TZP Group Makes Strategic Investments in Leading Dance Entertainment Companies; Forms New Combined Brand “DanceOne”

TZP Group Makes Strategic Investments in Leading Dance Entertainment Companies; Forms New Combined Brand "DanceOne"

Combination creates preeminent dance company in the world offering innovative dance instruction and competition.

Largest institutional investment in dance industry allows DanceOne to enhance commercial opportunities for studio partners, choreographers, and the dance education ecosystem.

Renowned director, producer and choreographer Adam Shankman named Chief Creative Officer of DanceOne.

NEW YORK--TZP Group ("TZP"), a multi-strategy private equity firm, announced today it has made strategic investments in Break The Floor Productions and Star Dance Alliance to create Dance One Holdings, LLC ("DanceOne" or the "Company"), the largest holding company of dance brands in the world. This investment is the first for TZP Capital Partners Fund IV and represents the largest institutional investment in the dance industry to date. The transaction closed in August 2023, and financial terms were not disclosed.

DanceOne combines the leading dance innovators to deliver the best dance training and competition offerings in the world. With more than 60 years of educating, choreographing and producing exceptional experiences for dancers, the new combined company will address the complementary training and competition segments within the broader dynamic dance ecosystem. Together, the organizations have hosted more than 500 events annually and serve more than 10,000 dance studios across the world per year.

Following this transaction, the Break The Floor Productions brand will be discontinued and its premier brands that include the elite conventions Jump, Nuvo, 24 Seven, Radix, Kaos, The Dance Awards, Dance Teachers Summit and DancerPalooza will be held directly under the DanceOne brand name.

Star Dance Alliance will sit separately under DanceOne. Star Dance Alliance events such as Starpower, Nexstar, Revolution, Believe, Imagine, Dream Maker, The World Dance Championship and others will continue to run independently.

Gary Pate will become Chief Executive Officer of DanceOne and will continue to focus on development of the Star Dance Alliance portfolio and will bring his more than 40 years of dance event experience to the company.

Chris Ganan will become President and Chief Strategy Officer of DanceOne, with oversight of the Jump, Nuvo, 24 Seven, Radix, Kaos, The Dance Awards, Dance Teachers Summit and DancerPalooza as well as overall DanceOne company strategy, including merchandise expansion, sponsorships and business development.

DanceOne also announced the naming of renowned film and television director, producer and choreographer, Adam Shankman, as the Company's new Chief Creative Officer. Shankman, whose credits include award winning hit films such as Hairspray, Hocus Pocus 2, Disenchanted, Rock of Ages, Step Up, Bringing Down The House and A Walk to Remember, will work closely with the DanceOne teams on long form and digital content development, faculty assessment and the overall program strategy and creative direction for the Company's competitions and tours. The three-time Emmy Award nominee was also the choreography lead for over 100 film and television projects, including the 82nd Academy Awards, for which he also served as a producer. Shankman also appeared as a judge for eight seasons on So You Think You Can Dance.

Russell Geyser, former CEO of Break The Floor, will remain on the board of directors and serve as Non-Executive Vice Chairperson. Dan Galpern, Partner, and Zack Vertsman, Principal at TZP Group will both join the board of directors.

DanceOne's highest priority is the continued elevation of industry leading safety standards for all events and programs across the Company's platforms.

Dan Galpern, Partner at TZP Group, stated: "We believe strongly in the growth of the dance category and are investing in events like competitions, as well as the creativity, production and tremendous community of studios, dancers, choreographers, instructors and participants from around the world." He added that the firm sees significant potential in "continued elevation of the authentic dance event experience for dancers and studios, professionalization, and systemization."

Adam Shankman, Chief Creative Officer of DanceOne, remarked: "Elevating dancers, choreographers, teachers, and putting them on the global digital stage while developing unique educational, scripted, documentary, and non-scripted content is something I've always dreamed of."

Gary Pate, Founder and CEO of Star Dance Alliance, observed that "Star Dance Alliance is very excited to be joining forces with TZP Group to launch this exciting new combined brand, which will create significant new opportunities for growth."

Chris Ganan, President and Chief Strategy Officer of DanceOne, emphasized: "DanceOne's vision is to celebrate the enjoyment of movement and ensure a safe environment for kids to learn and express themselves."

TZP's capital infusion enables DanceOne to concentrate on three strategic areas: creative and production enhancements for events, along with expansion of digital and content opportunities, led by Shankman; new commercial opportunities for studio partners, including a companywide loyalty program with exclusive incentives and enhanced career development pathways for choreographers; and development of new platforms for the dance community, including the Dance Teacher Summit reintroduction, expansion of Star Dance Alliance's Wild Dance brand, and the 2024 launch of Kaos, a hip-hop experiential dance studio in Los Angeles.

General Idea served as brand design agency. Kirkland & Ellis provided legal counsel to TZP Group. The Raine Group acted as exclusive financial advisor to Break the Floor Productions. Herrick Feinstein and Miller Barondess provided legal guidance to Break the Floor Productions and Star Dance Alliance, respectively.

About DanceOne: DanceOne is the largest holding company of dance brands in the world, founded in 2023 and headquartered in Los Angeles. The company brings together leaders in dance around shared commitment to fostering integrity and education. Its portfolio includes over 500 yearly elite dance conventions and competitions serving over 10,000 dance studios annually, with more than 60 years of combined experience. Safety standards remain the company's highest priority.

About TZP Group: TZP Group is a multi-strategy private equity firm managing approximately $2 billion across its fund family, focused on control, growth equity, and structured capital investments in technology, business services, and consumer companies. Founded in 2007, the firm targets closely held private companies and partners with ownership and management to drive growth and maximize retained value.