Close Menu

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

    What's Hot

    Ganduje Resigns As APC National Chairman

    June 27, 2025

    NAPTIP Declares Speed Darlington Wanted Over Rape Allegations

    June 27, 2025

    PDP BoT Rejects Anyanwu’s Reinstatement As National Secretary

    June 27, 2025
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Trending
    • Ganduje Resigns As APC National Chairman
    • NAPTIP Declares Speed Darlington Wanted Over Rape Allegations
    • PDP BoT Rejects Anyanwu’s Reinstatement As National Secretary
    • Tinubu Signs Four Landmark Tax Reform Bills Into Law
    • Osun State Declares Friday Public Holiday To Celebrate Hijrah
    • Insecurity: Lakurawa Kills 6, Injures 1 In Sokoto Community
    • Court Sentences Gospel Singer, Timilehin To Death For Killing NYSC Member
    • Anyanwu’s Reinstatement As National Secretary, A Painful Decision – Damagum
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    TheScrutinyNG
    Subscribe
    Saturday, June 28
    • Home
    • Politics
    • Business
    • News
      • World News
    • Sports
    • Interviews
    • Opinion
    • Entertainment
    • Columnists
    • ABOUT US
    TheScrutinyNG
    Home » Dance World Mourns Iconic South African Choreographer Dada Masilo
    3 Mins ReadDecember 31, 2024

    Dance World Mourns Iconic South African Choreographer Dada Masilo

    By Samuel AkpenpuunDecember 31, 2024No Comments3 Mins Read
    Share Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    The dance world mourned Tuesday the internationally acclaimed South African dancer and choreographer Dada Masilo, who died in hospital at the weekend aged 39.

    Masilo died unexpectedly on Sunday after a brief illness, a spokesperson for her family said in a statement.

    Born in Soweto, she was described as a sprite-like, energetic dancer and a fearless rule-breaker, who brought African dance motifs to classic European roles in a career that spanned two decades.

    “Deeply respectful of European and contemporary music traditions, but unafraid to go bare on stage and voice her own opinions, she effectively changed the shape and appearance of contemporary dance in South Africa,” family spokesperson Bridget van Oerle said in the statement, announcing her death.

    Among the most recent in a series of acknowledgements of her work, Masilo in September received the Positano Leonide Massine lifetime achievement award for classic and contemporary dance, which praised her as “powerful and topical”.

    Her revisited versions of the great classics of romantic ballet drew on African dance to speak of the society in which she lived and of tolerance across borders, the award announcement said.

    “A brilliant light has been extinguished,” the Joburg Ballet company said, praising Masilo’s “creative force as a choreographer and her wisdom as a human being”.

    “Her groundbreaking work reshaped the world of contemporary dance, and her spirit will continue to inspire generations of artists and audiences,” the University of Johannesburg’s arts and culture department said.

    The UK-based Dance Consortium, which toured with Masilo in Britain twice, called her death a “tragic loss to the dance world”.

    “Her fresh perspective, extraordinary presence and stunning creations wowed and inspired audiences and artists across the UK and around the world,” it said.

    Masilo was best known for her iconic re-invention of the great ballet classics such as “Swan Lake” and “Giselle”, said Lliane Loots, artistic director at the JOMBA! dance centre at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

    She used her “remarkable skill as a ballet dancer” to meld this European dance form “with the rhythms and intentions of her own histories of African dance and of being South African,” Loots said.

    In 2016, Masilo’s “Swan Lake” was nominated for a New York Bessie Award and the following year her “Giselle” won Best Performance by the Italian Danza and Danza Award, the family statement said.

    In 2018, she won the Netherlands’ Prince Claus “Next Generation” award, where she was described as an “extraordinary role model for young people and girls”.

    Author

    • Samuel Akpenpuun
      Samuel Akpenpuun

      View all posts
    Dada Masilo South Africa
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Samuel Akpenpuun

    Related Posts

    Breaking News

    Ganduje Resigns As APC National Chairman

    June 27, 2025
    Entertainment

    NAPTIP Declares Speed Darlington Wanted Over Rape Allegations

    June 27, 2025
    Breaking News

    Tinubu Signs Four Landmark Tax Reform Bills Into Law

    June 26, 2025
    Breaking News

    Court Sentences Gospel Singer, Timilehin To Death For Killing NYSC Member

    June 26, 2025
    Featured

    Anyanwu’s Reinstatement As National Secretary, A Painful Decision – Damagum

    June 25, 2025
    Breaking News

    Multichoice Slashes DStv Decoder Price By 50 Percent

    June 25, 2025

    Subscribe to News

    Get the latest sports news from NewsSite about world, sports and politics.

    Editor's Picks

    Ganduje Resigns As APC National Chairman

    June 27, 2025

    NAPTIP Declares Speed Darlington Wanted Over Rape Allegations

    June 27, 2025

    PDP BoT Rejects Anyanwu’s Reinstatement As National Secretary

    June 27, 2025

    Tinubu Signs Four Landmark Tax Reform Bills Into Law

    June 26, 2025
    Latest Posts
    Advertisement
    Facebook X (Twitter) Pinterest Vimeo WhatsApp TikTok Instagram

    News

    • World
    • US Politics
    • EU Politics
    • Business
    • Opinions
    • Connections
    • Science

    Company

    • Information
    • Advertising
    • Classified Ads
    • Contact Info
    • Do Not Sell Data
    • GDPR Policy
    • Media Kits

    Services

    • Subscriptions
    • Customer Support
    • Bulk Packages
    • Newsletters
    • Sponsored News
    • Work With Us

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

    © 2025 The Scrutiny. Designed by Design Streams.

    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms
    • Accessibility

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.