The Viva School

What The Viva School does

The VIVA School of Dance is a 501c3 nonprofit dance education and performance organization headquartered in Washington, DC, founded in 2021. It delivers merit-based pre-professional dance training combined with leadership development to young dancers of color ages 6-18, operating as a full-scholarship program with no tuition charged to accepted students. The estimated scholarship value exceeds $120,000 per student from acceptance through high school graduation, and the organization reports raising approximately $1.3 million annually to fund this model.

The core offering is an integrated training program covering ballet, contemporary, hip hop, modern, pointe, and traditional and contemporary African diasporic dance forms, paired with academic support, college mentorship, and a leadership development curriculum. Programming is delivered by a small founding leadership team (Co-Founder/Artistic Director Chandini Darby, Co-Founder/Executive Director Kelli Quinn, Director of Operations Rian Matthews, Student Development Manager Jamison Curcio, and Academic Advisor Monique Walker) supplemented by master teaching artists. Students gain admission through annual auditions and graduate into selective collegiate dance programs including Boston Conservatory at Berklee, NYU Tisch, Alonzo King Lines BFA, Point Park University, Southern Methodist University Meadows School of the Arts, SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Dance, George Mason University School of Dance, and others.

The organization has no proprietary technology platform; its website is a Wix-hosted marketing and donation surface. Revenue is generated through individual donations, corporate sponsorships (Pepco, Ropes & Gray), foundation and government grants (The Bender Foundation, Barbara Epstein Foundation, Hattie M. Strong Foundation, Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, Clark-Winchcole Foundation, Fight For Children, Rotary Foundation of Washington DC), planned giving, and ticket sales from the Annual Concert (Resonance) hosted at Atlas Arts. The Envision Gala serves as the organization's largest annual fundraising event. Distribution is exclusively within the Washington, DC metropolitan area.

Name

The Viva School

Legal name

The VIVA School of Dance

Website

https://thevivaschool.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The VIVA School is a 501c3 nonprofit in Washington, DC that provides merit-based, full-scholarship pre-professional dance training and leadership development to young dancers of color ages 6-18, raising approximately $1.3 million annually from individual, corporate, and foundation donors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts Education

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth/Student & Community Dance Recitals (MPAGADAI), Arts, Sports & Recreation-Based Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAJ)

Keywords

• Pre-professional dance training
• Youth dance education
• Scholarship dance programs
• Leadership development youth
• Nonprofit performing arts

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

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. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals supporting the organization's barrier-breaking initiatives and full-merit scholarship program.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors supporting the annual Envision Gala and performance events. Companies can sponsor the gala or specific performance events.
3. Foundation and Government Grants: Support from foundations and government agencies documented in the supporters list, including The Bender Foundation, Barbara Epstein Foundation, Hattie M. Strong Foundation, and others.
4. Ticket Sales: Revenue from ticketed performances including the Annual Concert (Resonance 2026) held at Atlas Arts.
5. Planned Giving: Deferred or estate-based gifts including bequests and beneficiary designations to support the long-term future of the organization.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The VIVA School provides full-merit, merit-based pre-professional dance training and integrated leadership development for young dancers of color ages 6-18 in Washington, DC. Accepted students receive multi-genre instruction in ballet, contemporary, hip hop, modern, pointe, and traditional and contemporary African diasporic dance forms, paired with academic advising, college mentorship, and dance wellness education, all at no cost with each scholarship valued at over $120,000 through high school graduation.

