About Xclusive Dance Studio

Xclusive Dance Studio in Burbank, CA, open since 2010, is a smaller, more intimate studio. According to co-owner Ginger Goldbaum, her studio serves as a refuge for people tired of taking dance fitness classes at huge, crowded gyms where they can’t even see themselves in the mirror. The main adult classes offered are Zumba and hip hop. Ginger, a big believer in taking care of your body, also teaches a stretch class.

Hip hop is Ginger’s specialty and a focus at the studio. As of this writing, Ginger teaches the Thursday night beginning hip-hop class herself. Although officially for age 13+, she says, her Thursday class is pretty much all college students and adults. High-school students gravitate to the Tuesday night beginning hip-hop class.

“Dance should be about the fun and the love.”

Other hip-hop classes offered have ranged from basic to advanced level. Don’t hesitate to express your interest if you want a hip-hop class that’s not on the schedule—the studio is open to adding more hip-hop classes whenever there’s sufficient student interest. In addition, dancers who sign up for a class series at Xclusive Dance Studio receive a discount, but drop-in students arealwayswelcome!

No Competition, Just Smiles

Ginger started dancing at age two. She took tap and jazz classes, and especially excelled at ballet. However, when she was seven, her family moved. She and her sister fell into hip hop at their new studio, Ginger says, because participation in a competitive dance team was a requirement to study technical styles.

That wasn’t the type of dance experience she was looking for. And as much as she liked the people at the studio, Ginger says, she didn’t like the air of competitiveness.

“I always felt in my heart that dance should be about the fun and the love,” Ginger says.

So she set out to make Xclusive Dance Studio—located minutes from North Hollywood, a major center of L.A.’s competitive dance industry—a welcoming, noncompetitive studio where everyone could leave class with a smile on their face.

“I try to make it a warm environment,” Ginger says, “so people can feel comfortable and break of their shell . . . and just dance.”

A Family Enterprise

Xclusive Dance Studio is the creation of a family of prolific entrepreneurs. In 2010, Ginger, her father (Ed Goldbaum, a racquetball enthusiast who runs a sporting goods store), and her stepmother (Jennifer Goldbaum, who runs an attorney service) decided to tear down the interior of what was then their family’s market research firm and build it into a dance studio.

They all liked the idea. Ginger, who was still in college, was already a passionate dancer and dance instructor. Her stepmother, a former gymnast, loves dance. And because her father is an athlete, Ginger says, he sees dancers as fellow athletes.

“It was an idea, and then all of a sudden, we were knocking down walls,” Ginger says.

The family bought and installed a sprung dance floor of light-colored hardwood, and they covered one wall with mirrors. They also equipped the studio with a front office, a large single-occupancy restroom / locker room, and cubbies to hold belongings.

The actual dance studio is a cozy, comfortable size, and its high ceiling contributes a spacious feel. The textured walls are decorated with a swirl pattern. It’s a personal touch: Ginger made each swirl in the plaster with her own hand.