LEOMINSTER — MK Dance Center has been approved for a loan for building out and renovation costs at the dance studio’s new center.
The loan, which was granted by the North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation is for $100,000. MK Dance Center employs two full time and six part time dance instructors at its studio at 435 Lancaster St. in Gateway Center.
Owners Kelly (Charpentier) Pelkey and Moriah Kelly-Hildreth opened the dance center in 2013, where they offer classes in ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary, hip-hop, break dancing, among others. The center recently relocated to Gateway Center, NCMDC said in a press release.
Pelkey and Kelly-Hildreth are childhood friends and the two met while dancing at a local studio. Pelkey has received national recognition as a soloist and a group member and has studied ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop and contemporary styles. She earned a degree in Human Services from Fitchburg State University and and worked as a licensed social worker prior to co-owning MK Dance Center.
Likewise, Kelly-Hildreth has studied ballet, tap and jazz. She led the Dance Department at Riverside Theatre Works in Hyde Park and has choreographed for vocal groups and children’s theater. She also taught classes during summers at The Boston Ballet School. She is a graduate of the Dance Teachers Club of Boston’s Teachers Training School and she completed four years of Dance Masters of America’s Teachers Training School and is currently an associate of the program.
“We have both loved to dance from an early age, and this funding affords us the opportunity to bring our passion of dance to more youth and the young at heart in our community,” Pelkey said in the press release.
Kelly-Hildreth added, “With the support of the North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation, we can build out our new space and create the dance studio of our dreams.”
NCMDC is a microloan lender and can provide small businesses with up to $250,000 for working capital, real estate, equipment, inventory and expansion. Working with their banking partners can provide gap financing for the final piece of a project. NCMDC is the economic development arm of the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce.
For more information about the NCMDC loan programs, call 978-353-7607 or visit northcentralmass.com or choosenorthcentral.com.