What the Dance Industry Taught Me | With Chloe-Jo

In this episode of Beyond The Studio, Hayley is joined by her team member Chloe-Jo. To talk about her journey through the dance industry and the perspective it’s given her over the years.

From growing up in the competition world, to performing professionally, teaching, and now sitting on judging panels, Chloe-Jo reflects on everything the industry has taught her about confidence, resilience, identity, and what truly matters in dance.

Together, they explore how her experiences have shaped the teacher she is today, and why creating supportive environments for young people matters so much beyond the stage. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:02

Hello, and welcome back to Beyond the Studio. Today I am joined by Chloe Jo. Not only is she one of our amazing team members at DH, she is an incredibly talented dancer, performer, creative with so much knowledge and experience to share from competing and performing herself to now teaching, sitting on judging panels. Chloe has seen the performing arts world from so many different angles, and that perspective has shaped so much of what she brings into her classes today. So I am so excited to get into it and let everyone get to know a bit more about you. Um, so welcome. Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 0:43

That was a lovely introduction.

SPEAKER_00 0:45

So let's start from the beginning. I always like to go from the beginning and get to know everyone's story. So, what first draw you drew you to dance, performing arts, like what was what was younger you like?

SPEAKER_01 0:56

So apparently um I started dancing when I was three because all I ever did when I was younger is take off my clothes and dance in the living room. That's literally what I was. It was very much like I just loved singing, it was spy skills, always on, and I just be and my my grandma was like saw it in the newspaper. A local dance school just opened. She went, You've got to send her there. And that is basically where it started. My dad used to take me once a week to a little church hall, yeah, and it ended up becoming you know, for five times a week, six times a week, I was dancing. Yeah, the rest is history.

SPEAKER_00 1:34

What spice girl were you?

SPEAKER_01 1:35

I have to know. I don't everyone always thinks I was Baby Spice because I look like Baby Spice, but I don't know. But my favourite song was um wannabe. It was that song that just got me dancing. That that was literally it. Yeah, I'm with you.

SPEAKER_00 1:53

I always wanted to be Sporty Spice. Yeah, well, yeah, definitely I wanted to be Sporty Spice. And it's so clear from anyone who knows you personally or sees you from an outside lens, you know, online that you are incredibly driven, you are so passionate about what you do. Were you dedicated from a young age? Like what did dance give you at that stage of life?

SPEAKER_01 2:15

It's ever since I was little, it was all I wanted to do. It was there was never a backup, there was never another option. It was always when I grow up, I want to be a dancer and a dance teacher. And I think that was because my dance teacher, Miss Soey, was my biggest role model. Like at school, when they used to say, you know, like, who's your role model? Who do you look up to? What celebrity do you want to? It was always my dance teacher. I think I just wanted to be exactly like I adored her, I loved what she taught me, and I thought that's what I want to be when I grow up. Yeah. Um, and I was very lucky to have my parents who they supported me fully in what I did, but they always just like they brought me and my sister up that no matter what you do, as long as you give everything 110%, you we can't ask for anything else. And I just I loved it so much that I just was like, I couldn't think of, yeah, why would I not want to do this for the rest of my life?

SPEAKER_00 3:16

So yeah, I completely agree with that as well. Because if you give something 100%, 110%, nothing you can't go wrong.

SPEAKER_01 3:22

Yeah, they said even like it was like even at school, like if I didn't do very well at like maths, I really struggled with, they were like, even if you like get don't get an A, if you have just tried your best and worked hard, that's all you can ask that you've got no regrets, that you've just given everything. So yeah.

SPEAKER_00 3:41

And obviously, we speak we we've spoken about school before, um, but I know that you felt quite different, maybe from people. So I resonate with this very very much, particularly as you get um maybe more into like the teens and like young adult, like feel very different, maybe to people at school. Like, talk us a little bit more about that, and obviously, dance gives you a sense of identity, doesn't it? But it doesn't mean that you feel very yeah.

