A children's performing arts school which provides low cost tuition may have to fold when the Priestley Centre for the Arts ceases trading.

The JW School of Dance has been staging performances at the Little Germany theatre for three years and owner Josi Flavius, pictured, says it is their only affordable venue.

News that the Priestley Centre is to close, as revealed in the Telegraph & Argus yesterday, has left Josi fearing for the future of her dance school, which has around 50 children.

The JW's next production, a show called The Dream Girls, was to have opened at the Priestley in August.

The theatre, which owes its creditors £60,000, is to cease trading on January 20. The board decided on Tuesday that it should go into voluntary liquidation.

"The Priestley was ideal for us. We feel like part of the family, the children will be devastated," said Josi, who set up the school to provide performing arts opportunities for children from low income and ethnic minority families.

"We rely on the Priestley for our two annual productions and there's nowhere else we can afford. They gave us a lifeline. I always said that without the Priestley we're finished.

"We pay less than £2,000 to put on a show - for that we get the theatre and its facilities for a week. It's the only place we can afford that's big enough for our shows. We hire their costumes, and keep the money from ticket sales.

"The bigger venues in Bradford would charge us more and take a percentage of our ticket sales.

"We can't use venues outside the city centre because we have to be accessible for the children. Half are from single parent families who don't have cars.

"We're supposed to be staging our summer show at the Priestley. Another venue would cost a fortune and we'd have to put up tuition fees and ticket prices, which goes against everything we stand for."

The blow has come at a time when the JW School is thriving. Last year the youngsters performed in two variety shows in London, including one at the famous Palladium theatre. They are lined up for another one this year, as well as a series of festivals. Some of the children are also auditioning for a junior version of ITV's Stars in their Eyes.

"We're in demand. We're expecting 20 more children to join after auditions next week and for the first time we're being invited to perform in festivals in parts of the district where you don't see many black faces," said Josi.

"But we need a venue for our shows. These are children from multi-cultural backgrounds who are being given opportunities they wouldn't normally have. Performing arts really builds their confidence and motivation. Their parents say they live for their shows at the Priestley.

"I just don't know what we'll do now."

Meanwhile J B Priestley's son Tom said the theatre never really recovered from losing its grant from the British Film Institute in the early 1990s.

"What is going to happen to the venue?" he asked. "It is a beautiful little theatre."