(HOUSATONIC, Mass.) – Having faced temporary homelessness as a result of a real estate deal, Berkshire Pulse has reached an agreement with its current landlord, Jolly Roger Realty LLC, which will allow the dance school to remain in its present space at 410 Park Street in Housatonic through July 1, 2012, so that its current semester of classes may be completed without disruption. Jolly Roger Realty LLC has agreed to delay its projected sale of the building to Studio One, LLC until that date, with the latter’s consent.

Berkshire Pulse will now be able to focus on fundraising efforts directed at moving the nonprofit performing arts educational organization into a new space located at the nearby Rubin Mill Building located at 420 Park Street. Plans for the remodeling of the 3rd floor of the mill have been designed and drawn up by Stephan Green of the Great Barrington architecture firm Clark & Green Associates, and the organization has embarked on a $250,000 capital campaign to raise the necessary funds to complete the build-out of the raw space. The plan calls for the addition of a third dance studio, allowing Berkshire Pulse to better meet the growing demand for its popular classes, as well as continue to expand its programming.

Bettina Montano, founder and artistic director of Berkshire Pulse, hailed the willingness of both the current owners and future owner of 410 Park Street to allow Pulse enough time to make an orderly transition to a new home.

“We are very grateful to Jolly Roger Realty LLC and Studio One, LLC for their understanding, flexibility and support in this matter,” said Montano. “To have been uprooted mid-semester would have been extremely challenging for Berkshire Pulse, to say the least. With this new agreement, we have sufficient time to plan and execute the move to our new home.”

Montano thanks Jolly Roger Realty owners Dale Culleton, Linda Shafiroff and Sarah Stiner, as well as the Great Barrington Select Board, town manager Kevin O’Donnell, Rep. Smitty Pignatelli, Monument Mills owner Nick Kelly, and other supporters and friends.

Montano said, “It is unfortunate if the role of the buyer was misunderstood, since both Sandra Muss and the landlord have cooperated in allowing Berkshire Pulse to complete its semester of classes before the building is sold. We want to thank Sandra Muss for her generous financial contributions to our past fund raising efforts.”

In just six years, Berkshire Pulse has become an educational and cultural mainstay in the Berkshires. Over 2,000 students from ages 4 to 87, from beginners to advanced levels of proficiency, have taken the classes offered at Pulse. Over 500 youth and adults are served annually. Upper level students have been accepted to further their studies at such prestigious institutions as American Ballet Theatre, Boston Ballet, and North Carolina School of the Arts. The Moscow Ballet recently utilized Pulse students exclusively for its performances of The Nutcracker Suite at the Mahaiwe last November.