The owners of Miss Michelle’s Center for the Performing Arts, a mainstay on Linden Street in Wellesley for the past 10 years, notified parents and students on Friday “with a heavy heart” that they had closed the studio. In a note from Michelle and Suzanne Barnes, patrons were informed that negotiations to renew the studio’s lease broke down last week and the space had to be vacated on Aug. 31 to make way for a new tenant.
The studio owners say they will look for a new location, but it could take time.
In the meantime, parents and students are scrambling to find ballet, tap, jazz, acrobatics and other classes elsewhere. Miss Michelle’s students included kids and adults, and the studio always seemed to be buzzing with activity whenever we happened by.
While other local studios don’t offer all of the same classes, the good short-term news for parents and students is that there are a lot of dance and related programs in Wellesley (LINX, Studios Dance and Fitness, Kathy McCrohon Dance Center, etc.) and nearby communities such as Natick and Sudbury.
Miss Michelle’s is pledging to refund tuition payments made for the 2018-19 season by the end of this month. For those who have been billed for summer programs, the owners are asking that people please pay soon so that teachers can be compensated.
