Sisters Choreograph a Dance Venue

The Mayfair Theater on Santa Clara and Ash streets could become home for the Flyin’ Lindy Hoppers swing dance group, which wants to turn the long-shuttered theater into a dance hall.

Twin sisters Tammy Finocchiaro and Terri Moore, 34, are in escrow to purchase the theater for $600,000, Finocchiaro said. Escrow is scheduled to close June 6.

With remodeling, the total cost of converting the former movie theater into a dance hall would be $850,000.

The pair, both Ventura residents, have been teaching and performing swing dancing with their professional dance group for six years.

With swing and other forms of couples dancing regaining popularity, the time is right to open a hall in Ventura, Finocchiaro said. No similar facility is open full time between Santa Barbara and Los Angeles.

To convert the former movie theater, the pair propose turning the main floor into a three-level dance space, with seating around the highest level.

They would offer classes in swing, tango, ballroom and other types of couples dancing on weeknights and open the facility to other dances on the weekends.

During the day the facility could also be rented as a conference facility or exhibition space, Finocchiaro said.

“It will be focused on dance but we would want to be available for other cultural events,” she said. “We’re hoping to make it more of a public facility.”

Because the facility would be used for dance and other arts activities, Finocchiaro and her sister have applied for an arts grant from the city to help renovate the building.

A program administered by the Downtown Cultural District offers grants ranging from $15,000 to $400,000 to groups proposing to create arts venues. But the sisters have another hurdle to jump before giving their first lesson there.

Marion Thompson, the city’s planning supervisor, said the women will likely have to find a way to increase parking around the theater before an operating permit is approved. The theater has 20 spaces, and the city will require 100 to 150.

Nearby offices and churches may be willing to allow the theater to use their spaces at night, said Finocchiaro, who plans to discuss parking arrangements with owners of professional buildings in the neighborhood.