Longtime Mountain View dance studio forced to close

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (KTVU) -- A beloved dance studio in the South Bay is closing its doors after being pushed out of its current location by the expansion of a big tech company.

The owners tell KTVU they have no plans to open a new one, thanks rising rents in Silicon Valley.

With 14,000 square feet and cushioned floors, the Cheryl Burke Dance Studio was unique in Silicon Valley. Now the facility started by the Dancing with the Stars alum and her mother will be closing its doors, leaving dancers and instructors in the lurch.

"It's like your second home that you're losing! So yeah, not very happy and counting days until it's going to be closed," said dance instructor Katya Afanasyeva.

The company LinkedIn bought the property in Mountain View and has big plans for expansion. That means the dance studio and neighboring businesses are being pushed out.

"They've been really, really supportive! And every time I asked for an extension, they gave it. But it got to a point where they can no longer do it. So the time has come," said Cheryl Burke's mother, Sherri Burke, the CEO and co-founder of the studio.

The Burkes may start a technology company to connect people through dance. But opening another studio just isn't an option.

"I feel that we could do some more. Unfortunately, the cost of real estate in this area is just astronomical," said Sherri Burke.

And so the studio is planning farewell festivities, a dance party that starts Saturday and will feature a visit from Cheryl Burke herself.

"I figured, let's not say goodbye. Let's celebrate!" said Sherri Burke.

Still, many at the studio are in no mood for a party, at least not until they can find a new place to dance.

"It's really the future I'm looking at at this point. Once I figure out where I'm going to be dancing, I'll probably look back and say, 'Wow! I really miss that place!'" said dancer Rick Josey.

The studio is expecting about 700 people for this weekend's farewell dance party, which begins at 7 p.m. Saturday and runs through midnight. The true last dance will likely happen October 1st, the day the studio closes its doors for good.