Warwick. Warwick Center for the Performing Arts celebrates opening of new spacious one-of-a-kind facility

Warwick Center for the Performing Arts opened its doors in the fall of 2017 under the direction of Melissa Padham-Maass at the former Dancer’s Studio, where she grew up dancing under the direction of Lucinda Henry.

Now the performing arts school has moved to a spacious new facility with 10,000 square feet, consisting of six studios, homework stations, student lounges and Pilates and yoga studios.

On Thursday, Sept. 16, Mayor Michael Newhard and members of the Warwick Valley Chamber of Commerce joined Padham-Maass, her family, associates, parents and students to celebrate the grand opening of the new facility with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The space, located at 28 Church St. in Warwick, is one-of-a-kind in the area.

A tiny dancer

When Padham-Maass decided to open her own studio, she came back to the place where it all started for her as a tiny dancer. The studio has evolved and grown over the past five years and offers a vast selection of classes and workshops.

In addition to the studio’s world renowned faculty, the professionally produced shows such as “The Nutcracker” and full length ballets have attracted students and audiences from Orange, Rockland and Westchester counties as well as from New Jersey and Manhattan.

The center also offers Musical Theater Workshops with full theater productions, private lessons, audition preparation, YAGP, competition teams and an in-house working professional ballet company, The Warwick Dance Collective.

For additional information visit www.warwickperformingarts.com or email info@warwickperformingarts.com.

- Roger Gavan