‘We Fell in Love with Everything’: Couple Opens Fred Astaire Dance Studios Downtown

Marko Micic and Amy Cherrez—natives of Serbia and Ecuador, respectively, and lifelong dancers who became professionals before coming to the United States—met in May 2023 while each of them worked for different studios.

The two began dancing together, developed a relationship and started to talk about launching a business.

“We both had an interest in owning something that was ours,” Micic said.

Now they do.

Entrance to Fred Astaire Dance Studios at 111 Main St. in New Canaan. Credit: Michael Dinan

Two weeks ago, the New Haven couple’s vision became a reality when Cherrez and Micic opened Fred Astaire Dance Studios New Canaan at 111 Main St., a second-floor space formerly occupied by the Caren Forbes store.

“It feels really good,” Micic told NewCanaanite.com. “It’s busy. We have to prepare everything that we have to set up so that we can do these classes. Everything is going fast and we are excited. It’s like a roller coaster, you’re there and then it’s just going and you have to go with it.”

Teaching in both the American and International Styles, the studio offers ballroom dancing lessons, private and group, for 20 types of dances (starting with an introductory offer of $39) as well as wedding dances. Micic typically works with women while Cherrez works with men, he said.

Inside Fred Astaire Dance Studios at 111 Main St. in New Canaan. Credit: Michael Dinan

Micic worked most recently for the Fred Astaire franchise in Norwalk, a fixture there for two dozen years. The owners of that business had long wanted to open a New Canaan location, but couldn’t find the right person, Micic said.

“And Amy fell in love with Fred Astaire, the way that studios work and the way that we teach people here,” he said. “We both asked to open a franchise in New Canaan and we got the green light.”

The business community has been welcoming, Micic said.

Amy Cherrez and Marko Micic, owners of Fred Astaire Dance Studios New Canaan. Contributed

“It’s amazing,” he said. “From the first day we came to the town, we fell in love with everything. And we like Main Street. There are many people, many kids going back and forth on the street all the time. I think the key was having this lovely studio on the second floor. It reminded me of dancing movies like ‘Shall We Dance?’ with Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez when they danced together in a studio on a second floor in New York.”

The business has joined the New Canaan Chamber of Commerce. The organization’s director, Laura Budd, said she’s “excited that Amy and the team at Fred Astaire Dance Studios chose New Canaan as their next location.”

“They have done a terrific job in renovating the space and are excited to get involved in the community,” Budd said. “Having this unique resource in town will be a benefit to our residents as well as attract people from out of town who will come to take classes and hopefully stay to shop in our stores and eat in our restaurants.”

Long-term, Micic said that he and Cherrez are hoping to grow a community of 30 to 40 local people who are dancing for fun or competitively.

“We spread the joy of dancing and art, and we’re looking to connect with people who really want to pursue it,” he said.

Asked for his message to the community, Micic said, “We are something that can add different colors to this town. It’s something new. It’s ballroom dancing. I want to invite people to come and try it. I think everybody can learn how to dance. And especially to people who were maybe scared to try before: Come and try and you will see how easy it can be. If you take even a few classes you can feel a difference.”

Fred Astaire Dance Studios New Canaan at 111 Main St. can be reached at newcanaan@fredastaire.com and 475-588-9497. It’s open 12 to 9 p.m. on weekdays and by appointment on Saturday and Sunday.