Charlize’s professional dancing success really is the fairytale to which young dancers aspire to.
With a contract with Celebrity Cruises, Charlize today is travelling the world doing what she loves best – dancing! She has an LA agent and has featured as an extra in Baz Luhrmann’s film Elvis, as well as Universal Pictures’ Ticket to Paradise, starring George Clooney and Julia Roberts. Charlize is professionally trained in ballet, jazz, tap, acrobatics, musical theatre and singing. She was Get the Beat National Tap Dance Champion from 2017 to 2020.
Charlize, from a very young age, has always been very engaging – on and off the stage. Her success wasn’t just set to the stage though; she was also cast in several TV commercials, and became a favourite of casting directors, often cast without even auditioning.
But Charlize’s dance journey wasn’t always so easy and there were many obstacles along the way.
At the age of three, Charlize, or Cheeky as her family and friends call her, was incredibly shy with the other children at her daycare. Her daycare teacher mentioned it to her parents, Tammy and Brenton, and from there she was enrolled in dance to help with her confidence. Charlize was a natural born dancer and loved it so much that it began to help in increasing her courage and independence.
Charlize suffered many injuries with her ankles during her teenage years, resulting in visits to the physio for treatment and rehab. You would think the injuries were from dance… but no: she would simply be walking upstairs or roll her ankles while walking. This impacted upon her pointe work in ballet as her ligaments were so stretched. Pointe work became nearly impossible, and Charlize had to spend many hours building up strength – only to then roll her ankles at school, requiring her to start from scratch again.
Charlize wasn’t destined to become a ballet dancer, but she appreciated the technique it gave her to become a great dancer in other styles. She continued with ballet classes in flats to ensure her technique was maintained and to also improve her solo and group routines. The injuries only made Charlize more determined to dance, knowing full well how injury can prevent you from fulfilling your dreams. The upside to her injury journey is that it also made her a great tapper!
Charlize isn’t just a beautiful, talented and humble person, she is also very smart. She has currently taken a break from studying Clinical Exercise Physiology at university to pursue her dreams overseas. Charlize’s commitment to the performing arts is close to her heart as she intends in the future to develop wonderful dancers, and to help rehabilitate their injuries to get them back on stage as soon as possible.
She dreams not just on the stage, but off as well. Though Charlize has experienced much success in her professional life, she also wants to offer young dancers hope to achieve their goals, and her story shows them that, with hard work and dedication, your dreams can really come true!
Dancers are always able to manage their time proficiently. Charlize’s schedule has alternated between working two part-time jobs, studying at university, having a social life, acting and staying dance fit. I am not sure how she had time to sleep! And through it all you would never see this young lady without a smile on her face and positivity in her step.
I have personally known Charlize for over ten years and have watched her grow. The best way to describe Charlize is that she is contagious with her enthusiasm for life. This wonderful person can put anyone at ease with her fun-loving, easy-going and vibrant personality. What makes Charlize so special is that she is humble and, even with her own success, she is always cheering everyone else on from the sidelines.
I am very proud to know Charlize and will be cheering her on through her journey and wishing her all the best with success in life, both personally and professionally. Charlize has been a face of KySienn for many years and we are very proud to have Charlize as a part of KySienn’s team.
KySienn is not just about dance, sport, and hair accessories – we also believe in supporting young dancers in their journeys. We hope Charlize’s story inspires our young and up-and-coming faces of the future in the performing arts.
Happy Dancing! With Love, the Hair Net Lady xx