eliot & smith

What eliot & smith does

Eliot Smith Dance (ESD) is a contemporary dance company founded in 2011 and headquartered at Dance City, Temple Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, with a registered office in Jesmond and operational sites across the North East of England including Alnwick and Ashington. The company produces original dance works (PITMAN, HUNTER, HUMAN, Interrupted Souls), curates the biennial ESD Presents international dance event (past partnerships with Martha Graham Dance Company in 2021, Paul Taylor Dance Company in 2023), and runs an extensive outreach programme spanning 6-8 week school residencies, community dance projects, Winter/Summer Intensives, and masterclasses for professional dancers. Its digital product surface consists of ESD Online, an on-demand streaming service renting performances and documentaries via YouTube private links for 24-hour windows from £5, plus a merchandise shop selling PITMAN-branded apparel.

The business model is a hybrid of earned and contributed income. Earned streams comprise ticket sales (via Tickettailor, BuyTickets.at, TicketSource), ESD Online streaming rentals in 12 currencies, the Friends of ESD annual membership at £25 with priority booking and a 10% discount, merchandise sales (PITMAN T-shirt at £38), corporate partnership packages, and donations (one-off and recurring via PayPal). Contributed income flows from Arts Council England National Lottery Project Grants, the Abderrahim Crickmay Charitable Settlement, the Catherine Cookson Charitable Trust, and international funders including Statens Kunstfond and William Demant fonden in Denmark. The team comprises a small core of employed staff (founder/CEO Eliot Smith, Creative Administrator Adianna Apodaca — the first employed team member, appointed August 2026 — plus rehearsal director and finance administrator), supported by a roster of contracted dancers, a five-person board chaired by Stephanie Edusei, and a Composer in Residence (Adam Johnson).

ESD's competitive positioning rests on regional heritage themes (the Ashington Group/Pitmen Painters, Wallsend shipyards), an inclusive access model reaching schools, care homes and community groups, and a sustainability leadership profile that produced the inaugural One Dance UK Green Dance Award in 2022 and ongoing participation in Julie's Bicycle's ITER programme. The Duchess of Northumberland serves as Patron. International performance credits include New York, Rome, Paris and Denmark.

Name

eliot & smith

Legal name

Eliot Smith Dance

Website

https://eliotsmithdance.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Eliot Smith Dance is a Newcastle upon Tyne-based contemporary dance company producing original live performances, the ESD Online on-demand streaming service, biennial international dance events, and school and community outreach programmes across North East England and select international venues.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts

NAICS

Dance Companies (711120)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Dance Performances (THAJAFAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Theater, Musicals & Performing Arts (THAJAFAB)

Keywords

• Contemporary dance performances
• Dance education workshops
• Community dance outreach
• Dance membership programmes
• Performing arts productions

Headquarters

HQ city

Newcastle Upon Tyne

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from live performance tickets sold directly through website and venue box offices
2. ESD Online Streaming: 24-hour rental of dance performances, documentaries and shorts via YouTube platform
3. Friends of ESD Membership: Annual membership programme offering e-newsletter, priority booking, 10% discount on performances, and invitations to events
4. Merchandise Sales: Sale of souvenir programmes and branded merchandise such as PITMAN T-shirts
5. Donations: One-off or regular donations from supporters, with suggested amounts for specific purposes
6. Corporate Partnerships: Corporate support programme with benefits including private performances, complimentary tickets, and public recognition
7. Public Funding and Grants: Arts Council England National Lottery funding, trust and grant funding, and local authority support

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Eliot Smith Dance (ESD) is a contemporary dance company that produces and tours original dance performances across theatres, community venues, and non-conventional spaces in North East England and internationally. The company sells live performance tickets, streams productions on demand via its ESD Online platform, runs community outreach and school residency programmes, and operates a membership scheme called Friends of ESD.

