20 Mar Simone Mann shares why dancers need diverse skills in musical theatre.

Former professional dancer, gymnast and Performing Arts Centre founder Simone Mann shares some information about the world of musical theatre and why dancers need to learn other skills.   

• ‘Musical theatre is one of the best ways to grow confidence in children. In one year, I have seen kids who are afraid to talk in public auditioning for solo parts in school plays!’
• ‘It gives you a diverse set of skills. Being a ‘triple threat’ means you can dance, sing and act. This offers you an advantage when auditioning for big shows. You don’t necessarily need to be the best at all three, but you should at least have some ability.’
• ‘That said, if you are interested in doing musical theatre, you must be a technically trained dancer. You won’t get a part if you can’t dance properly – even if you are a great singer/actor.’
• ‘South Africa has fantastic after-school musical theatre training and career opportunities. Musical theatre is thriving in Cape Town and Johannesburg and growing nicely in KZN (with a new musical theatre institute, the International School of Performing Arts, having opened in KZN at the end of 2024).’