Studio 9 Dance Academy to Soon have New Home
By Julie Perine on June 20, 2026
After operating Studio 9 Dance Academy on Bridgeport’s Main Street for nine years, owner Heather Mudrick Campbell is moving her studio. Starting sometime this fall, the studio will be located at 109 Platinum Drive; a space providing more than three times the square footage – and that is greatly needed.
“We’re growing and that’s a wonderful thing,” Campbell said. "In this new space, we will eventually be able to have two classes going at the same time.”
Campbell first learned about the space in December when it was first available for purchase. She thought about it then, but it was in early spring than a relocation seemed to make sense.
“With the (Center Street) bridge construction and even more limited parking than usual and we were doing more classes and there’s just not enough room for our parents.”
She checked to see if the Platinum Drive space was still available and it was. It’s a strip mall building Dr. James Demarco, Oil and Gas Exploration Services, and Express Employment Professionals.
Studio 9 will utilize two spaces in the building, and there will still be three available (3,000 Sq. Ft., 2,000 Sq. Ft., and 900 Sq. Ft.) for lease, Campbell said.
The Platinum Drive space will also enable Studio 9 to add new classes, potentially including adult classes and special needs classes, as well as hold full-cast dress rehearsals and rent out space for special occasions.
Although the space features open space, which is needed, there is work to be done before it is utilized for dance classes. The most important, Campbell said, is installing a good dance floor.
Despite the fact that the space is more suitable for the growing studio, it wasn’t an easy decision to move. The quaint space atop Almost Heaven Desserts holds nostalgia and a lot of good memories. It is where she grew up dancing at Annabel Timms School of Ballet, where she began teaching classes and where she and her late husband Mark Mudrick together took the business over when Timms was ready to sell it. The name Studio 9 was inspired by their blended family of nine.
“Sometimes we get stuck in comfort and it’s hard to take that leap of faith,” Campbell said.
But after weighing out pros and cons and doing plenty of praying, it is what she was led to do.
Campbell is happy about the move and the opportunity to continue in a bigger way doing what she loves – instilling the love of dance – in area kids.
“I think this is where God wants us to be and where we will get to influence so many kids,” she said. “You can dance your entire life and it is good for fitness. It’s always more than just dance. It’s teamwork, learning how to juggle classes with school, building confidence, movement coordination and so much more.”
Stay tuned to the Studio 9 Dance Academy Facebook page and the Connect-Bridgeport website for updates. Campbell hopes to begin holding classes there in September or shortly thereafter.
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