Product overview

Eliot Smith Dance (ESD) is a contemporary dance company offering a portfolio of products and services centered around live performances, digital streaming, and educational outreach. The core offerings include: (1) Live dance productions such as PITMAN (10th anniversary), HUNTER, HUMAN, and Interrupted Souls performed at venues across the North East; (2) ESD Online/on-demand streaming platform for renting performances via YouTube; (3) ESD Presents biennial international dance events; (4) Comprehensive outreach programs including school residencies, community dance works, masterclasses, and Winter/Summer Intensives for dancers; (5) Merchandise including programmes and apparel; (6) Friends of ESD membership with exclusive benefits. The company operates primarily from Dance City in Newcastle upon Tyne.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Carbon emissions tracked: HUMAN (Spring 2023) 546.5 kg CO2e, COALFIELD TO LANDSCAPE (Oct 2023) 541.4 kg CO2e
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Surface Area Dance TheatremajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Collaboration partner for Elliot Smith: Return; Nicole Vivien Watson choreographed new work for the production
• Woodhorn Museum | North East MuseumscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Development partner for Ashington Group Collection projects; venue for performances and community dance work
• Åsen Teater (Denmark)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Danish partner for MERGING project; culminating performances held at Åsen Teater in August 2025
• Maskinhallen (Denmark)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Danish venue partner for MERGING project; hosted workshops in Frederikshavn
• Liv Vester Larsen (Denmark)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Danish composer and sound artist; ongoing collaboration from Coalfield to Landscape through MERGING project
• Julie’s BicyclemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Environmental sustainability partnership; ITER programme participant for sustainable international touring; Creative Climate Tools tracking
• Alnwick PlayhousecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Venue partner for PITMAN productions; created in association with Alnwick Playhouse; hosts annual performances
• Paul Taylor Dance CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Long-standing association including educational exchanges, licensing Taylor works, New York residencies, and artistic collaboration
• Martha Graham Dance CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Partnership for Graham technique training, guest choreography, and Martha Graham legacy work through Graham in UK platform
• The Ashington Group TrusteescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Permission holders for Ashington Group/Pitmen Painters artwork used in PITMAN production
• Dance CitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Primary operational partner providing studio space and venue for ESD's base in Newcastle upon Tyne
• One Dance UKminorOthersMember organisation; recipient of Green Dance Award; participates in industry events and advocacy
• The Bowes MuseummajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArtist in Residence venue (2018); Eliot Smith serves as Board Trustee; hosted performances and cultural events
• Lorenzo PaganomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMartha Graham Dance Company Guest Artist; created Interrupted Souls on Eliot Smith; leading Graham Technique masterclass; reviving Interrupted Souls for 2026
• Nicole Vivien WatsonmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounder and CEO of Surface Area Dance Theatre; choreographed new solo for Eliot Smith: Return performance

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Rambert: One of the UK's flagship contemporary dance companies, producing original choreography and touring extensively. Directly comparable to ESD as a UK-based contemporary dance producer with national/international touring ambitions, though at significantly larger scale.
• Phoenix Dance Theatre: Leeds-based contemporary dance company producing original work, touring, and running education and community participation programmes — a near-direct peer for ESD in scale, regional-anchor model, and mixed performance/outreach offering.
• Northern Ballet: Mid-scale UK dance company producing original narrative dance and extensive education/outreach programmes across the North of England. Comparable to ESD in geographic anchor (Leeds/Manchester) and outreach depth, though stylistically ballet-rooted.
• Siobhan Davies Dance: London-based independent contemporary dance company producing original choreography, supporting research and digital/film work. Comparable to ESD as a UK independent contemporary dance company with strong choreographic-identity focus and digital content output.
• Candoco Dance Company: UK-based inclusive contemporary dance company integrating disabled and non-disabled dancers, with educational and community programmes. Closely comparable to ESD on the inclusive-access/community-outreach positioning and small-team operating model.
• Shobana Jeyasingh Dance: UK contemporary dance company producing touring choreography with a strong education/community strand. Comparable to ESD as an independently funded, small-team dance company with mixed touring and outreach programming.

Broad incumbents

• English National Ballet: One of the UK's two largest ballet companies with substantial national tour operations, learning programmes and ACE National Portfolio funding. Relevant incumbent peer given shared touring, education and North-of-England audience footprint.

Others

• Sadler's Wells: London's leading dance presenting house and commissioning body, responsible for co-producing and touring many UK contemporary dance companies. Relevant ecosystem participant: ESD's touring and ESD Presents ambitions are exposed to Sadler's Wells programming and commissioning decisions.
• Dance City: National dance development organisation based in Newcastle upon Tyne and ESD's primary venue/operational host. Closely aligned ecosystem participant: ESD's community/outreach delivery is structurally intertwined with Dance City facilities and programming.
• Yorkshire Dance: Regional dance development agency supporting independent dancers and companies across Yorkshire and the North. Comparable as a North-of-England arts-development counterparty for funding, partnerships and community dance infrastructure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCiCb9qIpEnPNhdkPJtNaGWg
• Facebookfacebook.com/eliotsmithdance
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/eliotsmithdance
• Instagraminstagram.com/eliotsmithdance
• TikToktiktok.com/@eliotsmithdance

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 eliot & smith