Dada Masilo

Dada Masilo (21 February 1985 – 29 December 2024) was a South African dancer and choreographer, known for her unique and innovative interpretations of classical ballets. Masilo was trained in classical ballet and contemporary dance, and fused these techniques with African dance steps to create her high-speed style. She appeared and collaborated internationally.

Background Masilo was born on 21 February 1985 in Soweto, a township of Johannesburg, South Africa, where she was also raised. As a girl, she appeared with other girls in a troupe that she formed to dance in the streets to Michael Jackson's songs. They were invited to the Art and Dance festival of the Dance Factory in Newtown, Johannesburg,

Masilo studied at Braamfonteins National School for the Arts from 2002.

Performance venues

Dancing with Dada, in collaboration with William Kentridge, 2011 The Bitter End of Rosemary, Düsseldorf, Germany, 2011 Infecting the City 2012 festival, Cape Town She received a Premio Positano Léonide Massine, an Italian lifetime achievement award for classic and contemporary dance, in September 2024. The City of Johannesburg named Masilo one of 44 "artistic icons in the City of Gold" in 2024, with a star carved into the wall of the Soweto Theatre. 2010

Giselle, 2017

Original works The Bitter End of Rosemary, 2011, based on Ophelia Dancing with Dada, 2011 The Sacrifice based on Pina Bausch's Frühlingsopfer, 2021