SPEAKER_01 4:07

So I went to a grammar school, which I took a test to get into. Um, and so that school was very much driven on you're gonna become a scientist, a mathematician. It was very like it was a science college essentially. Um, so they things like dance didn't exist at school when I was there, like or even drama at that point. And so for me to say that I wanted to do it as a career, the teachers were very much like, it's not realistic, it's not, it's not really a real job. And I had one teacher that really believed in me, my P teacher, who I am forever grateful for for this day, Mr. Langhorn, because he was like, No, this this kid is something special. Yeah, and he he had no idea about dance, but he supported it fully. Um, so that was always hard as a battle at school, trying to, you know, that even like school trips, I didn't go on all the school trips, not because I couldn't, but I wanted to be at dance instead. Yeah, or you know, my mum had paid for me to go to a workshop, or my dad had taken me here, so it was like I didn't want to go on all the school trips because dancing was more important, and then also growing up at school, I wouldn't get sometimes invited to parties and things because um one, I don't drink, never have, so it's never been of interest to me. And then because I danced, it was always, oh, we didn't invite you because we thought you just you know you'd be too busy at dance, and it it was just such a battle. I was lucky that I had like one or two people that really understood, but a lot of people just didn't get it. Like they they just and it that and it was fine, like but it was a bit of a and because I cared a lot about school, I really cared about doing well. It was like having this thing of I was very studious, had my passion outside of like like I was a I was a goody two shoes. I liked I didn't ever like to upset people, do wrong, or anything like that. So it was a bit like, well, she's boring. That's what I was. I was just boring to people.

SPEAKER_00 6:07

Honestly, I can't tell you how much I resonate with that. Firstly, like the school experience is spot on. I had exactly the same where it was I had one teacher who was my teacher who believed in what I was doing and was the only one that didn't put it down as less than, yeah, and I still remember, which is probably a detriment now. But she used to take me out of food tech so that I could dance. And I was like, probably the reason why I'm not a great cook, let's be fair. But she used to take me out of food tech all the time, and she used to say, you know, you could do this, whereas everyone else would say it's not like you said, it's not realistic, it's not well, you need a backup plan. It was always that. It was yeah, what's your backup plan? What's the real job gonna be? Yeah, and the boring thing, oh my goodness, particularly actually as I got into like 20s and a lot of my friends had gone off to uni, yeah, they were living the uni life, and they came back, they wanted to go out partying here there to Shoreditch or wherever it was. And I, if I did go, I was the same as you I didn't really drink. Yeah, or if I did ever go out and you know try to be like everybody else, I didn't really feel like me. I I got caught boring all the time. Yeah, it's so boring.

SPEAKER_01 7:20

It's so like strange because I'm such a if anyone knows me, I'm very like fun, I'm out there. So to me, I was always like, I don't need it. But I'm also like, I care about having a good sleep. Like, and if I had like an audition or a class the day after, it was always important to me to okay, I need a decent night's sleep, or at least to at least wind down rather than going out till the crack of dawn. Yeah, yeah, for no reason.

SPEAKER_00 7:44

Yeah, and if I ever did do that, certainly like you know, oh yeah, dad at different points, I would always go, Oh, this is not me. Should have done that, yeah. I'm kind of doing this to follow the crowd, yeah, which I think is such an important lesson, isn't it? Because you know, we've all been there. Oh, god, you know, we follow the crowd, and you know, I'm sure all of our students today would not believe that that we were ever like that. But there were of course, there are points where you you just want to fit in, yeah, you just want to be part of you know what everyone else is doing. So then you go, okay, I'll join in, or I'll I'll I'll kind of like go against maybe what I really want to do.

SPEAKER_01 8:20

And then because I think I did that a little bit in my first year at college, because I moved away from home, again, I moved away at 18, that it was like that thing of going, okay, Chloe, because I didn't have anybody then. It was like I had no parents, no friends, like nothing to back like you know, back that up. That it was like, Oh, should I go out like with everybody else and do that, even though I don't really care about it or interest yeah, so it's little things like that.

SPEAKER_00 8:46

Yeah, you don't want to like start playing a role just because everyone else is doing it. Yeah, I think it's really admirable that you did stick to your guns most of the time. Yeah, no, actually, this isn't for me, and this is what I want to do. And obviously, you were that discipline. I know that you did um your dance training, you did end up doing competitions and things like that. Because I I don't want to I'll let you tell the stories, um, but you had quite a successful, like yes, say younger career.

