Thumping dance classes giving Tribeca theater the jitters: suit

All the jumping and banging from high-impact aerobics classes are leaving the staff at an off-Broadway theater in Tribeca “terrified” that their ceiling will come down, a new lawsuit alleges.

Aerobics, martial arts and dance classes at Battery Dance Corp. on Broadway at White Street have been “causing loud, violent shaking that terrifies staff and guests,” according to the complaint by Access Theater.

Battery Dance’s fifth-floor, plaster-rattling synchronized dance classes go on daily until 11 p.m. in the landmarked, 159-year-old building, the theater alleges.

Since 2015, the thudding vibrations have caused electrical shorts and sparks, exploding lightbulbs and other electrical malfunctions.

Sections of ceiling plaster have crumbled to the floor, according to the suit.

“The building’s 19th century construction is not suitable for and cannot bear the type of large, dynamic loads they create,” the suit alleges, citing the conclusions of acoustic and structural-engineering experts the theater hired to examine the property.

“Recently, for example, vibrations from High Impact Classes caused an electrical spark inside Access Theater’s fuse box,” the suit says.

The vibration and noise also “distrupt[s] rehearsals, meetings and performances,” the suit claims.

But instead of cutting down on the jumping, Battery Dance has required that Access Theater pay $20 an hour to rent the upstairs studio space to keep it empty during performances, according to the lawsuit.

“If Access Theater did not rent the studios, Battery Dance could lease the space for High Impact Classes that would ruin performances,” the suit states.

Even so, Battery Dance has repeatedly pocketed the theater’s payments while still hosting ceiling-shaking classes during those times, the suit says.

Access Theater, a not-for-profit that has been around for 27 years, is asking Battery Dance for money damages — and for an end to the high-impact classes.

Reps for both parties did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Additional reporting by Katherine Lavacca and Laura Italiano