When it comes to travelling around the world, not many can say that they have lived and worked in 14 different cities across eight different countries in four years – unless you are Romy Jo Swales.
Starting in 2017, the former Rondebosch resident and professional dancer performed in Manila in The Phillippines; Singapore; Daegu, Seoul and Busan in South Korea; Taipei and Kaoshiung in Taiwan; Bangkok in Thailand; Hong Kong; Auckland in New Zealand and, finally, Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
But it wasn’t just the countries visited that were many, so were the characters she played in the travelling production of Disney’s The Lion King.
As part of the show’s dance ensemble, Swales played different characters throughout the show. She was also required to sing as well as act a bit.
“I changed 14 times in the show. Some characters were actual animals and some of the costumes are merely for the sake of creating the scene so sometimes they were non-specific grass heads or colourful jungle additions,” she explains.
Her roles included playing a zebra, a tuft of grass, a lioness, a hyena, a wildebeest (wildebabes), a bird kite flyer and a grass lady (Copa lady).
But how does a girl from Rosebank Junior School end up on a stage in, well, just about every other country?
Swales says she always danced as an extra-curricular activity; first at a dance school, The Dance Project, in Plumstead and then part-time at the Waterfront Theatre College. After completing her matric at Westerford High School, she went on to study musical theatre and majored in dance at Waterfront Theatre College in Cape Town while also training with Rudi Smit’s Untimitive crew from 2013 to 2015. She completed her training at New York City Broadway Dance Centre in 2016.
Now 28 and an accomplished professional dancer, Swales shares that being up on a stage wasn’t always the plan.
“I was actually pre-enrolled in a business science degree at the University of Cape Town (UCT) with the intention of becoming a chartered accountant. Halfway through Grade 12, I job shadowed at an accounting and auditing firm. By around 15:00, I phoned my mom frantically to come and pick me up because I was so bored and, I think, traumatised at the thought of working like this for the rest of my life. I realised then that the lifestyle would never be for me.”
She adds she was very fortunate in that, once she decided to no longer pursue a career in commerce, her family, “with a little encouragement”, got on board.
“Since then, my family and friends have encouraged and supported me 100% and for that, I am exceptionally thankful.”
According to Swales, the opportunity to audition for The Lion King production was a bit of a shot in the dark.
“I saw an advert for the audition on Facebook. I thought it was fake but that it wouldn’t hurt to just go and dance, even if it wasn’t real.”
Every year, The Lion King auditions around the world. Swales says in South Africa, they usually audition in three cities with at least 50 to 100 people lining up on the morning of the audition.
“The year that I auditioned, I was one of more than 60 people in the audition room in Cape Town alone and by the end of the first round, I was the only female dancer left.”
She went on to do four more audition rounds over a seven-months with the first in February in Cape Town and the last in August in Johannesburg. Swales says she never thought she stood a chance. She says she cried when she first got the news that she had been cast.
“I remember it so clearly. It was 25 August 2017. I was sitting in my parents’ kitchen at home in Rondebosch, drinking tea, and the email came through, telling me I was cast in The Lion King and would be flying to the Philippines in less than a month for a fitting. I just sat there in disbelief and cried with joy. And then phoned my mom, obviously.”
After she arrived in the Philippines, it was just go, go, go. Every week, she had to perform in eight shows over six days, with single shows from Tuesday to Friday and two shows a day on Saturdays and Sundays. Monday was her only day off.
Swales describes the whole experience as a whirlwind.
“Living in different cities across East Asia was initially a huge culture shock for me – the languages, social customs, economic structures, laws on equality and right of admission to establishments, flavours and spices, music – it is all so different. And then, eventually, it just started to feel like a home away from home.”
She says the “fan culture” phenomenon was also intense.
“If you know the way Army (a South African fanbase) is with BTS (a Korean band), it’s like that in East Asia, but about anything and everything. Even with The Lion King, sometimes I felt like Beyonce after a show because some avid fans would wait for autographs, follow us home, send us gifts, find us on social media and watch almost every show.”
With the four-year contract having run its course, Swales relocated to Johannesburg. This year, she has performed in Sun City, at the Sandton Convention Centre and shot an advert for one of SA’s leading banks.
“I also spent much of January rehearsing for a dance contract to Turkey that, if all goes according to plan, I will be leaving for very soon. My plan is just to continue to connect with other performers, build skills, train and explore myself creatively,” she says.
For those wanting to pursue a career in the arts, Swales says it is best to be versatile and open to learning new skills.
“You should never limit yourself to just dancing but rather continue to hone as many different skills as possible to diversify your income streams. This industry is all about being able to pivot and evolve where necessary and the ones that have longevity, are the ones that persevere and are open-minded.”
When it comes to building a professional portfolio, her advice is to just say yes to things.
“Especially at the beginning of your career. I don’t want to encourage working for free or being underpaid but when you’re in that phase of just having entered the industry with almost no experience and no contacts, the best thing you can do is to try everything.
“Go to that set and help out, be in a one-act play, dance for someone’s random event, practice your makeup at home, because everything is an opportunity to network and grow skills.”
