Culture Chronicle
Dance New Amsterdam Gets Reprieve on Possible Eviction
The New York Times - July 14, 2010
By Felicia R. Lee
Dance New Amsterdam, the large dance space in Lower Manhattan, has received a postponement of a possible eviction from its city-owned home at 280 Broadway, Catherine Peila, the group's executive director, said Wednesday.
The organization owes more than half a million dollars in back rent to Fram Realty, which leases the building for $68,945 a month. They were set to appear in court on Wednesday, but reached an agreement with Fram Realty at a meeting on Tuesday to postpone eviction proceedings until Aug. 26, Ms. Peila said.
'The landlord will come back to us in a week with new terms," she said in an interview. "Before Aug. 26, our goal is to have a lower rent so we can continue as a viable organization. We also want the city to consider a tax abatement."
Dance New Amsterdam, which has a mission of teaching dance, commissioning choreographers and presenting performances, has received an outpouring of support from the dance community and more than $7,000 in donations Ms. Peila said. Officials at Fram Realty did not respond to a message seeking comment.
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