Ray_Buso

Ray Neo buso

Actor, Dancer, and MC
Ray Neo Buso is a Soweto born entertainer, he was born & bred in Attridgeville. He went on to study drama & film arts at University of Pretoria, and musical theatre majoring in dance at Cape Academy of Performing Arts. Ray is a dancer, actor and MC who blesses our TV screens on some of the Mzansi's biggest soapies. Best known as Zakhele aka Zee on 7de Laan and Ash on Skeem Saam.  

How old were you when you decided to pursue your current career path and what inspired you? I started dancing at the age of 5 years old and I got into acting at the age of 12. I grew up in a very artistic family so I was exposed to the arts at a very young age.                                        

Did you ever get help with career guidance? Any mentor(s) & what role did they play? I really wish that I had someone who guided me but I had to do the research myself and find a way for myself. I even registered for the varsity training myself for both degrees that I studied being drama and film studies then doing musical training with dance as my major. 

What challenges did you face (or are facing) / had to overcome in your journey? I had to convince my parents that this could be a career path as they believed that I am supposed to do it as extra mural activity and when I’m older do it on the side while having an “actual career”. Showing determination and drive they then let me do it. I also thought that exposing myself to dancing and acting would open my opportunities to more jobs that I could do and it did do that for me but I also realized that it made people in the dance world perceive me as an actor and look down upon that and the other way around for the acting community.

What has been your biggest driver/motivator? My biggest driver was to prove that I could make a career out of this career path.

What key learning points from your journey would you like people to take on theirs? Whatever career or path one chooses to embark on, they should aim to be the best that they can be, don’t compare your journey to anyone else’s path. Stay steadfast on the end goal and take your craft serious enough to sharpen your skills through courses, classes or workshops.

Any advice for a young person from a rural area / township who currently has no clue where to even start when choosing a career path? Firstly do research on where you would like to go to study further, find different bursary opportunities that you can apply to. Always be willing to learn even if you have to volunteer and don’t be afraid of hard work.