GLM TEAM 
'Carmen' by Dada Masilo The Dance Factory, Newtown, Johannesburg. Carmen - Dada Masilo Michaela - Penny Ho Hin Jose- Gustin Makgeledisa The Women - Lulu Mlangeni, Nicola Haskins, Vishanti Arumugum Carmens rival - Carlynn Williams The Men - Xolani Mthabela, Lesego Ngwato, Tshepo Zasekhaya The General - Bailey Snyman Fortune Teller - Vishanti Arumugam Escamillio - Mpho Masilela. Photograph : John Hogg
The local and international dance community remains incredulous and heart-broken at the untimely death of Soweto-born dancer/choreographer, Dada Masilo on 29 December 2024. On 21 February 2025, a memorial service will be conducted to celebrate her life, at the Gibson Kente Theatre, Soweto Theatre complex from 2pm.
The memorial will feature specially choreographed works by Dada’s friends and collaborators over the years, including Moving Into Dance; Vuyani Dance Theatre; Albert Silindokuhle Ibokwe Khoza, Gaby Saranouffi and Moeketsi Koena; and Joburg Ballet, to name a few.
Dada’s sister, Xoliswa Masilo, commented on the importance of being able to celebrate Dada on what would have been her 40th birthday, praising the Soweto Theatre for graciously offering the use of their space for this event.
At the beginning of December 2024, Dada was acknowledged by the City of Joburg as one of 44 “artistic icons in the City of Gold” with a star embedded into the wall of Soweto Theatre. This award meant a lot to her. It was the most important acknowledgement of her career ‘at home’.
The recipient of many local and global awards, including an Italian lifetime achievement award for classic and contemporary dance in September 2024 at the Premio Positano Léonide Massine for the Art of Dance, Masilo began her meteoric career at the Dance Factory in Newtown, Johannesburg in the 1990s.
Her first balletic role was as Klara in a production of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite by the Johannesburg School of Art, Ballet and Music, where she was educated, but she came to the serious attention of the dance industry as an 11-year-old in 1996, when she was invited to dance for Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands. After matriculating, in 2002, she went on to train at Jazzart Dance Theatre under the tutelage of Alfred Hinkel in preparation for her training in performance at P.A.R.T.S. (Performing Arts Research and Training Studios) in Brussels, Belgium.
She was prolific in her work and bold in breaking rules. During her brilliant career, she collaborated with the likes of William Kentridge, Ann Masina, Albert Silindokuhle Ibokwe Khoza, David April, PJ Sabbagha and Gregory Maqoma. Her work is distinguished by her fearlessness. She was known to take great ballet classics of the ilk of ‘Carmen’, ‘Hamlet’, ‘The Rite of Spring’ and ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and tease them apart, bringing in African dance motifs and a universal and powerful understanding of their lead women. 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.
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