04 May 2023

While the Hollywood blockbuster The Woman King might be her first big international break, Lone Motsomi is no stranger to the grind of the performing world. 

She was part of the acclaimed Mophato Dance Theatre for 13 years, and a star in some of Mophato Dance Theatre production plays such as Pula! The Musical and Lore for three years. 

She travelled to showcase Pula! The Musical with the group to the Broadway stage and even gave Batswana a taste of herself.

Motsomi is an all-round performing actor, with perhaps stunts as her most loved variety. 

Many regard her as a dancer, but Motsomi prefers to be called a stunt artist.

Through the brilliant stunt performance, she bagged a gig in The Woman King, a story of the Agojie, the all-female unit of warriors who protected the African Kingdom of Dahomey in the 1800s.

 “Performing has always been my dream since I was a little kid. I knew I wanted to be on stage from a very young age, but I did not know how big of a stage,” Motsomi said. She said she believed in presenting and giving her best all the time in order to unlock those opportunities.

“Give yourself a show, honour yourself as an artiste to be seen and be intentional about what you do. Ke sebini, ke ira movie, I am a performer, I am a stunt performer, I am an actor, I do martial; all these things make me who I am. 

And this is how I try to portray my social media,” she noted, adding that most people see her as a dancer but she is more than that because she gives herself an opportunity to be more.

Talking about her opportunities after her The Woman King gig, Motsomi said most of them that were presented to her ‘have been in the atmosphere and manifesting, in reality.

She explained that going to the US was a project that had been there before COVID-19, and she realised the dream when restrictions were relaxed.

Through ANIKAYA Dance Theatre, she auditioned for many opportunities in New York, as she was at the heart of all things creative. “It is a dream come true to be in New York where there are many opportunities, especially as a Motswana who had no exposure to such opportunities to audition, and only wait for shows this side,” she said.

Her hunger and zeal to do more took her to Los Angeles (LA), where she got a three-month contract with Diavlo Dance Theatre to tour Atlanta, Georgia and Mexico on a dance workshop. 

“The company liked me from the word go when I was auditioning in New York and they invited me to LA, and LA is literally Hollywood,” she chuckled. 

Motsomi noted that being there overwhelmed her as she was still figuring things out alone and exploring her career on her own for the first time ‘away from the company that I felt so at home with, exploring the world, the creative side, the stunt world, the film side altogether.’

She explained that Diavlo is not just a basic dance company. 

“They work with a lot of props; climbing things, hanging on things and doing all those on stage. 

And that is stunt performing, although not on camera, but on stage,” she remarked, adding that she felt she had progressed well in her craft with Diavlo workshop.

Motsomi said she felt that now she would remain with dance as she had done a movie, and just wanted to dance because she was in New York. 

“But during the three-month contract with Diavlo, the company that hired me with The Woman King called me to offer me a job,” she said, adding that with stunt world, most of the time your previous work gives you the next job.

The movie King Shaka happened. “I was literally in the middle of a contract and wondered what to do. 

This is an opportunity that one does not get. In the midst of Hollywood, I was just having fun auditioning because US auditioning is an accomplishment on its own,” she emotionally noted.

Having done film only once, and with The Woman King being the biggest one, getting a call for King Shaka was irresistible for her. 

This was when she tried to follow up with herself and discover who she really was in the creative space. 

“I realised that I am a performer, that is why I am progressing and thriving with a lot of activities that require me to move my body. 

And I decided that I would give film another chance,” she said.

She told Diavlo of her King Shaka opportunity and amazingly they released her as they understood that she was going for bigger things; and assured her of a place in their database because they loved her work. 

In 2022, Motsomi started filming King Shaka in Cape Town for 10 months, but the release date has not been communicated yet.

However, before her Diavlo gig, Motsomi was with Shaka iLembe for three months. 

The historical drama series which began filming in 2022, will premiere on June 18 on DSTV’S Mzansi Magic channel 161.

Motsomi also did stunt doubling for Nomzamo Mbatha.

“But I did not get to finish the whole production because America needed to happen. Mbatha did not have a lot of stunts, she only had a jump from the cliff, but I could not proceed with the entire production because of other opportunities,” said Motsomi. End