After teaching children to dance in Watertown for a dozen years, Miss Maria’s School of Dance will close later this year.
This week, Maria Zullo, or Miss Maria to her students, sent a letter to parents and students on Feb. 24 announcing that her studio will be closing in June. She cited the challenges of the Pandemic and its aftermath as factors in her decision.
The studio will host one more round of recital shows before closing, Zullo said, and there will be time for current and former students to come in to say goodbye to the teachers.
“I would like for these next few months together, including this year’s recital shows, to be a time of celebration of the joy and love of dance that Miss Maria’s School of Dance has brought to our children and our community over the past 12 years,” Zullo said in her letter. “I plan to have some open houses in the afternoons of the week following our recital shows to allow for us, our teachers and the children to say goodbye in a more personal way, if they desire.”
Over the years, the studio has moved multiple times, starting in a spot on Waverley Avenue. It is currently located in the Watertown Mall.
Read Miss Maria’s letter below:
Dear Dance Families,
It has been my pleasure and privilege to meet and mentor so many wonderful children over the past 12 years. I will always treasure those memories. But, after long and thoughtful consideration, I have decided to close my dance school following our June 10th recital shows. Please know that this was a very difficult decision but the Pandemic and its resulting aftermath of inflation, and negative impacts to both staffing and my overall business model has really taken its toll on my personal health. As such, I find that this is the right time to announce my school’s closing in June. I would like for these next few months together, including this year’s recital shows, to be a time of celebration of the joy and love of dance that Miss Maria’s School of Dance has brought to our children and our community over the past 12 years. I plan to have some open houses in the afternoons of the week following our recital shows to allow for us, our teachers and the children to say goodbye in a more personal way, if they desire.
Thank you for all your support throughout the years. It truly has been an amazing journey and one that I will forever cherish. I wanted to take this opportunity to also thank my landlord, Alexandria Real Estate, and its management team, for working with me throughout their ownership. I truly appreciate their respectful consideration and understanding of my decision to close my dance school in June. I am aware of Alexandria’s exciting Master Plan for the transformation of the Mall and the area along Arsenal Street. I wholeheartedly support its vision. I am confident that this development will provide numerous benefits, enhancements, and opportunities to our community for many years to come.
Warmly,
Miss Maria
Miss Maria’s School of Dance
The Watertown Mall
550 Arsenal Street