The dance world on Tuesday mourned Dada Masilo, the internationally acclaimed South African dancer and choreographer who died in hospital over the weekend at the age of 39.
Masilo died unexpectedly on Sunday after a brief illness, a spokesperson for his 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 spanning two decades.
Family spokeswoman Bridget Van Orley said in the statement announcing her, “Deeply respectful of European and contemporary musical traditions, but not afraid to get out on stage and express her opinions, she pioneered contemporary dance in South Africa. Effectively changed the shape and form.” Death.
In the most recent of a series of acknowledgments for his work, Masiello received the Positano Leonide Massine Lifetime Achievement Award for Classic and Contemporary Dance in September, which praised him as “powerful and timely”.
The award announcement stated that her reworked versions of the great classics of Romantic ballet were based on African dance, speaking of the society she lived in and of tolerance across borders.
The Joburg Ballet Company praised Masillo’s “creative power as a choreographer and his intelligence as a human being”, saying “a brilliant light has been extinguished.”
The University of Johannesburg’s Department of Arts and Culture said, “His groundbreaking work reshaped the world of contemporary dance and his spirit will continue to inspire generations of artists and audiences.”
The UK-based Dance Consortium, which toured with Masiello in Britain twice, called his death a “tragic loss to the dance world”.
It added, “His fresh approach, extraordinary presence and stunning creations have enthralled and inspired audiences and artists in the UK and around the world.”
‘Extraordinary Role Model’
Masiello was known for his iconic reinventions of great ballet classics such as Swan Lake And GiselleLillian Loots, Artistic Director of JOMBA! Dance Center at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
“He used his remarkable skills as a ballet dancer” to infuse this European dance style “with the rhythms and intentions of African dance and his history of being South African,” Loots said.
In 2016, Masillo’s Swan Lake was nominated for a New York Bessie Award and the following year Giselle The family statement said the Italian won the Best Performance at Danza and Danza Awards.
In 2018, she won the Netherlands’ Prince Claus Next Generation Award, where she was described as an “exceptional role model for young people and girls”.