newly opened permanent studio funded by a completed capital campaign.
The business model is philanthropic rather than commercial: services are provided at no cost to families, and operating revenue is generated through individual donations (tiers ranging roughly $100 to $17,000), corporate sponsorships (class funding, theater rentals, rent, scholarships), an annual Tap & Tapas benefit featuring local chefs and student performances, and capital campaign contributions. Marketing is community-led, relying on word-of-mouth referrals, school partnerships, volunteer networks, social media, an email newsletter, and earned media including features on The Today Show (2016, 2021) and The Kelly Clarkson Show. The organization is governed by an independent Board of Directors with members from American Express, PwC, and Temelio, and has no parent company or venture capital backing.
Groove With Me firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Groove With Me
- Legal name
- Groove With Me
- Website
- https://groovewithme.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1996
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Groove With Me is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit free dance school in East Harlem serving 250+ girls annually across East Harlem and South Bronx, funded by donations, corporate sponsorships, and the Tap & Tapas annual benefit.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Groove With Me industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Youth Arts Education
- NAICS
- Fine Arts Schools (611610)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Dance Education (Ballet, Contemporary, Hip-Hop, Cultural Dance) (EDAMAAAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Youth/Student & Community Dance Recitals (MPAGADAI)
Keywords
Where Groove With Me is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Groove With Me business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Individual Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals supporting the free dance school mission. Various donation tiers from $100 to $17,000.
- Corporate Sponsorship: Corporate partners sponsor classes, events, or operational costs.
- Annual Benefit Events: Tap & Tapas annual benefit featuring chefs and tastings, celebrating anniversaries and raising funds.
- Capital Campaign Donations: Capital campaign funding for new studio space development.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Groove With Me product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Groove With Me is a free dance school in East Harlem, New York City, providing in-person dance classes in ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop, and contemporary styles to girls ages 5–18. The organization complements its weekly classes with a summer dance camp, a teen leadership committee, a pre-teen leadership track, and recurring community events such as an annual recital and themed programming weeks.
Product overview
Groove With Me is a free dance school for girls in East Harlem offering a single, unified program of free dance instruction. The core offering consists of 42 weekly dance classes spanning ballet, tap, jazz, modern, hip-hop, contemporary, African dance, step, and musical theater for approximately 250 girls ages 5-18. The organization supplements classes with seasonal programs including Summer Camp and the Teen Leadership Committee (TLC) for leadership development. Family engagement is fostered through Parent Observation Week (POP Week) and In Her Shoes Week, while the Annual Recital serves as the culminating performance. The organization funds operations through events like the Tap & Tapas Annual Benefit and a Corporate Sponsorship Program. A new Volunteer Dance Teacher Training certification program has been established to support program scalability.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Weekly Dance Classes Year-round in-person dance classes in ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop, and contemporary styles offered free of charge to girls ages 5–18 in East Harlem, NYC.
- Summer Dance Camp
- Teen Leadership Committee
- Pre-Teen Leadership Committee (Pre-TLC)
- Community Dance Events (Recital, POP Week, In Her Shoes Week, Bring a Friend to Class Week)
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 250 girls served annually with 42 classes per week
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Groove With Me
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Groove With Me technology and API
TechnologyAPI detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Groove With Me partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- CityYearminorCityYear AmeriCorps members served in East Harlem. Adia Edmondson completed full-time service with CityYear in East Harlem during 2021-2022 school year and subsequently joined as teaching artist.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Groove With Me competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Dance Theatre of Harlem: Iconic Harlem-based ballet company with community education, school outreach, and training programs for local youth. Overlaps with Groove With Me in geography and youth-dance-education mission, but operates a professional company as its primary activity.
- Mark Morris Dance Group: Major dance company operating in Brooklyn with community classes and youth programs. Comparable as an institution delivering dance education to local communities alongside professional performance activity.
- Gibney: NYC dance center with social-justice programming, community studios, and subsidized access initiatives. Compares as a hub providing affordable dance access to underserved populations, though broader in scope (multi-genre, all ages).
- The Joffrey Ballet: Major ballet company with robust community engagement and school-partnership programming. Comparable as a dance institution extending access to underserved youth, though it does not primarily serve as a free neighborhood dance school.
- Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: Major dance institution running Ailey Extension community classes and Ailey School training programs for youth. Overlaps in providing structured dance instruction, but operates at vastly larger scale and as part of a professional company.
Regional players
- Chicago Human Rhythm Project: Chicago-based nonprofit dedicated to tap and percussive dance education for youth, including the acclaimed Rhythm World festival. Comparable as a free/subsidized dance-education nonprofit with a strong tap focus, but operating in a different metro.
Direct peers
- National Dance Institute: NYC-based nonprofit founded by Jacques d'Amboise that provides free dance programs to children in underserved public schools. The closest functional peer to Groove With Me in mission, delivery model, and target population.
- Harlem School of the Arts: Located in the same Harlem neighborhood, HSA provides subsidized arts instruction (dance, music, theater, visual arts) to local youth. Comparable as a community-rooted, multi-discipline arts education nonprofit serving similar families.
- Dancing Classrooms: Nonprofit social-emotional development program using ballroom dance as a vehicle in underserved schools. Shares Groove With Me's combination of free access, structured curriculum, and youth-development framing.
Others
- STEPS on Broadway: NYC commercial dance studio offering open classes across styles taught by working professionals. Comparable as a multi-style, multi-level dance instruction destination, but tuition-based and serving adult-focused clientele rather than Groove With Me's free youth model.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Groove With Me social profiles
Digital presenceGroove With Me financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Groove With Me leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Groove With Me funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Groove With Me M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Groove With Me
What does Groove With Me do?
Groove With Me is a free dance school in East Harlem, New York City, providing in-person dance classes in ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop, and contemporary styles to girls ages 5–18. The organization complements its weekly classes with a summer dance camp, a teen leadership committee, a pre-teen leadership track, and recurring community events such as an annual recital and themed programming weeks.
Is Groove With Me a public or private company?
Groove With Me is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Groove With Me founded?
Groove With Me was founded in 1996. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Groove With Me based?
Groove With Me is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Groove With Me make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations are the primary driver. The others are corporate Sponsorship, annual Benefit Events and capital Campaign Donations.
Who are Groove With Me's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Dance Theatre of Harlem, Mark Morris Dance Group, Gibney, The Joffrey Ballet and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Chicago Human Rhythm Project is listed as a regional player. Direct peers are National Dance Institute, Harlem School of the Arts and Dancing Classrooms. STEPS on Broadway is listed as an others.
Does Groove With Me have an API?
No public API is recorded for Groove With Me.
What industry is Groove With Me in?
Groove With Me's product category is Youth Arts Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMAAAH, Dance Education (Ballet, Contemporary, Hip-Hop, Cultural Dance), with a secondary code of MPAGADAI, Youth/Student & Community Dance Recitals. Its NAICS code is 611610.