Durban-born dancer Kalon Badenhorst has a lot in common with Hollywood actor Channing Tatum — and it's not just a chiselled jawline, washboard abs and slick dance moves.
The 24-year-old South African impressed Tatum and his creative team when he auditioned for the Magic Mike Live International shows two years ago.
After the global success of two Magic Mike movies, Tatum conceptualised a live show that would appeal predominantly to women — 13 mostly shirtless men entertain in a show packed with dance, music and acrobatic feats.
Tatum entrusted the lead role of Mike to Badenhorst following the 2020 audition.
“I originally auditioned when they were holding auditions in Europe leading up to the Berlin and Australian productions in 2020,” Badenhorst said.
“I was performing in a musical in Vienna, Austria, at the time and jumped on a plane to audition in Paris on my day off.
“The casting team recorded all the in-person auditions and then sent the footage off to the creative team in the US, who narrowed down the dancers to around 40 guys including myself.
“We were all invited to the final call-back in Berlin for a three-day audition process. All the footage taken from the finals was sent to Channing and the creative team to make the final decisions. It was quite a big deal and an honour for me to be chosen as Mike, the lead role.”
Tatum was in the audience when Badenhorst made his Berlin debut.
“He gave us so much energy and support. He came up on stage with us for our encore which is a moment I’ll never forget. Just hearing him say that he was excited to have me on board and play the role of Mike was enough to blow me away.”
He played Mike in Berlin until February this year and was then cast for the Las Vegas show a month later.
Badenhorst, who recently completed his US stint, said he's in awe of Tatum no matter how many times he meets him.
Tatum's latest movie, The Lost City, with Sandra Bullock, grossed $185.4m (about R3bn) worldwide.
“I was star-struck for a few minutes when I initially met Channing. After chatting to him for a while though I realised he is a great guy who loves what he does. Although I have had to pinch myself a couple more times throughout our meetings.
“I do believe this will open more doors for me. Already it has given me the opportunity to get a US-based agent and I have another exciting project coming up after this stint in Vegas.”
Badenhorst will return to SA in July to visit his family before starting rehearsals in the US for another Magic Mike Live project.
He has no qualms about shedding his clothes in front of a live audience.
• 13: The number of cast members of Magic Mike Live International
• 10: The age at which Kalon Badenhorst started dancing
• 5: The number of years the show has been running internationally
— IN NUMBERS:
“We never get fully undressed in the show, it’s artistic and provocative but it’s definitely not a strip show.
“We are mainly topless and at very least in underwear. As a dancer I feel quite confident and comfortable with my body. The dancing is the real stand out part of the show though; taking our shirts off is an added benefit for the audience.”
Katie Zance, the Las Vegas show's associate producer and director of worldwide casting, said Las Vegas audiences have been “absolutely dazzled by Kalon’s charm, swagger, and talent. People love that he’s come all the way from South Africa to share his talents with us — and the American ladies love his accent.”
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