MBC STORY | mystiqueballroom

The Story...

A little girl, a big sport, an impossible dream. That's how the story of Mystique Ballroom Company begins...

Brought up in the USSR regime, the director and owner of Mystique Ballroom Company, Anya Goldman, was born in Kiev, Ukraine in the 1980s. She has been dancing since she was 3 years old in many different styles of dancing. Beginning with classical ballet, then dance theater, then transitioning into Russian/Ukrainian/Jewish National Folk dancing, and then to the world of Ballroom.

As a professional athlete, she has over 30 years of dance experience and has studied with many different top ranking studios all across the world. She was US Champion in Youth, Amateur, and Adult Under 21 International Latin and International Ballroom events multiple times from 2003-2008 and was the champion in many famous competitions such as Nevada Star Ball, California State Open DanceSport Championships, Manhattan Open DanceSport Championships, International Grand Ball, San Francisco Open, and many many others. She won numerous National and International championships, and represented Ukraine and the USA in multiple international competitions. After many years as an assistant coach and trainee in US top studios such as Genesis Dance Sport Academy in San Francisco, and Kaiser DanceSport in Brooklyn, she accumulated over 17 years of teaching experience working with all ages and abilities from children to adults.

She was then certified by the International DanceSport Association (IDSA) as an international dance teacher. She was also licensed by the World Dance Council (WDC), the International DanceSport Association (IDSA), and the American Dance League (ADL) (member of the International Dance Council (CID)), UNESCO as an International Adjudicator for Latin and Ballroom. She serves as California State Ambassador for ADL. She has judged some of the top competitions such as all of the American Dance League Championships, AAU West Coast National Qualifier Championships, and the USA Junior Olympic Games.

From her USSR roots, she holds on to a belief that a solid structure and a no-fear approach to sport is key. In her eyes, each child is an individual; therefore, in her teaching, she focuses on finding a special approach for each student to implement structure. All along she dreamed of bringing to the world a different kind of Ballroom dance studio; one where each child is appreciated as an individual dancer, and where young athletes would be able to receive individual training without losing the team structure and all the great benefits that come from being on a team.
After teaching in studios all across the state, Anya Goldman- the owner and director of Mystique Ballroom Company- came to work for Dance Connection Performing Arts Centre. There was no ballroom dancing program there of any kind, so she was hired to open a small one, that over the course of 8 years evolved into a beautiful dance company. That is when Mystique Ballroom Company was born.

In mid-2015 MBC got an address to the name, and by doing so has expended its horizon to the rising in popularity city of Walnut Creek. Now her students are dancing all across the country, and competing at National and International events. Many have won numerous championship titles and scholarship awards. Her formation team puts on amazing show dances, each unique in design, and thanks to the talent of her wonderful students each show dance is absolutely breathtaking. MBC, as a team has won an incredible number of trophies and titles. To name a few, MBC was named “Top Studio of 2015” in the American Dance League (ADL).

Mystique Ballroom Company was also awarded “Top mid-size studio of 2016” title in the Hollywood DanceSport Championships; and won “Top Showdance Team” awards at every single dance competition they attended starting 2015 and counting. Her team has won numerouse gold, silver, and bronze medals in the USA Junior Olympic Games for 2 years in a row, and will continue to do so. At the Winter ADL Championship 2016, three of her couples won three scholarship invitation to participate in the IDSA WORLD DANCESPORT CHAMPIONSHIPS in China in October of 2017.

In the summer of 2018, her team traveled all over Italy to compete in the Italian Open 2018, where Anya and her team brought home Bronze, Silver, and Gold in all categories all across the board, including Showdances. In 2019, MBC was invited to the World Dance Showcase in Laughlin, Nevada, where they brought home 9 World Showdance Titles. MBC has been defending their title at the Amateur Athletic Union West Coast Junior Olympic Games for the fifth year in a row.

MBC has always had a clientele base very diverse in interest; some come to MBC to become athletes. These come for the competitive aspect of Ballroom dancing, such as competing in DanceSport championships, performing shows, and competing in formation team events. Others want to learn how to dance and use it as a hobby, personal fitness, and/or therapeutic recreation. Whatever your reasons to dance might be, we hope to see you at our studio. Our schedule of classes is very flexible for parents and can fit even the toughest schedule of any kid with all kinds of other afterschool activities.

At MBC we take kids and make them into champions lessons after lesson, year after year. We have put champions in all age levels of DanceSport, thus shaping the future of International Ballroom DanceSport.