By BRIANA HARRIS / Staff Writer

PELHAM – The Grebel Center for Dance is busy settling in to their new dance studio on Pelham Parkway and preparing for their 12^th annual performance of “The Nutcracker” that draws at least 1,000 people every year.

On Sept. 1, the dance studio moved from Commerce Parkway in Pelham to 2639 Pelham Parkway. Debbie Grebel, who is the co-owner of the studio with her husband Stevan Grebel, said they decided to move to be more centrally located in the city, and because there are more businesses and traffic on Pelham Parkway.

The new 3,000 square-foot studio took about two weeks to set up, and then dancers began practicing in the new space, Grebel said. Auditions for “The Nutcracker” were Sept. 17 and dancers started rehearsing soon after to prepare for their Dec. 17-18 performances.

“We’ll take a break from practicing only on Thanksgiving weekend,” Grebel said.

Grebel said there are about 100 dancers participating in the production, which is expected to last for about an hour and a half. The event is sponsored by the city and is held at Pelham High School.

“It’s been a busy time for us, with the move and also rehearsing for the performance, but the students love the new studio” Grebel said. “They seem really happy here, and so do their parents.”