Lower Manhattan dance studio may face eviction

Dance New Amsterdam, the first arts organization to move to Lower
Manhattan after Sept. 11, is eight days away from possible eviction
from its city-owned building at 280 Broadway, Crain’s reported.
Landlord Fram Realty is suing the 26-year-old dance studio for
possession of premises for rent arrears of more than $500,000. Kate
Peila, who became executive director of DNA in 2008, said the missed
rent payments happened before she was hired by the organization. Under
her leadership, DNA cut annual expenses from $3.6 million to $2.9
million and cut its deficit by 60 percent, according to Crain’s. In
June, Peila told the publication that the organization was in danger of
closing if it could not immediately raise $40,000 to pay its rent. DNA
officials claim their monthly rent of $68,945 is way above market
rates, and said they have tried repeatedly to renegotiate their lease
with the landlord. The city encouraged the studio to move to Lower
Manhattan as part of its post Sept. 11 revitalization plan, committing
more than $4 million to renovate it. It now serves 32,000 people a
year, with its six studios, 130-seat theater, two galleries and office
space. [Crain’s]