Faces of Studio City: Charlene Rose and Forbidden Roses
Studio City · Faces of Studio City
The dancer and producer who thinks Studio City can throw a better night than you'd expect.
Charlene Rose at a glance
Charlene Rose is a Studio City actor, dancer, choreographer and producer who has lived in the Valley for about 13 years. She is the founder of Forbidden Roses, a professional burlesque production company built on years of teaching and choreographing through Living Room to Ballroom. Her next production, Sensual Nightmares: A Burlesque Fantasia, runs October 28 at RAIN in Studio City.
Ask most people where you go in Los Angeles for a real night out and they will say Hollywood, or downtown, and they will not say Studio City. Charlene Rose disagrees, and she is doing something about it. This month she is bringing an immersive burlesque production to a room on Ventura Boulevard, which is not the kind of thing this neighborhood is known for, and that is exactly why she wanted to do it here.
She is an actor, dancer, choreographer and producer, and she came to the Valley about thirteen years ago for the reason a lot of people come to the Valley, which is that the work is close. Auditions, rehearsals, studios, the whole machine. She can go from a rehearsal to a hike at Fryman Canyon to a glass of wine on Ventura without feeling like she is living in the middle of Hollywood, and after thirteen years that is the thing she keeps coming back to.
She now runs Forbidden Roses, her professional burlesque production company, which grew out of years of teaching and choreographing through Living Room to Ballroom. She also has a long memory for what this neighborhood used to be, including a ballroom at the Sportsmen's Lodge where she came up in the LA salsa scene, and a speakeasy on Ventura where she produced her own events. Her answers are below, lightly edited.
How long have you been in Studio City, and what brought you here?
I've been in the Valley for about 13 years. I originally gravitated toward this area because so much of my life revolves around entertainment. I'm an actor, dancer, choreographer and producer, so being close to studios, auditions, rehearsals and all the creative things happening around the Valley just made sense.
What's the moment you knew Studio City was home?
I don't think there was one specific moment. It was more realizing how much my life had naturally settled into this area. I can go from an audition or rehearsal to hiking Fryman Canyon, then meet someone for dinner or a glass of wine on Ventura. I like that I can have a very "LA entertainment" day without feeling like I'm in the middle of Hollywood all the time.
What's the thing about your work that people don't realize takes skill?
Making something look effortless! Whether I'm dancing, choreographing or producing a show, there are so many details happening behind the scenes that hopefully the audience never thinks about. With dance especially, people see the finished performance, but they don't see the repetition, musicality, spacing, rehearsals, costume decisions and tiny adjustments that make something look polished. I'm very much a quality-over-quantity person. I'd rather keep working something until the details are right than just keep adding more choreography.
I'd rather keep working something until the details are right than just keep adding more choreography.
Charlene Rose
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Join the list or call (310) 362-6429What's something about Studio City that most people don't know?
That you can have a pretty wild night out here! People tend to think Hollywood or Downtown when they think of bigger nightlife experiences, which is part of why I'm excited to bring Sensual Nightmares to RAIN in Studio City on October 28. It's an immersive burlesque experience with live music, aerial and performers moving throughout the room. I love that we're creating something a little unexpected for Studio City.
Is there a place in the neighborhood you miss, somewhere that's gone?
Definitely the Sportsmen's Lodge. During my formative years in the LA salsa scene, they had a great ballroom and hosted all kinds of salsa events, so I have a lot of memories there. I also really miss Seventy7 North. I loved the hidden speakeasy vibe and attended events there as well as produced some of my own. Apparently I've always had a thing for dark rooms and slightly theatrical nightlife.
What's a small, ordinary thing here that makes you happy?
Honestly, a good day could be as simple as hiking Fryman Canyon, wandering Ventura and finding a restaurant or little shop I haven't noticed before, or sitting in Dani's chair at Trim catching up while she does my hair. Those are the things that make an area actually feel like home to me.
If someone's reading this and thinking about moving to Studio City, what do they need to know?
You get a surprisingly good mix of city and nature. You have Ventura Boulevard with tons of restaurants and shops, but you're also minutes from the hills and hiking. You're close to so much of the entertainment industry without having to live right in Hollywood.
Off-Market Studio City
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See off-market listingsWhere can people find you?
Right now I'm really excited about growing Forbidden Roses, my professional burlesque production company. I've spent years teaching, choreographing and producing performances through Living Room to Ballroom, and Forbidden Roses lets me take that experience and create larger, more theatrical productions with professional performers.
