As a young woman excelling in her field, owning her own business and exceeding expectations, Shannon Hsu is anything but ordinary. Q2Dance is one of the leading dance and performing arts studios in Sydney. Shannon’s passion for dance, although not formally trained, has motivated her through a fantastic career in dance, building up two thriving dance studios, creating the successful Dance Editorial blog and passing her passion on to her students.
Having moved to Australia from Sri Lanka at the age of 7, Shannon has always loved dancing, although not able to attend formal dance classes due to the expense, she improvised at home and entertained her family and friends. After being spotted dancing at a club at the age of 18, her professional dancing career was launched.
At the age of just 21, Shannon opened Q2Dance and has been running it on her own ever since, wanting to create some permanency in the transient world of dance.
Building something from nothing is a challenge, especially as a young woman, but Shannon’s main piece of advice to young female entrepreneurs is: “Work hard, put in the time, say yes to every opportunity that comes your way, put aside the little voice of insecurity and believe that you can do it because you will always find a way”.
With no formal dance or business training, Shannon has surpassed even her own expectations, having performed on Channel V and MTV as both a dancer and choreographer. She has danced in numerous film clips and performed at some extraordinary events, such as the UMAS 2007 and NYE at the Metro. Shannon also toured Australia with the Femme Fatales and Nufirm, as well as dancing in advertisements and choreographing for many up and coming Australian artists.
No stranger to career obstacles, Shannon has always felt the pressure to perform like the formally trained dancers she was surrounded by: “My biggest hurdle was my own insecurities based on the fact that I knew I wasn’t trained like the other dancers. It was a constant struggle internally, to tell myself that I could do it”.
Looking to further explore her love of dance, high fashion and music, Shannon also curates exclusive dance and lifestyle content on her blog, Dance Editorial. It is through Dance Editorial that Shannon conducts in-depth interviews with world renowned artists, features on other studios and their work, as well as draws inspiration from everything and anything happening in the world of dance.
Constantly looking to challenge the status quo, Q2Dance concentrates on hip hop and have also created their own syllabus in Jazz and Contemporary to ensure students get the best training possible.
With two thriving dance studios in the Inner West and East Sydney, a buzzing talent agency, the thriving Dance Editorial blog and a constant influx of students, Q2Dance is one of the most successful dance studios in Sydney.
Growing up, what kind of career did you want to pursue?
Growing up I actually always dreamt of being a back up dancer for an international artist, however, dancing full time as a career always seemed a pretty farfetched dream. In fact growing up, the possibility of dancing as a career was never even an option, it was always drilled into me that I would need to have a ‘normal’ job. I remember all my friends talking about what they where going to do after school, and I responded by saying, “I am not good at anything that I could do as a career”. To which my friends said, “you’re a really good dancer” and I said, “but what am I going to do with dance?!”
Living my dream career now, is made so much sweeter knowing that I never even thought it would be an option.
Who inspires you?
My mother, my partner and my students.
My mother because, she was my first example and role model of a strong, independent, career driven, selfless and hard working woman. She is in fact my step-mother, so for her to selflessly take on two kids that were not biologically hers at the young age of 24, work 3 jobs to make ends meet and give up her youth for us, was such a remarkable gift, that I could never repay her for. She was able achieve great things, despite having to flee war torn Sri Lanka as a teenager and dealing with the many societal misconceptions of migrants. I watched her achieve great things in a relatively short amount of time, like buying her first house just two years after we started living with her.
My partner, because she is a mother and a businesswoman who started her own business and is generous to everyone she meets, to a fault. She has boundless talents, which surprise me everyday. Her love of her children and the sacrifices she makes to give them the best life she can continuously inspires me and I am constantly pushed to mirror her fearless drive to achieve each and every goal she sets for herself.