Product overview

The VIVA School is a 501c3 nonprofit dance education organization offering a single integrated program model that combines world-class dance training with leadership development. The core offering is a full-merit scholarship training program for young dancers ages 6-18, which includes instruction in ballet, contemporary, hip hop, modern, pointe, and African diasporic dance forms. The program is supplemented by the Leadership Development Curriculum, the Annual Concert (Resonance) performance event, and the Envision Gala annual fundraiser. All accepted students receive scholarships exceeding $120,000 from acceptance through high school graduation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Full-Merit Scholarship Training Program A comprehensive dance education and performance program for young dancers ages 6-18, offering full-merit scholarships valued at over $120,000 from acceptance through high school graduation. Training includes ballet, contemporary, hip hop, modern, pointe, and traditional and contemporary African diasporic dance forms, combined with leadership development and college mentorship.
• Leadership Development Curriculum An integrated artistic and educational curriculum paired with academic programming, leadership development, and college mentorship for students in grades 3-12 at The VIVA School.
• Annual Concert (Resonance) The VIVA School's culminating annual performance event featuring young dancers presenting their growth through dance, showcasing the beauty of their humanity and self-discovery process, held at Atlas Arts and open to public ticketing.
• Envision Gala An annual celebration of The VIVA School's barrier-breaking initiatives and the organization's largest fundraising event, bringing together artists, cultural leaders, philanthropists, and community members to support full-merit scholarship training.

Quantifiable outcome

• Graduates gain acceptance into nation's top collegiate dance programs and conservatories including Boston Conservatory at Berklee, NYU Tisch, Alonzo King Lines Ballet BFA, Point Park University, Southern Methodist University Meadows School of the Arts, SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Dance, The Hartt School at University of Hartford, George Mason University School of Dance, London Contemporary Dance School, Cornish College of the Arts, and University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 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.

• Atlas ArtscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2024Venue partner hosting The VIVA School's Annual Concert (Resonance 2026) ticketed performances.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• The Washington School of Ballet: The Washington School of Ballet is the leading classical ballet training institution in Washington, DC, with both tuition-based training and community outreach programs. It is a regional peer sharing the DC market and overlapping classical ballet curriculum.
• Duke Ellington School of the Arts: Duke Ellington School of the Arts is a DC public magnet high school specializing in the performing and visual arts. It serves as a regional peer in DC arts education and shares VIVA's DC location, though operates as a public school rather than nonprofit scholarship program.

Direct peers

• National Dance Institute: National Dance Institute provides free, in-school and after-school dance programs to children regardless of financial means, founded by Jacques d'Amboise. It shares VIVA's youth-focused, access-oriented dance education model though delivered through different mechanisms.
• Dance Theatre of Harlem: Dance Theatre of Harlem is a pre-professional ballet company and school with a mission to center Black dancers in classical ballet. It is the closest direct peer to VIVA in mission (culturally-rooted dance education for dancers of color) and curriculum (classical and contemporary training plus leadership pipeline).
• Boston Arts Academy: Boston Arts Academy is a public arts high school providing rigorous academic and pre-professional arts training with significant scholarship and financial aid support. It is a direct peer in combining scholarship-funded arts education with college-preparatory academics.

Others

• Dance/NYC: Dance/NYC is a service and advocacy organization advancing equity in the dance field through research, policy, and programs. It is an adjacent peer working on dance-equity infrastructure rather than direct training.
• Performing Arts Schools of New York / National Guild for Community Arts Education: The National Guild for Community Arts Education supports community-based arts education organizations including many scholarship-funded dance schools. It functions as an industry infrastructure peer rather than direct training competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater / AileyArts Education: Alvin Ailey is the largest US organization centered on African American dance, operating a professional company, school, and extensive community education programs including AileyCamp. Its pre-professional training and outreach arm shares VIVA's mission of developing dancers of color, though at much larger scale.

Emerging players

• Cincinnati Ballet's CincyDance!: CincyDance! is Cincinnati Ballet's tuition-free community dance program for underserved youth, sharing VIVA's mission of removing financial barriers to professional dance training. It is an emerging player in the equity-centered dance education space.
• Step Afrika!: Step Afrika! is a DC-based cultural dance company and education organization focused on the African American tradition of stepping. It is an emerging peer in DC arts education with shared cultural focus on African diasporic dance forms.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xinstagram.com/thevivaschool
• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=TG0xzsMAdtg
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheVIVASchool
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-viva-school

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Viva School