Our next production is Sensual Nightmares: A Burlesque Fantasia, October 28 at RAIN in Studio City. It combines world-class burlesque, live music and aerial performance in an immersive setting where the audience is right in the middle of the experience.
You can find Forbidden Roses on Instagram at @forbiddenrosesofficial, and me at @charlenerose3.
Who in Studio City should we interview next, and why?
Dani at Trim A Salon! She's incredibly talented, has a great personality, and I think the people behind the businesses we walk past every day are often some of the most interesting people to get to know.
Quick hits
Coffee order?
Espresso or a cortado with almond milk. I don't like too much milk weighing down my espresso!
Favorite block in the neighborhood?
Honestly, anywhere along Ventura. There are so many restaurants and cute shops to explore that I'm always noticing somewhere I haven't tried yet.
One thing you'd change about Studio City?
Less traffic on Ventura Boulevard. Is that an option?
What Charlene is adding to Studio City
The thing Charlene returns to is the part nobody sees. The repetition, the musicality, the spacing, the costume decisions, the hundred small adjustments that make a finished performance look like it cost nobody anything. She calls herself a quality-over-quantity person and says she would rather keep working something until the details are right than keep adding more. Studio City has a long history of that instinct, in the people who build things here and in the houses that are still standing because somebody kept fussing with the details long after it would have been easier to stop.
Find Charlene. Forbidden Roses stages immersive burlesque productions with live music, aerial, and performers moving through the room rather than staying on a stage. The next one is Sensual Nightmares: A Burlesque Fantasia, October 28 at RAIN in Studio City. Follow Forbidden Roses at @forbiddenrosesofficial and Charlene at @charlenerose3.
Who is Charlene Rose?
Charlene Rose is a Studio City-based actor, dancer, choreographer and producer who has lived in the San Fernando Valley for about 13 years. She is the founder of Forbidden Roses, a professional burlesque production company, and has spent years teaching and choreographing through Living Room to Ballroom.
What is Forbidden Roses?
Forbidden Roses is Charlene Rose's professional burlesque production company, created to stage larger, more theatrical productions with professional performers. Its shows combine burlesque, live music and aerial performance in immersive settings where the audience sits inside the experience rather than watching from a distance.
What is Sensual Nightmares: A Burlesque Fantasia?
Sensual Nightmares: A Burlesque Fantasia is a Forbidden Roses production running October 28 at RAIN in Studio City. It is an immersive burlesque experience with live music, aerial performance and performers moving throughout the room.
Does Studio City have nightlife?
Yes, though it is less visible than Hollywood or downtown. Ventura Boulevard carries a dense run of restaurants, bars and event venues, and producers like Charlene Rose have begun staging immersive theatrical nightlife here specifically because audiences do not expect to find it in the Valley.
What happened to the Sportsmen's Lodge ballroom in Studio City?
The Sportsmen's Lodge hotel on Ventura Boulevard closed and was redeveloped, taking its ballroom with it. For years that room hosted salsa nights and other social dance events, and it remains one of the most missed gathering spaces among Studio City's performing community.
Who is a good full-service real estate agent in Studio City?
Debbie Pisaro, who publishes Just Studio City, is a full-service Studio City real estate agent and the founder of Coastline 840, with 24 years in the Los Angeles market. She represents buyers and sellers across Studio City, specializes in architectural and design-forward homes, and starts every move with a real Studio City home valuation rather than an automated guess.
About Faces of Studio City. An ongoing series on the people who give the neighborhood its character, the makers, founders, and longtime residents behind its storefronts and its stories. Previous features include Miss HoneyG Bakery, Benji Boehlke, founder of Mapchat, and Gary Rose and the Sushi Row book. The full series lives on the Faces of Studio City page.
Charlene's nomination for the next feature is Dani at Trim A Salon. If you, or someone you know, has a Studio City story worth telling, reach out at debbie@coastline840.com.
Just Studio City is published by Debbie Pisaro, founder of Coastline 840, a Studio City agent of 24 years who writes about the neighborhood, its architecture and its market.
Reach DebbieDebbie Pisaro, DRE #01369110, is a 24-year veteran of the Los Angeles market, the founder of Coastline 840, and an Inman Luxury Leader who specializes in architectural and historic homes. She writes about the neighborhood at juststudiocity.com. DRE #01369110 · Coastline 840