SPEAKER_01 9:15

Yes, I I did, and I think that so I I had a very, very great, like again, my parents took me everywhere. I did, I won numerous championship titles, I represented the ID tier in all their events, I was in Miss Dance of Great Britain, like I did a lot, and again, it was great for me because I was like, wow, like it was a sense of achievement. I felt like you know, okay, I am good, I I can do this. But I think you always have that doubt though, yes, you're good as a child. Yeah, but is that then gonna reflect when you go into the real world? Um, but I am so grateful for all that that I did, not just because not for the trophies, like the trophies and medals, they don't actually mean anything. It's more that just that experience of when do you ever get a dance on the stage on your own for three minutes? Like now, as a professional, you never get that, you're always in the background or with somebody else or anything like that. Um, and I just met so many people along the way, and yeah, the confidence I gained, like now I've got like I'm never I'm not a nervous person. I don't at all. No, like not like and I think that's just because I of that, like I was so used to being on the stage on my own that I was like, why would I get nervous to to dance?

SPEAKER_00 10:30

Like it just yeah, and like you said, that that commitment that and that drive that it installes in you to not not get pulled in different directions. It's like, no, I'm gonna stay committed, I'm gonna stay driven, I'm gonna have that discipline. And in interesting, I wanted to ask you. So coming from the competition world, when you moved into professional training and industry spaces, what surprised you the most?

SPEAKER_01 10:53

It's funny because it first of all, it doesn't mean anything. Like it doesn't, like it's it's a great achievement, but just because you've won 9,768 competitions doesn't mean you're going to be the the lead in your show at college or the next West End star. Like it doesn't. Um, and I think also that it's just obviously when you compete or you're in your little world, your local region, there's still hundreds of other amazingly talented people from different parts of the world that you go, oh, I'm not just in my little pocket of that, you know, like in my Hertfordshire county or my but like there's more to the world.

SPEAKER_00 11:33

Yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure. What does your so your understanding of success then did that change over time?

SPEAKER_01 11:41

Yeah, definitely. And I think that I actually think my younger days of dancing are the hardest, like physically on my body, because you were doing stuff that like now, I'm not saying it's not hard because it is, it's mentally more hard now. But the dancing you do when you're growing up, like the technique you learn, like you know, all the drills and everything, it's it's hardcore. Like it's really hardcore. So then my perspective of it changed because now as long as I'm doing like what I love doing, that to me is an achievement. Like it doesn't have to be a West End stage, it doesn't have to be that I've won a trophy or won this or won that. It's okay, I'm singing in a gig on Saturday at my local like restaurant that I go, that's still performing. So that's an achievement. Like it doesn't have to be here's a trophy, you've won that. Well done.

SPEAKER_00 12:37

Absolutely, absolutely that's so so many, you know, we know from teachers trying to explain that, yeah, to students of it, don't worry about the status of the event. Yeah, yeah, just worry about the fact that you get to do it.

SPEAKER_01 12:53

Yeah, and even the small things you meet people that it you could be like, say you could do a local festival that you actually somebody's volunteering from that local venue, but actually she's a choreographer of Big Show somewhere, but she just lives in the same county as you by chance.

SPEAKER_00 13:11

So it's like you never really know. That's it. It's like don't judge a book by its cover, whether whether that be a performance opportunity, an event, it's like don't judge a book by its cover, you can know what doors that can open. A hundred percent. Oh, I love that because it is it is that it is definitely a battle, I think, especially nowadays.

SPEAKER_01 13:27

I talk about social media a lot, but yeah, children and teens they're being fed this idea that you have to do all these big shiny things, all the true the cameras, and and again, I think it was helpful that obviously social media existed, but it was nowhere near like what it is now. Like no, I didn't really know much about who was winning what. You might have seen the odd thing, but that was it. Whereas now it's like say it's constant.

SPEAKER_00 13:54

And obviously, you did you did have loads of success, but you have also experienced rejection, not depression. You know, you've you've auditioned, you've been in West End stages, but you you were obviously still experienced all of those things. What did those experiences teach you along the way?

SPEAKER_01 14:09

It was again, I think that's one of the hardest things to learn is about rejection. Yeah, I think, and you're still never okay with it. Like I would say, like my partner Neil, he he's been in this industry for years and he still struggles with it. Um, but what it's taught me is that as long as you love what you do, like outside of that, and you find something you're passionate about, whether that be okay, I love doing this so I love teaching. Yeah, I love doing this, so I love doing princess parties and being performing there, where it's a job, but it's still performing, and it makes it so much easier that then you just go, okay, I've still got a roof over my head, I'm still doing what I love, I've still got all my friends, like that it doesn't then become an obsession of oh, I failed, I'm not good enough. Yeah, there's hundreds of people that do it. Like, I I always say to people, I always remember Mamma Mia one year, they said that 500 people applied, yeah, only a hundred people were seen, and they only what are three people for the job. Like the odds. Yeah, it's it's that's crazy that that that's yeah, to try like tell people that it's not and it's not always about your talent, it is just that you know what you were a bit too small, or you know, you you weren't the right height or the right shape or the right colour hair. It could be something so silly. It is it's most of the time, it is that, yeah. In most of the ease, yeah, it is. It's for a lot of the time for ease of like a company, it's that okay, we've got this space to film. This is what we usually have, so that's what we want to keep. So it's just it's easy, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 15:48

