South Africa: Celebrating the Life of Ballet Star Johaar Mosaval At 90

GovernmentZA / Flickr (CC BY-ND 2.0)
President Cyril Ramaphosa bestows the Order of Ikhamanga in Gold to Johaar Mosaval at the Sefako Makgatho Presidential Guesthouse in Pretoria, April 25, 2019.
3 May 2018
Daily Maverick (Johannesburg)
analysis By Leila Dougan

Johaar Mosaval was the first black South African to become a senior principal dancer at the Royal Ballet, the highest rank in the profession at one of the world's most prestigious classical ballet centres. This weekend at Artscape, a ballet performance by the Cape Town City Ballet, The Johaar Mosaval Journey: District Six to The Royal Ballet, celebrated the life of a living legend. He turned 90 in January.

In a pink shirt and a light grey cardigan, he stands straight-backed, his neck long, shoulders relaxed, chin lifted. His arms float gracefully as he gestures, and his eyes have not lost their sparkle.

Speaking to his old friends and family members at the District Six Homecoming Centre last Tuesday, Johaar Mosaval described his journey to the Royal Ballet during the height of Apartheid, dancing for Queen Elizabeth II and being the first black performer on the "whites-only" Nico Malan stage in the 1970s.

His memory is meticulous. He clearly recalls being forced as a young dancer to dance behind a line at the back of the class because he was black. "It was very difficult... I had to stand at the back. There was a line at the back and...

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