Kalon Badenhorst:
Yes, my Mum was my manager when I was back home in SA; it just made sense you know. After appearing on SA’s Got Talent at the age of 11, I knew that I wanted to be a performer; and with a little bit of momentum, I was being asked to perform at some events and who best to look after you at that age than your Mum/Dad. I am very lucky that both my parents are extremely supportive, open-minded and experienced in the fields of media, publicity and marketing.
My Mum always put my best interests and me first. We spent most of our days together driving between studios for training before I could drive myself, which was most of my intense dance training years. No one understood the value of my time, effort and ability like she did, because of this, having a manager can be important for a couple reasons mainly to stop people from taking advantage of you and your craft.
As professional dancers it is imperative that we treat ourselves as a business and therefore, having a manager as a buffer between you and your client can deter them from taking liberties with your service.
As artists we walk a fine line because we are passionate and enjoy performing, but still need to make money and be firm when needed. This is where having a manger is extremely helpful.
When a manager/agent is in negotiations, it gives the artist and their image a certain level of security. This saves an artist from having to deal with awkward conversations directly with the client and gives them more time and energy to focus on the job at hand, performing.