People
Katie Lloyd (R) and Emma Williams, owners of Shine Studio
Published: July 6, 2023 | Updated: 6th July 2023
Katie Lloyd, who runs Shine Studios in Southampton with her business partner, Emma Williams, judges her success by more than just how many of her students go on to have successful dance careers.
She explained: “One of the things I like to see more than anything else is a shy, timid child who might not participate much in their first six months with us gaining the confidence to go onstage.
“That’s magic, and often means more to me than those who go on to have successful careers.”
One striking thing which came across when we spoke to Katie was that even in the examples she gave of those who do go onto find success, there’s still that angle of overcoming adversity.
“We taught a male dancer called Luke Barnes, who dreamed of going on to pointe. A lot of dance schools would say no, because he’s male.
“Instead, we gave him the resources and instruction on how to do it, explaining the exercises and muscle strength necessary. He’s now gone on to be a lead for Disney, and travels round all the Disney parks.”
Katie took over Shine Studio 12 years ago, and immediately set to work to make it a different kind of dance school.
“We don’t do exams or competitions, which goes against the norm.
“It was partly a decision informed by the fact we were both quite focused on family, and didn’t want to work every school holiday and weekend.
“But we’ve found it allows us to be student-led, and putting less pressure on our students allows them to thrive.
“Not every child will go on to dance at the royal opera house but dance is about so much more than that.
“It teaches grit, determination and confidence, which is more valuable than being able to do the splits or kick higher than someone else.
“We do have a number of success stories, as well as Luke we’ve had children dancing at the Mayflower, the MAST and a number of other places, we just have a different way to do it.”
Shine Studios also runs its Foundation Trust. Any money raised through shows or other events goes back into the studios and can be used to help its students’ parents if they go through financial difficulties.
The studio’s success is evidenced by the fact that during lockdown other studios started going to Katie for advice on how to run their studios.
“We’ve always run our studio with a different model from the norm, and when we went into lockdown other studios starting asking me for advice.”
Although this started as business guidance, eventually they started asking for life advice too, which led her to retrain as a life coach specialising in separation, divorce and co-parenting.
“I was discussing what niche I could go into with my sister, and she pointed out how well I get along with my ex-husband.
“It’s not always smooth sailing – everyone goes through turbulence – but we do get along really well and co-parent for the sake of our little boy.
“Not everyone has such a smooth journey, so being able to support separation, divorce and co-parenting – helping them to get their sparkle back – is lovely.
“A lot of people think divorce is an end, but it’s actually a start, a new beginning.
“The best part of my job is seeing people get their confidence back; they really find out about themselves.”
