SK Dance Celebrate 30 Years Since Opening At The Sunderland Empire
Written by Ellie Terrell on 22nd September 2026
SK Dance School of Performing Arts is a dance school based in Sunderland. They are celebrating 30 years since opening by hosting a show at the Sunderland Empire.
Shameem Karim is the Owner of SK Dance, her daughter, Sophina Afzal is co principle and her other daughter, Yasmeen Afzal is Head of Faculty.
When asked about why she opened the dance school back in 1995, Shameem stated: “I started dancing at the age of five and I grew up with the love of Dance. I opened the school because I was offered a dance teaching job in Newcastle and thought why should I take this job when I can build my own dance school. The dance school opened with six children and I went onto really succeed in teaching. Within a couple of years, we started doing competitions, the rest is history.”
Shameem has endless appreciation for her old dance teacher, Muriel Harrison, who helped her discover her passion. Shameem’s other dance teacher Audrey Herriot helped Shameem from the beginning by teaching her and then teaching at her dance school, she has the upmost gratitude for her.
Shameem opened the dance school with a vision and in 30 years, she has achieved so much. Shameem said: “We have been on TV for shows like Britain’s Got Talent and The Greatest Dancer, the children who danced at SK have gained places at prestigious colleges like The Urdang, some kids have gained a place in West End Musicals like Les Misérables and Billy Elliot, and one of our students was in the new Spider-Man Movie.”
Nina Galano was cast in the new Spider-Man Movie Spider-Man: Brand New Day playing the role of Marley, the detectives daughter and she was also cast in the West End Musical, Les Misérables. Scarlett Gardener has just been cast as Debbie in Billy Elliot the Musical.
This show is not just any regular show, it is a celebration of how far SK Dance has come in the past 30 years. Shameem is incredibly proud of herself and her two daughters for following in her footsteps and making a difference in these dancers lives. The students incredible achievements would not have been possible without the support of their teachers.
