CAPE TOWN - UCT on Monday awarded ballet giant Johaar Mosaval the high academic honour, DMus (honoris causa) for his contribution to ballet and community empowerment.
The acclaimed artist ,93, was honoured during the university’s Faculty of Humanities virtual graduation ceremony.
Over the course of his career that spans over 30 years, Mosaval has been the recipient of many awards including the Order of Ikhamanga in Gold.
He was bestowed by President Cyril Ramaphosa, for his exceptional contribution to the performing arts, particularly ballet dancing.
Mosaval had described ballet as a beautiful art, adding that: “The flow of movement to beautiful music is as if you are floating all the time.”
UCT vice-chancellor Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng said it was a delight for the university to be honouring a person of Mosaval’s stature.
“During this period, we will honour hundreds of our students who have toiled very hard to complete their qualifications across our six faculties.
“It is also during graduation ceremonies that our university pays homage to distinguished individuals who have contributed immensely to the development of society at large.
“There is no doubt about the immense contribution made by Mosaval to ballet and to community empowerment,” she said.
Phakeng said Mosaval contributed fresh perspectives to the medium, and broke colossal social barriers along the way.
“He is highly respected within the dance performance community locally and internationally,” she added.
Mosaval was born in District Six, Cape Town in 1928.
His ambition from a very early age to become a famous ballet dancer was unheard of in the Muslim community of the time.
After involvement in gymnastics at school and pantomimes in the Cape Town City Hall, he began private ballet classes with Jasmine Honoré.
His ballet career was largely spent as a senior principal dancer for the Royal Ballet in London.
Among his career highlights was when he was chosen out of 150 dancers to do a solo for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.
He was the first black dancer to join the Royal Ballet and travelled the world with the company.
After 25 years abroad, Mosaval returned home and opened his own ballet school which he ran for 15 years.
In 2018 he was honoured by the South African International Ballet Competition at Artscape, an accolade he said made him feel “on top of the world”.
“Things are happening very late in my life but I am grateful to the man above that I am still here to enjoy life.”
Cape Times