Dada Masilo is a South African dancer and choreographer, known for her unique and innovative interpretations of

classical ballet Classical ballet is any of the traditional, formal styles of ballet that exclusively employ classical ballet technique. It is known for its aesthetics and rigorous technique (such as pointe work, turnout of the legs, and high extensions), it ...

s. Trained in classical ballet and contemporary dance, Masilo fuses these techniques with African dance steps to create her high-speed style. She was born and raised in the

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Dem ...

township of

Soweto Soweto () is a township of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality in Gauteng, South Africa, bordering the city's mining belt in the south. Its name is an English syllabic abbreviation for ''South Western Townships''. Formerly a s ...

. Although she is interested more in the personal challenge of choreography than political statements, her pieces often address taboos such as

homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to pe ...

and

race relations Race relations is a sociological concept that emerged in Chicago in connection with the work of sociologist Robert E. Park and the Chicago race riot of 1919. Race relations designates a paradigm or field in sociology and a legal concept in the ...

Career

Education

Masilo studied at Braamfonteins National School for the Arts, 2002. Dada Masilo caught the eyes of Suzette Le Sueur, back then the Director of Dance factory school, and invited her to train professionally. Since then, Sueur became Masilo's mentor.

Performances

Infecting the City Held in Cape Town, South Africa Infecting the City is a public arts festival that is committed to making art freely available to everyone. The festival hosts a range of different types of site-specific art, art intervention and performance art i ...

2012,

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

Image:InfectingTheCity2012 Death&Maidens DadaMasilo SydelleWillowSmith 20120306 (12).jpg, Death & Maidens, Infecting the City 2012 Image:InfectingTheCity2012 Death&Maidens DadaMasilo SydelleWillowSmith 20120306 (18).jpg, Death & Maidens, Infecting the City 2012 Image:InfectingTheCity2012 Death&Maidens DadaMasilo SydelleWillowSmith 20120306 (22).jpg, Death & Maidens, Infecting the City 2012 Image:InfectingTheCity2012 Death&Maidens DadaMasilo SydelleWillowSmith 20120306 (32).jpg, Death & Maidens, Infecting the City 2012 * ''Dancing with Dada'', in collaboration with

William Kentridge William Kentridge (born 28 April 1955) is a South African artist best known for his prints, drawings, and animated films, especially noted for a sequence of hand-drawn animated films he produced during the 1990s. The latter are constructed by ...

* Swasey Chapel at

Denison University Denison University is a private liberal arts college in Granville, Ohio. One of the earliest colleges established in the former Northwest Territory, Denison University was founded in 1831. The college was first called the Granville Literary and ...

, 3 February 2012 * ''The Bitter End of Rosemary,''

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian language, Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second- ...

, Germany * Jazzart Dance Theatre, Cape Town, 2003 * London School of Contemporary Dance, 2004 * One of Masilo's notable scene partners is South African contemporary dancer Kyle Heinz Rossouw

Notable works

Classical ballets

* Swan Lake * Romeo and Juliet * Carmen * Death and the Maiden * Giselle

Original works

* ''The Bitter End of Rosemary'', based on

Ophelia Ophelia () is a character in William Shakespeare's drama '' Hamlet'' (1599–1601). She is a young noblewoman of Denmark, the daughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes and potential wife of Prince Hamlet, who, due to Hamlet's actions, ends u ...

* ''Dancing with Dada'' * ''The Sacrifice'' based on

Pina Bausch Philippine "Pina" Bausch (27 July 1940 – 30 June 2009) was a German dancer and choreographer who was a significant contributor to a neo-expressionist dance tradition now known as . Bausch's approach was noted for a stylized blend of dance m ...

's ''Rite of Spring''

References

External links

Nedbank - Arts Life Project Details - Arts Affinities
Living people South African choreographers South African ballerinas Contemporary dancers Year of birth missing (living people) {{dance-bio-stub