Simoné Botha Welgemoed is well known for her beauty queen title: Miss Deaf South Africa, as well as being the world's first deaf professional ballerina with a cochlear implant. She has not only defied the odds in the very competitive world of international dance, but has excelled beyond everybody's expectations. Simoné's ballet career kicked off as a 6-year-old dancing the role of the little angel in "The Nutcracker" with Cape Town City Ballet (South Africa's premiere ballet company) and slowly, over time she has had the honour of performing principal roles in various ballet companies. In 2016 Simoné decided to break away from the conventional ballet company lifestyle to expand her profile as a collaborative multi-styled international artist. This decision led her to travel as performer and motivational speaker on the international world stage.Actress, model, aerialist, teacher, choreographer, film stunt performer, deaf advocate and global ambassador are all titles that can also be added to her professional artistic portfolio.Simone's career and wide skillset have proven that no challenge is ever too great and that deafness shouldn't be seen as an inability to follow big dreams. It is clear that her mission in life is to defy the odds and challenge the status quo. Show less «