And like you said, with Neil, he's been in this industry for years, and still this is a fun fact for anyone that doesn't know is before I knew Chloe, I did Panto with Neil.

SPEAKER_01 16:02

I always remember when we first started talking, and you were like, I'm sure I really recognise his name, and then I showed a poster from my bedroom that we've got up of him as you went, Yes, that was the Panzermai. Like that was it, and that's where I met my now husband.

SPEAKER_00 16:16

Yeah, that is so bizarre. So bizarre. I remember being like, This is so strange. But like you said, he still struggles with it now. So it's it's almost like it doesn't get the the industry doesn't change, it's still it's always gonna be hard. But I always say, like with the rejection side of things, it doesn't have to be a negative, it's like it's always teaching you something, isn't it? Whether and it's always teaching you resilience, it's teaching you how to come back stronger. And I just think it as hard as it is at the time.

SPEAKER_01 16:44

Yes, and I can think it makes you proper person again about social media, how obviously it's because you see a cast list come out and you go, Oh great, I didn't get that. And but I always say to Neil, of course, you're never gonna post your rejections, you're only gonna post your good things and the positives. You're not gonna post I didn't get this job today. You're gonna post I got this job. Like, so in hindsight, that person's probably gone through again 10 rejections, but you just don't see a video of themselves like bombing the audition article.

SPEAKER_00 17:12

Exactly. Exactly. Yeah, had a bad day. Yeah, that's that's important to remember, isn't it? That don't always believe everything you see, yeah, and don't believe that the journey is as simple. No, yeah, 100%. And obviously, you've you've gone from the person on the stage and to now being on judging panels and you know teach teaching as well. But I think your perspective of sitting on the other side of that panel now is really interesting. And I would love to ask you, what do you what do dancers think judges are looking for? And what do you wish maybe they understood about what it is they actually need to do?

SPEAKER_01 17:52

And I I think we all do it. It's all you all think that it's that you've got to have the highest kicks, yeah, all the tricks, you've got to do 7,000 pirouettes, and of course that is so impressive. Like if it's done well, it's really impressive. But I always say it's about you dancing, and if you love some, you can't teach someone to love it. And if it comes from here, and if you are on stage performing, I always say it can mask so much that you could be, you know, you could be going wrong, you could have messed up, you could, you know, but if this is I always say like if your face is just like loving it and giving it or feeling it, that distracts from all the noise. Like that and that's what it is, because at the end of the day, to have a career in this, you have to love it. Oh, yeah. So if it's if it's just about the kicks and the turns and the then that's not gonna last because as you get older, that gets harder, things become you know more impressive because people do 9,000 turns instead of five. So you just got it's just gotta come from inside, and it's so enjoyable to watch because I sit there and watch, like in one section, I could watch 30 dances, all lovely, to loads of different lyrical songs. So it's that one person that I've just gone, I've got goosebumps, or I've just gone, oh, that feeling, isn't it?

SPEAKER_00 19:16

Yeah, that's what it is. I honestly I can read that I can vouch for I was never the kicker. I was I I was not flexi, never had the highest kicks, never you know, had that in me. But oh, I'd perform it. Yeah, I I would make you believe that my was by my ear.

SPEAKER_01 19:31

And that's what a lot of auditions are about, making the panel believe that I always remember a friend of mine said, like he actually is not the greatest singer, but he made them believe he was.

SPEAKER_00 19:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 19:41

Of how he like portrayed himself in his confidence and he just he did something to the best of his ability.

SPEAKER_00 19:47

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And that's that's what we try to bring out all of our classes. It's you know, just do your best. We're here, we can give you the skills and the training, you know, and just trust in that journey, but also it's like bringing out their personalities, their little individualities, especially nowadays, like you know, when everyone starts to be influenced to become the same, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:12

Really, really want to draw out their just their nobody's you, and I always as clique as it sounds, that's what makes you different in an audition room when you're all stood there, or in you know, in an audition for a pant or a class or what you all could look the same, or right, she's got brown hair, she but nobody's you. So if you've got like a personality or you know, an accent and your voice, like use it, that's what makes you stand out.

