The globally recognised South African dancer and choreographer Dada Masilo passed away in the hospital over the weekend at the age of 39, and the dance community grieved his passing on Tuesday.
After a brief illness, Masilo passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, according to a statement from her family.
Born in Soweto, she was characterised as a brazen rule-breaker and a sprite-like dancer who, throughout the course of her two-decade career, incorporated African dance elements into traditional European roles.
The statement announcing her passing read, “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,” according to family spokesperson Bridget van Oerle.
One of the latest in a string of honours for her efforts was the Positano Leonide Massine lifetime achievement award for classic and contemporary dance, which Masilo received in September and was hailed as “powerful and topical.”
According to the prize announcement, her reimagined renditions of the great romantic ballet classics drew inspiration from African dance to communicate to the community she lived in and the importance of tolerance across boundaries.
The Johannesburg Ballet company praised Masilo’s “creative force as a choreographer and her wisdom as a human being,” saying, “A brilliant light has been extinguished.”
According to the arts and culture department of the University of Johannesburg, “her innovative work revolutionised the field of contemporary dance, and her spirit will continue to inspire generations of artists and audiences.”
The Dance Consortium, a U.K.-based organisation that accompanied Masilo on two British tours, described her passing as a “tragic loss to the dance world.” “Her fresh perspective, extraordinary presence and stunning creations wowed and inspired audiences and artists across the U.K. and around the world,” stated the statement.
According to Lliane Loots, creative director of the JOMBA! dance centre at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Masilo’s most famous work was her iconic reimagining of the major ballet classics, including Swan Lake and Giselle.
Loots said, she blended this European dance style “with the rhythms and intentions of her own histories of African dance and of being South African” by utilising her “remarkable skill as a ballet dancer.”
Masilo’s Swan Lake received a nomination for a New York Bessie Award in 2016, and her Giselle won the Italian Danza & Danza Award for Best Performance the following year, according to the family statement.
She received the Prince Claus Next Generation award in the Netherlands in 2018 and was hailed as a “extraordinary role model for young people and girls.”
