Internationally-acclaimed Soweto-born dancer and choreographer Dada Masilo has died at the age of 39 after a brief illness.

She died last night, her family confirmed.

Masilo was 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.

Just weeks before her death, Masilo was honoured with a star erected on the Soweto Theatre wall earlier this month.

Born on February 21, 1985, Masilo first caught the attention of the dance world as an 11-year-old in 1996, when she was invited to dance for Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands.

She was educated at the National School of the Arts in Braamfontein, matriculating in 2002.

In 2003, she trained at Jazzart Dance Theatre under the tutelage of Alfred Hinkel in preparation for her training in performance at Performing Arts Research and Training Studios in Brussels, Belgium.

Dancing with various companies and in a solo capacity, Masilo was recognised for her unique presence onstage. In 2006, she was celebrated as the ‘Most Promising Female Dance in a Contemporary Style’ by the Gauteng Arts and Culture MEC Award judges, and in 2008, at just 22, she was the recipient of the Standard Bank Young Artist Award for Dance.

The latter enabled her career to take flight internationally. Masilo was an extraordinary dancer, who understood the value of proper balletic training.

In 2016, she was her was nominated for a Bessie Award in New York for her Swan Lake performance. A year later, her performance as Giselle won ‘Best Performance’ by the Italian Danza&Danza Award and, in 2018, she won the Netherlands’ Prince Claus ‘Next Generation’ Award.

During her illustrious career, she collaborated with the likes of William Kentridge, Ann Masina, Albert Silindokuhle Ibokwe Khoza, David April, PJ Sabbagha and Gregory Maqoma.

At the beginning of December, she 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. She described the award as an important acknowledgement of her career ‘at home’.

At the time of her death, she was working on a new autobiographical solo piece about the loss of loved ones.

Tributes have been pouring in for Masilo.

Ismail Mahomed from the UKZN Centre for Creative Arts said:

“The death of Dada Masilo is a great loss to South African and international contemporary dance.

“What an incredible talent! What an incredible person! May her soul soar and dance with the ancestors. Hers is a legacy that has been firmly written into our soil and into our time.

“Condolences to her family, loved ones, friends and colleagues,” he said.

The Masilo family have requested privacy in honour of Dada’s memory.