Anyone who has signed their kids up for LINX enrichment classes during the school year knows the drill. Pull into the Linden Square location’s parking lot, wind your way around the traffic cones system, drop off your crew for dance or theater class, and pick them up later, tired and happy. A similar scene of excited kids spilling out of cars on their way to summer fun plays out when LINX shifts to its day camp program.
With the child-centered company’s new strategic vision, however, LINX operations are slated to focus solely on its summer day camps as of June 21, 2021. All current classes will continue through their scheduled end date, along with year-end recitals and performances.
Part of this camps-focused future includes spinning off two businesses that have operated since 2005 under the LINX umbrella—its dance and theater divisions. Both those divisions will become independent companies at the conclusion of the current program year and will be run by veterans of LINX Dance Studio and LINX Theater.
One spin-off company will become Momentum Dance, to be launched and co-owned by LINX Dance Studio’s Heather Emley, along with Dannea Reali, an assistant dance Director at LINX Dance Studio and a former Boston Celtics dancer. A majority of the former LINX Dance Studio instructors have joined the Momentum Dance staff. The new studio will be located in Linden Square in Wellesley, on the CPK side, and is currently registering students for fall 2021 recreational and competitive classes.
“I am incredibly grateful for the trust and support I had to grow LINX Dance Studio into an award-winning dance program. Many of our first dancers are now in college and pursuing careers from passions they developed and deepened with us. I can’t wait for Momentum Dance to influence a new generation of dancers,” Emley said.
The other spin-off company, Community Theater Academy (CTA), will team with Walnut Hill School for the Arts in Natick starting fall 2021. CTA’s focus will be to bring students of all ages together to create and explore theater in an inclusive, diverse, and nurturing environment to perform small cast productions.
“We’re thrilled to be able to welcome more families excited about the arts to our campus in Natick. The LINX Theater spin-off to Walnut Hill School for the Arts Community Academy Theater is one more way students of all ages can connect on a deeper level with high-quality arts instruction in a safe and supportive environment,” said Antonio Viva, Walnut Hill’s Head of School.
Both Momentum Dance and Community Theater Academy will operate independently of LINX and will no longer have a business connection to the company. Most teachers and office staff have opted to continue their careers with either Momentum, CTA, or LINX.
LINX will continue to be headquartered at its offices in Wellesley where the team will work year-round on summer camp preparation. Of the decision to devote company efforts exclusively to summer camp, LINX owner and founder Joe Kahn said, “Our 12-year track record of offering premier, innovative day camps will now set the focus for our future. Summer camp is more important than ever and we want to continue creating amazing experiences for each member of every family. LINX Camps embodies all of the attributes and hallmarks of the LINX experience. Even in a summer of unprecedented challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, our phenomenal staff delivered programming that few other businesses could accomplish.”
