Armoured with a glamorous resume and multiple accolades under her belt, actress, dancer, and TV presenter Bontle Modiselle-Moloi is the epitome of an “it girl.” Having stepped into the entertainment scene as a dancer and gracefully evolving into choreography, the media powerhouse has earned her spot as an industry pioneer.
Born and bred in Soweto, Johannesburg, Bontle’s love for the performing arts dates back to her childhood when she was introduced to ballet, as well as other cultural murals, at the Johannesburg Girls Preparatory School. Since then, the multi hyphenated entertainer has reached many career milestones, including co-hosting the South African Music Awards (SAMAs), choreographing for artists such as Kelly Rowland and most notably – launching her self-titled dance studio in Johannesburg.
Recently, Bontle announced that she would be starring in an eagerly awaited Netflix original film dubbed “Piano Love”, which is set to premiere on August 23. According to the actress, the show will captivate film enthusiasts and leave them begging for more!
To kickstart our Women’s Month celebrations, we have an expansive chat with the entertainment industry juggernaut about wearing multiple crowns, career milestones, and everything in between. Happy Women’s Month!
Let’s start with an icebreaker. How would you describe your personal style?
I am every woman and they are all in me. As corny as it sounds, I am true to this. My personal style tends to reflect what my personality, my character, and my energy resonate with on that day, but it really is unpredictable and very personal to me, my body type, and how I choose to express who I am through my fashion and style.
You have been in the entertainment industry for many years. Who is Bontle Modiselle today and what are her occupational titles?
I like to call myself an ever-evolving artist, so I permit myself to become truly, and authentically the things that I wish to become as well as the things that I wish to do with my life and purpose. I am not only a dancer, but a performance and creative director, a business, a co-owner, a choreographer, a mother, a wife, an artist, a host an MC, and someone who loves to live and love loudly and authentically.
Your resume speaks volumes about how invested you have been in your career. What motivates you to keep going and what would you say has been the key to your longevity in the industry?
I am relentless in being committed to being true to myself, and what I feel my purpose is in honouring that wholeheartedly taking a day at a time. Not realising years later what the daily effort has become. I love what I do and because I consistently work at what I love doing it hardly ever feels like work, even though there’s a lot of work.
I love growth. I love the journey of growth. I love surprising myself and committing to the ideas and goals that I want for myself. I love the idea that I can start poorly at something and a point become masterful at it. It progresses from an idea to then become reality because I’ve practically applied myself. Ultimately that’s what life is about. It’s about practically applying the ideas, concepts, and theories to better our own hearts, minds, spirits, bodies, goals, and prospects in realising the visions in our minds and what has been placed in our hearts.
Dance has been a consistent theme in your career. Why is it so dear to you?
I love dance. And it has loved me right back. I love doing it, and equally, I love watching it. I love immersing myself in it – as a tool of communication. Some of the best life lessons I have learned have been through dance. I love what it has afforded me, my family, and a generation of dancers who are becoming better than me. I love the gift of dance and how I’m able to express myself through it. I love the art of it, the skill in it, and how it can be used as a tool for betterment and improvement physically, emotionally, mentally, and also spiritually. It’s not just a thing to do on the side, but it is love, it is culture, it is language and pure expression of self, that is without limits or rules.
You recently hosted ‘Secure The Bag Season 2.’ How was that experience and why, in your opinion, is the show important?
I had the pleasure of hosting Secure the Bag season 2. A great honour! Following Season 1 with Cassper Nyovest, having the baton passed to me to carry a very important conversation is a compliment within itself, but acts as a greater selfless service in showing up for those younger and those willing to learn, particularly those who are coming after us. Financial literacy is foreign to all if not most of us. It’s important that a familiar face is able to communicate key or important ideas and messages in ways that young people can understand and engage with.
