Former dance student raises money to help studio destroyed by Los Altos commercial fire
A dancer who was shaped by a Los Altos dance studio that was destroyed by a fire that ripped through a strip mall Christmas morning is doing what she can to help the business that set the stage for her future.
Katie Baik is currently a junior at Stanford. She dances for three different groups on campus. She is also an alum of Bay Area Dance School in Los Altos.
"It's a one room studio. It was our home," said Baik.
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At around 4:45 a.m. Christmas morning, a three-alarm fire erupted in the commercial building on the 4600 block of El Camino Real -- also known as State Route 82 -- where the dance studio was located. It was one of several businesses destroyed by the fire.
Tap, lyrical, modern and ballet are just few of the classes that were offered at Bay Area Dance School. Thousands of students have trained there over the years.
"I need to stay strong, because so many are feeling the effect of this. And I need to do something actionable here," Baik explained.
Baik said she wanted to give something back to the place that nurtured her love for dance. She has started a fund-raising campaign to help the dance studio.
"Our goal was $100,000, given that the bars, the professional-grade sprung floor for professional dance, the mirrors, those are all expenses that are enormous. And I think it is important for the dancers," Baik said.
The multi-genre dancer says she hopes the community can continue to support the long-standing studio.
"It's a tragedy. At the same time, I think this fire has reminded us that we're resilient and that the dance studio is such an important fixture in so many students' lives," said Baik.
El Camino Real near N. San Antonio Road in Los Altos remains closed due to the fire. The building is scheduled to be demolished next month, fire officials said. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.