SPEAKER_00 20:36

100%, yeah. And obviously, you've you've had ton, I mean, we could talk all day like about your experience. You've had so much experience, we've only just touched the surface, really. But how has all of those experiences shaped what kind of teacher you are now?

SPEAKER_01 20:50

I again I think I've always loved it and it's always been my passion. But I think with all that industry experience and uh you know the journey I'm I still I still am on, I still do it. That I it just makes me I that's why I think I just love the teaching because I love it's like my way of uh getting a job is like me giving that to another child, like that feeling and that love for it, just seeing people enjoy it is the greatest. Obviously, of course, I've learned so much about technique and how to sing and how to do that, which I love like portraying uh to my kids I teach, but it's that love for it that I just love being in a room with children that just all love that team, and that's just the most special that and that that's the most rewarding part of it for me that it's the love and the fun that comes with it that that is what will then as well help them in their career if they love it and have fun with it because it's important.

SPEAKER_00 21:52

And even if they don't go into performing arts, it's that like you said, it's knowing that if you love something, yeah, to just show it.

SPEAKER_01 21:58

My sister never did, she did. All the way till she was 18 with me. We both did it the same. She completed everything, and she's a nurse now. But she always says she loved it, it was fun, it was like physical, like so. Again, it was exercise, she made loads of friends, she's still got all those friends now. And it's when she applied for uni, it was the one thing that made her like more interesting because again, her and this other girl got the same grades, and my sister had this dance background of that she'd done other things outside, and it was interesting.

SPEAKER_00 22:28

So, and also all those skills that you the research, let's be honest, nurses the most incredible people, and the amount of I mean resilience. You need to be a nurse, yeah. The perseverance that to keep going, it's like you learn all of that. Yeah, she really did.

SPEAKER_01 22:51

And like the care there is nothing wasted. I always say that it's never wasted, even if you don't want to do it as a career. Like whatever you learn is never ever wasted. It's like a massive achievement and will help you like in life.

SPEAKER_00 23:04

And I would love to know how do you hope students feel when they walk in or out of your classes? How do you like hope that they yeah?

SPEAKER_01 23:14

I my biggest thing is I've with anyone, I love making people laugh. That's like the most important. I love to be the silly, especially like the young, I love being the silly, crazy one. And that's the like the fundamental thing that they've come out and they've had a laugh, or that was funny. Like Miss Chloe did something crazy to just show that I I've got no inhibitions so that they can have no inhibitions. That I just want them to relax and just feel like they can be silly and like do like you know, let go and not worry about falling over or going wrong. It's that that just being safe and just being themselves. But yeah, that's the most important for me.

SPEAKER_00 23:55

Oh, I love that so much because yeah, like you say, they've got so much time, life will be serious at some point. Yeah, you can teach that from such such a young age. You really hope that when they get into their teens, they can they can keep a piece of that. You know, when all of a sudden, like it is common to go into a show a little bit more, or you're you're very aware of yourself, aren't you, as you get older? That actually, like you said, if they can be silly from a young age, you hope that they keep it. 100%. And like you said, if you're doing it and you're like, hey, I'm dirty, and I'm being crazy and silly, then you can be too. Yeah, and I always finish every episode with this one question, and it's quite loaded, I'll be honest. Um, but it is if you could give one piece of advice to your younger self, what would it be?

SPEAKER_01 24:41

It would be to not care about what people think and fitting in, like again with fashion statements, with you know, I uh I don't want to spend loads of money on a you know a new outfit because somebody else has, but I need to because that's what's cool. Just be you because, like I always say, the things that you don't think are good about yourself, somebody else will think are really cool, really interesting, you know, really entertaining, really fun, and that's what your strengths or your weaknesses are could be somebody else's strength, but somebody else's weakness. So it is just about being you and finding what like your things that you're good at because it doesn't mean everybody else is, and that's your little niche to just run with.

SPEAKER_00 25:32

Yeah, that's lovely, that's so lovely. Couldn't agree more. Yeah, honestly, you are such an inspiration, and we are just so grateful to have you on the team. We all adore you, the the children adore you, um, and it's just been so nice to chat and get to know you a little bit more. Yes, thank you. Thank you for being here and join us next week for more episodes of Beyond the Studio.