Dance studio ceiling collapses during rain in Sherman Oaks

A group of local dancers continued the show even after the ceiling of their Sherman Oaks dance studio collapsed.

SOHO Dance LA students were mid-practice on Wednesday when heavy rain started to pour as part of the huge storm sweeping through the area reached Los Angeles. 

At just about 6:40 p.m., dance instructor Lucio Romero was leading her beginner rumba class when she decided to lead them away from the front of the room to exemplify a couple of steps. 

Just seven seconds after she danced her way in the opposite direction of the mirror —  where she and the students normally stand — the ceiling gave way, sending Romero and the students scrambling for cover. 

"It was a little traumatic," Romero said. "We weren't expecting it. Such a surprise, I couldn't believe we were just standing right there and I was so afraid. Someone coulda gotten really, really, really hurt."

Already crews were working to assess the issue and repair damages come Thursday morning, as well as search for an exact cause of the collapse. 

Raul Santiago, the studio owner, said that the wetness told all as the downpour of rain continued through most of Thursday morning. 

"They said that the humidity and the rain expanded the ceiling and then it just compressed and collapsed and fell right onto the floor," Santiago said. "The landlord was so kind and he came right away and he started getting his guys to come and fix the problem."

Both the ceiling and dance floor were damaged by the incident. They're still trying to locate where the water crept into the building.

"We were just lucky. It's luck that no one got hurt and it didn't fall on anymore," Santiago said.

As the ballroom of the studio is cleaned up, classes have resorted to utilizing a smaller studio room on the second floor of the building — happy sacrifice to continue perfecting their art. 

Santiago expects the ballroom will be closed for several weeks due to repairs, but in the meantime he and Romero are just thankful that everyone escaped with their dancing feet in tact.