COMING ATTRACTIONS

New York’s predominance as a dance mecca is being threatened by a surge in real estate values that is forcing artists into the streets. Small dance studios, where future talent is trained and professionals polish their skills, are the hardest hit. Evicted to make way for lucrative high-rise buildings, dancers must struggle to find space for their special needs--high ceilings, no pillars--and pay rents averaging $6,000 a month. The city is home to 249 dance companies and 18,000-20,000 students, according to Marian Horosko, a former member of the New York City Ballet who heads a lobby group called Dance Artists National Space Emergency. Since 1985, she said, 55 teaching or rehearsing studios have folded.