N.W. Ballet may move to Meridian

By Ryan Wynne

If John Bishop gets his way, Northwest Ballet Theater will move into the former Brown’s Beauty Supply location at 2815 Meridian St. by Aug. 21.

Bishop said the move would give the theater, which has been located at 1417 Cornwall Ave. for five years, an additional 1,500 square feet to work with. The Cornwall studio is approximately 4,500 square feet, which is quite a bit of space, but Bishop said the theater could use more room. That, and the new space would allow them to offer more to students and parents.

“We tried to look for a place that was more family friendly,” Bishop said.

The move is partly the result of requests from parents to allow for more parking, Bishop said. Due to a lack of on-street parking in front of the downtown theater, parents sometimes had to drop their children off a block away, which was a safety concern, he said.

Another big reason for the move is heating, he said.

“We are in a very cold building right now,” Bishop said. “In the winter months it’s just awful.”

The new space would allow for larger and warmer dressing rooms, bigger bathrooms and enough room for a parent lounge. And, Bishop said, the 11-year-old theater, which focusses mainly on classical dance, may begin offering new classes once it moves.

“We are very excited. This is a big move for us,” Bishop said. “We are kind of expanding. We are getting more students. We have had dancers come from Alaska to New York.”

If all goes as planned, Northwest Ballet Theater will hold an open house in the new facility at 1 p.m. Aug. 21.

Bishop said he is currently waiting for the thumbs up from the city, but in the meantime, is asking any community members who would like to contribute money, materials or manpower to call the theater at (360) 714-1246 or visit www.northwestballet.org.

Tags: ,

Related Stories