Young people tend to tap out of financial conversations quickly or easily lose interest beyond ‘getting the bag’ and have no idea how to engage, connect with, protect, and further build on their financial knowledge. I too see myself as a student of life, and constantly remind myself to remain teachable. The youth needs to know about the information, tools, and resources made available to them, that they can access and apply to and for themselves, for their betterment, of their businesses or roles as young professionals, as well as their families, and communities at large.
What do you know now about the entertainment industry and your craft that you wish you knew when you were younger?
My default setting is thinking that everyone works, thinks, and operates from a place of kindness – because that’s how I am. I’ve quickly learned that unfortunately is not the case and I’ve experienced a lot of heartbreak a lot of rejection, letdowns, and disappointments in my journey working in the entertainment industry. I always chose and continue to think the best of people from very early on in my journey in the entertainment industry.
I had not set very hard boundaries, and when you were trying to get in, you can quickly become a victim of the circumstances around you, and somewhat compromise yourself for the sake of getting a foot in. I would’ve gone into the entertainment industry, in my younger years, with greater awareness, a lot more alert, sharper, quicker, and having used my ‘NO’s more often, unapologetically.
You’ve reached many career milestones. Which ones have you cherished the most?
Right at the top has to be establishing ‘Bontle Modiselle Dance Studio.’ That for me was one of my acts of commitment in realising the dream of leaving the dance industry better than how I found it, my first act of commitment to creating a society or community that was safe, void of judgment, that was about teaching and passing on the learnings that I’ve learned throughout the years in the entertainment industry, and it being the symbol of hope and possibility for any other kid who dares to dream.
Outside of Dance, having hosted the SAMAs, was a dream, come true alongside the best Talent in South Africa, Laurence Malaka. Another milestone was getting into the Guinness World Book of Records with Quintus Jason, having achieved a record in the Genre of Amapiano for the largest performing group, performing a synchronised Dance at the Hector Pieterson Museum in Soweto. The coolest social achievement was being at the Rocnation branch in Bel-Air in 2022, which was a mind-blowing experience.
Aside from being an entertainment juggernaut, what are your other interests? Who is Bontle outside of entertainment?
It’s hard to say because a lot of my life is seen as something within the entertainment industry, but at the heart of it, I love doing all I do. I am a mother. I’m a sister. I am a mediator. I care a lot about people. I love meditating, I love isolation. I love spending time on my own, but also love connecting with people. I LOVE cooking. I also enjoy doing nothing with my time. Lazing around and wasting time is my favourite pastime. This is really me being in bed with my daughter and with my husband watching TV playing games fooling around, stuffing our faces with junk food, and sleeping the day away. Above all, I’m a prayerful person, God fearing! I love God with my entire heart and soul, and I spend a lot of my days seeking him.
What advice would you give to young people who aspire to become entertainers?
Start with who you are, where you are, and what you’ve got. These three questions will inform a lot of decisions you make at different points in your life. More often than not people don’t realise who they are and what it is that they have to offer. They don’t realise that they’re the only person who can offer what they have in the way that they can. They don’t realise where they are in their lives, where or how to go forward, and what they’re able to do with that information. They don’t realise what they have, what are your resources, who are your resources, what information you have, and What they can use to respectfully Better your circumstances. You’re able to ask these three questions at the beginning of your journey, in the middle of it, or at the end of something. You can ask when you’re trying to realise something else because the answer very rarely will stay the same, but there should be some consistency in the information that can answer the question of why you even started.
Are there any projects that we should look forward to from you in the near future?
I’m one who does not want to speak ahead of realising the dreams and goals ahead of their time. My favourite thing to do is catch people off guard so that they are completely unexpectant of what’s to come. Stay the course and realise my goals and dreams with me!
Starring none other than SA Hip Hop legend Kwesta, in his acting debut, and of course, the queen of SA Dance, Bontle Modiselle-Moloi, Piano Love promises to be a captivating tale that portrays young love blossom against all odds. If you love South African music and dance culture, the enthralling show will have you hooked!
