March 27, 2017

Meet Charlene Rose of Living Room to Ballroom in Santa Monica

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Charlene Rose.

Charlene, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I have been dancing pretty much all my life, mainly ballet, jazz, and modern, and went on to major in Dance and Musical Theater at Cornish College of the Arts. It was during my tenure at Cornish that I got into the Salsa and Latin Dances. I went onto becoming a 7x World Salsa Champion and performing and teaching around the world. In 2009 I decided to step back from competing and traveling, and started Charlene Rose Dance Company, which has now been re-named to Living Room to Ballroom. It wasn’t long after that that I wanted to try something new and got into the Burlesque scene as well.

Through my company I now offer a performance/training teams in the style of Burlesque, and Salsa for Ladies. We will soon also be starting a Hip Hop and Salsa Fusion performance/training team that will cater to both men and women, and I also offer private lessons, and various drop-in classes/workshops as well. Through my performance teams I offer dance training, teach choreographies, and set up performance opportunities for the members. We also have a monthly residency at the Townhouse in Venice, where we have the team members perform and also have social dancing with a DJ or live band. I’m proud to say that my team members have not only improved their dancing skills and gained confidence, but have also gone on to become dance instructors, win competition titles, and also getting other paid performance opportunities from the training and experience they’ve received from being a member of the teams.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I have been very lucky because with the name that I built for myself in the Latin scene, I get consistent referrals via word of mouth, and most of my team members are very loyal and have been with me anywhere from 2-8 years, so the road has been pretty smooth. Adding the Burlesque was a newer venture that didn’t necessarily cater to the same people that followed me in the Latin scene, but I have been persistent and the public is seeing the great work that we are putting out and the improvement in the dancers, and we now have a great group of ladies that love being a part of the team, and it is continually growing, and more and more opportunities are coming up because of it.

Please tell us about Living Room to Ballroom.
What sets us apart from other dance instruction businesses is that we actually offer performance opportunities to the members rather than just dance instruction. I have people that danced when they were younger or never at all, and always wanted the opportunity to perform, and I provide that for them. I have those that work at stressful jobs where they always have to be proper and put together, such as doctors, lawyers, nurses, and school teachers, and the performance teams give them the opportunity to let their hair down and be sassy and sexy and put on fun costumes and be free. I also have people that are getting over divorces, or family deaths or other traumatic experiences, and I give them an outlet to find themselves again. I also have people that came in really shy and introverted, and have bloomed into completely new people and developed live-long friendships within the company. I am passionate about dance and teaching, but these examples that I just mentioned are really what make me feel proud of my company and what drives me and makes me feel full.

Contact Info: