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Huff! Puff! And Blow the House Down

The paradigmatic lens for contemporary ballet in South Africa hereafter traces the foray by some black choreographers into a reimagining of ballet’s form and choreographic approach. This chapter highlights some of the key historical moments and figures who have shaped ballet in South Africa and comments on the impact of the colonial and apartheid era. The epistemological import of a few stalwarts in ballet who have served its development are singled out and discussed. While Marina Grut and others provide a comprehensive testament to “white ballet,” few scholarly accounts of defiant “black dance in South Africa” are readily available. The contemporary conditions of black ballet dancers’ lives, many born in townships and jettisoned onto world stages, are laid bare. The chapter ends with a brief unpacking of works by Mthuthuzeli November and Dada Masilo, suggesting how these choreographers are changing the ballet brand.