47pp., b/w & colour illus., paperback, David Philip Publishers, Cape Town, 2025
ISBN: 9781485641360
Children's book based on the life of South African ballet dancer Johaar Mosaval (1928-2023).
Mosaval grew up in District Six, the oldest of 10 children. As a teenager, and despite the disapproval of his Muslim parents, Mosaval accepted an invitation to study ballet at UCT Ballet School. Although apartheid prevented him from pursuing a career in South Africa, in 1949 ballet celebrities Alicia Markova and Anton Dolin saw him dance and arranged a scholarship for him to attend Sadler's Wells Ballet School (later renamed the Royal Ballet) in London. He rose to become senior principal dancer, and danced all over the world. After 25 years he retired from performing and returned to live in Cape Town.
Text in Afrikaans. Also available in English.