Cape Flats boy Dalen Lance shows perseverance is the key.

The 25 year old star is to present new reality TV show High School Musical: Spotlight South Africa.
M-Net’s head of Original Productions says “he’s perfect for the role because of his extensive experience in the entertainment industry”.
Lance grew up in Atlantis, and climbed to fame when he reached the top 100 contestants in a similar show ‘Idols’.
The self-confessed work-a-holic says “time was an issue: I wrote songs on the bus on the way to school, studied by day and went to recording studios by night”
Since then the 25 year old has released a single ‘Be Your Man’, taken the lead in the stage musical ‘Joseph and His Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat’ and presented the popular childrens TV show ‘Bling!’
He’s even tried his hand at acting in films ‘Dollars & White Pipes’ and ‘Zenon 3’.
2002 saw him placed in the Top 50 M-Net idols, while in 2003 he was in the Top 50 SABC Popstar nominations.
As if he didn’t have enough strings to his bow, Lance also has a Business degree from Cape Town University.
But he says it wasn’t just his parents who drove him
“I wanted to dig my own trench”
Fischer says “he’ll be able to identify with the performers and be a role model for South Africans”
More importantly, his achievements represent M-Net’s goals: Fischer thinks “the arts subjects complete education – students need to learn to be creative and think outside the box, but there’s too much pressure on students to ‘get a real job’ – something more academic.”
But Lance proves that you don’t need to be privileged to be successful, he says,
“My family taught me that no matter what’s going on, you can still be strong.”
You can catch Lance on 2nd August at 7pm when the show airs for the first time.