McDonald Dance Academy relocates and expands

What was once a Hallmark store is now filled with hundreds of leaping dancers.

McDonald Dance Academy, formerly located on Evergreen Street, has moved to a more spacious setting around the corner on Dunton Avenue.

One of the main anchors of the Arlington Town Square Annex, the academy occupies 4,000 square feet of the gutted and rehabbed Lynn's Hallmark space.

"For the past three years, we've really had a need for a new space," founder and owner Linda McDonald said.

The academy's previous facility consisted of two studios situated across the street from one another. Many of its 500 students, ranging in age from 3-year-olds to retirees, were forced to cross Evergreen Avenue amid heavy downtown traffic when switching classrooms.

"I just feel a lot better about this arrangement now," she said. "It's like a dream come true between the added safety and the same downtown location. Sure, we pay a price for staying downtown, but the convenience factor justifies it to me," she said.

McDonald stumbled upon the new space by chance, or rather, it stumbled upon her when a sales manager from retail developer Joseph Freed and Associates stuck her head into the academy last fall.

"She was on her way to a nearby Starbucks and asked me if I knew the (Hallmark building) space was available -- I had no idea," she said.

After signing a lease for the studio in January, McDonald and her staff of 14 spent the next few months fixing up the studio.

"Workers (from Joseph Freed) were just great. They helped us fix the ballet barres to the walls and position the mirrors," she said.

The new location features three raised wooden dance floors whose walls are already scuffed by the marks of knee-high dancers. "It was christened by little feet within just a few days," McDonald said.

The Academy will hold an open house from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday. There will be studio tours, a raffle, and the opportunity to talk with instructors and observe classes.

For information, call (847) 342-1060.