Who was Johaar Mosaval? Legendary South African ballet dancer dies at 95

Johaar Mosaval was a South African ballet dancer famous for being a major dancer with the Royal Ballet and the first “person of color” to perform Internationally during the 1960s.

Born on January 8, 1928, Mosaval began working with Sadler’s Wells Theatre Ballet (later renamed the Royal Ballet) in 1951, and got promoted to soloist after five years.

Mosaval rose through the ranks and toured round the world with the company, dancing in continental Europe, Australia, New Zealand, the Middle East, the Far East, Canada, and the United States.

Mosaval served as dance partner to famous ballerinas like Margot Fonteyn, Svetlana Beriosova, Elaine Fifield, Lynn Seymour, Merle Park, Doreen Wells and Nadia Nerina.

Mosaval played character dancing as Jasper the Pot Boy in “Pineapple Poll”, as Bootface in “The Lady and the Fool, as the Blue Boy in “Les Patineurs”, as Puck in “The Dream”, and the Blue Bird in “The Sleeping Beauty.”

Mosaval retired from dancing after performing with the Royal Ballet for 25 years and relocated permanently to Cape Town.

Mosaval was the first black South African to appear on local television. In 1977, he founded his own ballet school and became “the first black Inspector of Schools of Ballet under the Administration of Coloured Affairs.”

Mosaval passed away on August 16, 2023. He was aged 95.