Finally, my students, who achieve great things every time they walk into class. They inspire me by having the courage to step onto the stage every time, to fight through their insecurities and achieve things they never thought they could. The friendships they have with each other, and how they treat their fellow dancers is a beautiful thing to witness, there is no jealousy, just pure pride for each other’s achievements.
Who (apart from you) is most surprised by your achievements?
I don’t know, I hope no one!! I think maybe some of my extended family members who remember me as the smart mouth kid, who gave my parents a little bit of hell (not much!!) in my younger days. My parents have always been beside me and supportive from the start and have always encouraged my determined nature, which I am very grateful for as I think that has been a key to my success.
How have women helped shape your success to date?
If you look at who inspires me, they are all strong female characters, which reflects how much the amazing women in my life have shaped my success.
I am also in an industry that is dominated by females, and through my 11 years in the industry, I have come across so many women who have helped shape my success. Whether it was words of wisdom passed on to me, them taking a chance and hiring me for a job, or my best girl friends who have been there to give me a helping hand and shoulder to lean on, there has always been a lot of support from other women.
What qualities do you most admire in a female colleague?
I admire women who are not threatened by other women. Women who realise that working, supporting and learning from each other is better for the soul than working against each other. I admire colleagues who take pride in each other’s achievements and lift each other up, because I believe that women who support and encourage each other to succeed, can only enhance their own successes
What’s the key to successfully balancing work and life?
Time management! It is easy to get consumed by work, especially when you have such a fierce passion for it and as an entrepreneur your business success relies on you. But it is as equally important to take the time to spend time with your loved ones and to allow yourself time to enjoy the present. I find that the key to finding a balance is making conscious decisions to set aside time for each and steadfastly sticking to this plan.
Another important aspect is to not feel bad about taking time for yourself. Don’t apologise for taking an hour off to get a massage or to go to dinner with your loved ones, because you need to invest time in being the best version of yourself so you can give your all to every other aspect of your life.
If you had an afternoon to yourself, how would you spend it?
It depends, if the week has been really busy, like when we have competitions or are preparing for the end of year concert, then the only thing I want to do is crash on the couch, watch TV, with some delicious Olive bread, yummy dip and switch off!
Although if work isn’t really hectic and I don’t feel comatose, then definitely spending time with my family and friends. We love our food, so going out to a place with good food, where we can talk, laugh and catch up is always perfect.
Who do you regard as your mentor?
I don’t really have a mentor in work, but I am grateful for all the successful and creative minds that are around me. I have people around me whom I can exchange ideas with and talk through my plans with. My close friends, family members and my employees are intelligent, soulful people who support me and in turn we support each other. I’m very lucky to have such incredible people around me.
What personal attributes have you used to overcome adversity in your life?
Determination, self reflection, being brutally honest with myself about who I am, and how I can be a better person, perseverance, loyalty and sense of self, where I try to be 100% sure of myself and jump head first into every goal I set for myself, (even when I am nervous and not as confident, on the inside).
If you could make one change to women’s lives, what would it be and why?
I think domestic violence is an epidemic in Australia and it is also something that is close to my heart, and I would like to help make changes in our community to help women who are affected by domestic violence. In fact it is one of my goals for 2016 to get involved in advocacy for the issue somehow.
What is the hardest part of your job?
My work is extremely personal, and I have over 150 kids and families I am responsible for and trying to make everyone happy is hard, to the point where at most times, it is unachievable. It is also difficult when you put your heart and soul into something, because life and work is a constant roller coaster!
What advice would you give to someone aspiring to success in your field?
Do it for the right reasons! Do it because you are passionate about teaching, you love dance/performance/theatre and you love being around people.
As a studio owner / teacher you have a lot of power in how young kids’ see themselves and their self worth. You also have the responsibility of teaching them life skills, confidence and nurturing them through a prominent time in their lives. So only do it when you take the responsibility of being a role model for kids/teenagers, seriously.
Don’t do it for the money or the status or to be better than someone else. Always start everything you do with positive intentions.